Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting 2006 is a full-featured financial management software solution that is available as a stand-alone offering or as part of Office Small Business Management Edition 2006, which also includes Outlook with Business Contact Manager Update, Word,  Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher and Access.

"These solutions were built from the ground up to support the ways that small businesses actually work, and to be incredibly easy for employees to implement and use," said Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates in a statement.

Nearly 4,800 U.S. small businesses took part in the beta testing of Small Business Accounting and saw positive results in ease of use and integration. Customers and accountants have requested 50,000 trial copies of Small Business Accounting.

New relationships with distributors and retailers include those with Dell and Gateway. Dell PCs will be loaded with Microsoft Office Small Business Management Edition. Gateway Inc. will offer Office Small Business Management Edition 2006 on its new S-series of desktop and notebooks, available through Gateway's Web site. The software will be distributed in over 5,000 U.S. retail outlets.

Microsoft Small Business Management Edition 2006 is available in the U.S. for an after-rebate price of $569 and to existing Microsoft Office customers for an upgrade price of $399 (product estimated retail prices are $669 and $499, respectively, less $100 mail-in rebates). Customers can go to http://www.office.microsoft.com/sba to learn more.

A review by CNet.com Editor Jeff Bertolucci states: "For the money, QuickBooks gives you many more features. Yes, the price of Microsoft's accounting app screams 'bargain,' but it really isn't a steal unless you already happen to be running Microsoft Office 2003, which is required for many of this accounting program's most compelling features. If your small business currently runs Corel WordPerfect Office or another productivity suite, then Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting isn't for you. But if you're already a Microsoft Office shop -- or you're planning to become one -- this accounting program is worth a look."