If you're one of the "lucky few" to have signed up for a beta of Office 12, BetaNews is reporting that you'll likely see the first beta within 2-3 weeks. Yay.

"Microsoft has sent out the first wave of Office 12 acceptance letters to those who applied for the beta program. The company says it expects to ship Beta 1 in the next few weeks, which, for the first time, will be available via download. In the past, Microsoft has only issued CDs for major Office betas."