Following rumors from USA Today that Microsoft was preparing to announce Office 15 today, the company has just scheduled a news conference and corresponding live webcast with CEO Steve Ballmer for 12pm PDT this afternoon. While there are absolutely no details or hints on what this news conference might entail, it obviously fits right in with the rumored timing for an Office 15 announcement — and the company's launch of its Office Next blog last week certainly fuels the fire as well. Keep your eyes right here, as we'll be reporting the new from Microsoft's conference as it happens.

Update: If you want to follow along with Microsoft's official live presentation, just click right here.