Microsoft is not going to let Google Docs, which includes the recently completed triumvirate of Docs, Spreadsheets and Presentation, simply take away its dominance in the desktop application market. In response to Google Docs, Microsoft has announced Office Live Works, an online companion to Microsoft Office offering online collaboration just like, well, Google Docs.

The Microsoft Office Live Works, which is set to be launched sometime in November is aimed more at consumers and small business users (rather than corporations) who want access to their documents online from any computer using any browser. Office Live Works operates as a stand alone application separate from the desktop Office application.
Office Live Work’s has the following three key features:

• Access Anywhere – freely store up to 1,000 Office documents which can be accessed in any computer using any browser,
• Share with others – collaborate with your colleagues, networks and friends and control how much they can do with your documents,
• Works directly with Microsoft Office – open and save files directly from Word, Excel and Powerpoint, synchronize contact, task, and event list with Outlook

From the looks of it, Microsoft Office Live Works could very well give Google Docs a run for its money. Microsoft is pulling together all the collaboration technology and software that it has developed and acquired through corporate buyouts to come up with one integrated and collaborative online application that is set to take its main bread and butter, the Microsoft Office into the web 2.0 world.
The question to ask now is, can it actually compete with the already established Google Docs?

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Entry was posted on Monday, October 1st, 2007 at 5:03 am under Microsoft.

Read more entries by Arnold Zafra.
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