Steps up battle with Office software

In a bid to attract more users to its free online file editing service, Google has added templates to allow simple creation of the more mundane documents.

Often a mainstay for the more repetitive or novel tasks on such programmes as Microsoft Word or Excel, like printing mailing labels or invitation cards, Google has unleashed its own piece of the action.

The templates were created in association with Visa Business, Avery Dennison and TemplateZone among others, so at least you know they'll probably work.

Full article: techradar.com 

Labels: docs, office, templates

There is a good examples how to drive emploees to new heights of efficiency. Check this one - Google real office in Europe.

Google proves it is effective way to drive intellectual productivity of emploees with this. Best are:

• enough space and air for your intellectuals
• so called "orthogonal projects" - gmail.com came to live as a after-work project of few emploees
• fun and proper meeting rooms for better communication
• meritocracy - those with brains like to own their result
• fresh fruits, fun environemnt and target drive
• kindergarden in the center of the office

Read more: adrozdov.com 

Labels: office, workplace, Zurich

1. Office Live Workspace Does Not Allow You To Create And Edit Documents Within A Web Page. Google Docs Does.

First and foremost, Office Live Workspace will not allow you to create and edit documents within a Web page. With Google Docs, you can easily create documents and edit them and even upload current Microsoft Word documents.

Just like all things related to Microsoft's Software-as-a-Service (SAAS) strategy, Office Live Workspace is a patched together, too little, too late offering compared to Google Docs. Question for Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer: when will Microsoft deliver a SaaS offering that the channel can take advantage of that beats Google hands down? Right now the Google Docs environment is a great choice for VARs looking to build a pure Web 2.0 environment for small businesses and even entrepreneurial enterprise units looking to operate out of the purview of Big Brother IT. New fleet of foot businesses do not want to be hobbled by DOS 1.0 Microsoft view of the world. The biggest advantage Google has is that it does not bring all the excess legacy bloat and excess that comes with Microsoft Office.

Full article: crn.com 

Labels: docs, live, office, Spreadsheets

Google plans to add a presentations application to its Web applications suite on Tuesday, delivering on a promise made in April. The suite, until now known as Docs & Spreadsheets, will also be renamed Google Docs on Monday.

Because Google Docs is part of the broader Google Apps suite of collaboration and communication applications, Google Apps users will also get the presentations application.

Read more: macworld.com 

Labels: docs, office, presentations, Spreadsheets

Google’s long awaited Powerpoint clone could be days away from launching, according to a report at The Inquirer.

The service is said to be called “Presently” and is based in part on code from Zenter and Tonic Systems, two companies Google acquired earlier this year.

Read more: techcrunch.com 

Labels: docs, microsoft, office, Powerpoint, Spreadsheets

The search king's free Web-based business software has 100,000 small-biz clients. But will big corporate fish bite for a paid "premier" version?

Noah Sachs, general counsel, business development director, and resident computer expert at a biotechnology startup named Enzymatics, has one word for the holdouts who still use Microsoft Office to create documents and spreadsheets. They're "curmudgeons," he sniffs.

Most of the people at the 10-employee company use Web-based software from Google (GOOG) for these tasks and e-mail. Since they're all delivered online, "any computer I sit down at becomes my computer," says Sachs. Enzymatics, based in Beverly, Mass., is experimenting with other Google software, too, including a specialized search engine that combs competitors' Web sites for information on rival products and prices. To build such a tool from scratch using Microsoft (MSFT) software would have entailed buying multiple product licenses. "I have enough on my plate without having to worry about that," he says.

Full article: businessweek.com 

Labels: apps, office, Web

Can the Web giant’s suite of free online programs replace your copy of Microsoft Office?

Imagine being able to access all your important documents from any computer with an Internet connection—or never having to buy, install, or upgrade office software again. You may already use a Web-based e-mail service instead of an e-mail client, but the next programs to go online could very well be your word processor and your spreadsheet program. You can now get a lot done with only a humble browser.

The idea behind Web applications is simple: rather than running on your computer, a Web application runs on a server—you interact with it through your browser. These programs don’t need to be updated and maintained on individual computers, and since your files are also stored on a server, you can access them from anywhere without schlepping a disk around.

Full article: Macworld.com 

Labels: mail, microsoft, office, Web

When Google announced its latest foray into an area of software in which Microsoft holds dominance, it was hard to miss the swipes aimed at Redmond. The search giant has decided that it will no longer confine itself to online-only technologies, but wants to live in the offline world and compete with Microsoft there as well.

Yesterday, at Google Developer Day 2007 in Sydney, Australia, Google announced Google Gears, an open-source program "for creating offline Web applications," according to Google's press release.

Read more: reddevnews.com 

Labels: docs, Gears, office, Spreadsheets

Compatibility issues always exist with any new release of an operating system, said Steve Gillmer, Microsoft's business manager of collaborative technologies. He added that Microsoft works with software developers to reduce incompatibilities and with customers to manage the movement to new operating systems.

The story had a certain flair. In early March, the chief information officer of the Federal Aviation Administration , David Bowen, was reportedly considering forsaking Microsoft Windows and Office in favor of the Linux operating system and the Web-based Google Apps Premium office suite.

Could this be true? Might an office suite upstart topple the giant of giants? Does a Web-based suite of applications have enough punch to do the job?

Full story: technewsworld.com 

Labels: Linux, microsoft, office, Software

Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) continues to subtly press its office productivity software into the hands of the masses, consumers and businesses. And yet, the company continues to say it is not targeting, as a whole, Microsoft's Office franchise, which requires a decent chunk of cash to purchase as well as installation on a PC (or network) to function.

Google's Gmail (email), Calendar (scheduling), Docs (word precessing) and Spreadsheet (calculations) require nothing but a web browser and an internet connection, while giving many "light" users the same capabilities as the Microsoft Office package. All for free.

Read more: bloggingstocks.com 

Labels: apps, calendar, docs, microsoft, office, Spreadsheets