Microsoft Demos Web Versions of Office Apps

As part of its preview event for Windows 7, Microsoft also demonstrated new Web applications for Office. This consisted of lightweight versions of Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote that could be used from within standard Web browsers. The company showed how anyone can use all of the Web, phone, and PC versions of Office to edit the same rich document, switching among them with lossless file compatibility.


Office Web applications for Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote will be available to individuals through Office Live, and to businesses though a hosted subscription and existing volume licensing programs. Microsoft plans to release a private Technical Preview of Office Web applications later this year.


"We are bringing the best of the Web to Windows, and the best of Windows to the Web," said Ray Ozzie, chief software architect at Microsoft. "From PC to the Web to the phone, and from the server to cloud, we are focused on enabling the creation of the next generation of user experiences that change the way we live, work and play."http://www.workspace.officelive.com/