Test Office Live Workspace and Win Cash, Prizes

Microsoft has conducted a private beta of its Office Live software, and now it's making the English-language test version available at no cost to the world at large, reports InformationWeek.

To further encourage testing, it's throwing in a $100,000 grand prize in a sweepstakes for people in the United States who try the the Web-based document storage and collaboration software, according to and IDG story in The New York Times.

The company calls the updates to Office Live Workspace an "online extension" of Office that has been integrated with the XP-based, 2003 and 2007 versions of the applications suite. It allows users to access and store Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Office applications on the Web even if their PC isn't running Office on its hard drive.

The company says it will give away 30,000 prizes, including cash, Xbox 360s, travel vouchers and more, between now and May 11. Users can sign up for the test and the sweepstakes on its Web site.