Google Office Is Coming

InformationWeek on August 28, 2006

Google is busy assembling productivity applications into a bundle of services that is shaping up to resemble the long-rumored online alternative to Microsoft's Office suite. Launched with much fanfare last week, Google Apps for Your Domain combines Google Mail, calendar and instant messaging with Web site creation software. Google will host sites created with the software at its data center. Businesses in theory could use the free software to create sites for their employees to use. The catch: Like almost everything else in Google's portfolio, it's supported by advertising, so folks will have to view ads. Before the end of this year, Google is expected to add the Writely word processor and Google Spreadsheets to the mix, along with features such as APIs and directory-server integration. A fuller-featured version will be available for a fee. The real chink in Microsoft's armor, as detailed here, is its Live collaboration software and not the Office suite.