Access Office Documents from Anywhere

Microsoft is in the process of finalizing a new online buddy for their popular Office programs. The service allows users to store, share and comment on documents. Ironically, the only thing missing is the ability to create new files.

While the resource is called Microsoft Office Live Workspace, the website is not exactly "live" at all. Users hoping to get an early start on the program will be required to sign up to become part of an early beta test. A select number of those tested will be allowed to start using the service at some point this year. (Source: usatoday.com)

Office Live Workspace is being considered a lifesaver for those who have too many documents on their hands. In total, the service allows for up to 250 megabytes of storage, the equivalence of almost 1,000 average Office documents. The files would then be "kept in the cloud" which is the catchy new way of saying "saved to the desktop".

The website can also be used to upload all Word, Excel and PowerPoint files which can then be emailed to friends and family members with an accompanying invitation to read and add comments to those same documents using a web browser. (Source: redorbit.com)

The text can even be edited, though this would require the receiver to have a previously installed version of Microsoft Office already on their desktop.

Office Live Workspace is compatible with other Microsoft programs as well. Users with Hotmail, Xbox Live and other Microsoft accounts can share information between these programs and their own "workspace". This would save time by not having to re-type a whole new list of personal contacts for future invitations.

Microsoft also announced plans to sell their Exchange, SharePoint and Communications server software as online services. This means that now companies with more than 5,000 connected PC users will no longer have to buy disks, install software or manage the server computers. Instead, Microsoft will host the servers using their own data centers and sell access to companies on a subscription basis. (Source: usatoday.com)

Microsoft would not disclose the pricing details for these new services.