Search king begins testing Docs & Spreadsheets combo in challenge to Redmond.

Source: Redherring.com

Google began testing an integrated combination of its web-based word processor and spreadsheet software Wednesday, in an escalation of the company’s challenge to Microsoft’s Office desktop productivity suite.

The software, known as Google Docs & Spreadsheets, is available online at a special test web site for Google’s registered users. It combines Google’s Writely word processor with its Google Spreadsheets program.

Google acquired Writely when it bought Writely’s developer Upstartle for an undisclosed amount in March (see Google Buys Writely). The company introduced its spreadsheet software in June (see Google’s Spreadsheet Row).

The combined software allows users to create, edit, format, and spell-check documents. They can also upload Word documents, in addition to OpenOffice, Rich Text Format, HTML, and plain text files.

Users are able to download documents to their desktop in Word format or Adobe Systems’ Portable Document Format, or as HTML or Zip files, view the document’s revision history, and roll back to a previous version.

The software supports import and export of Excel spreadsheet files, as well as comma-separated CSV files and Microsoft Outlook ODS files. PDF and HTML files can also be exported.

Leveraging the Web

The Mountain View, California-based search king is also making the most of the fact that the software is web-based and online, as Microsoft plans to do with features included in the upcoming version of Office.

With Google Docs & Spreadsheets, users can invite others to share their documents by email address, edit the documents online with whomever they choose, publish the documents online to the general public or to a select group of people, and chat in real time with other users who are helping them edit their spreadsheets. The documents can also be posted to a blog.

Mr. Rochelle said users will see a list of common documents, and they will be able to organize their content with the help of tagging, sorting, archiving, and searching features. Users will be able to see the most active documents in the main view, with any documents edited within the last 30 days listed on top.

“We’re trying to provide more smarts,” said Mr. Rochelle. He doesn’t anticipate that Google will try to get the software bundled on machines, as it has done with its desktop search tool and browser toolbar on Dell computers (see Google Goes on Dell PCs).

“Those are locally installed products,” he said. “This is completely web based. We don’t have any distribution deals planned. That’s not part of what we’re announcing so far.”

Google is introducing the software at the Office 2.0 conference in San Francisco. Shares of Google fell $0.75 to $425.90 in recent trading.

“We are integrating the two, graduating Spreadsheets out of the labs and making Writely more of a Google brand,” said Jonathan Rochelle, a Google product manager. “We are trying to rationalize our products more and make it easier for users to access features.”