Ultrathought

As the trend for web applications that mimic conventional desktop apps continues, we see a beta project from Google that is set to become the document collaboration software of choice. Google Docs tool-set includes a word processor, spreadsheet and a calendar that allows for real-time collaboration with multiple users.

It works along-side Gmail which gives it the ability to share documents and allows you to work anywhere, obviously handy for professionals on the move.

When creating documents from scratch, you can easily do all the basics, including making bulleted lists, sorting by columns, adding tables, images, comments, formulas, changing fonts and more. And it’s free. Google Docs accepts most popular file formats, including DOC, XLS, ODT, ODS, RTF, CSV, PPT, etc. So go ahead and upload your existing files. It has a familiar and friendly desktop feel. Just click the toolbar buttons to bold, underline, indent, change font or number format, change cell background color and so on.

Multiple people can view and make changes at the same time. There’s an on-screen chat window for spreadsheets, and document revisions show you exactly who changed what, and when. Viewing a presentation together is a breeze, as anyone joined in a presentation can automatically follow along with the presenter.

There’s nothing to download; you access your documents, spreadsheets and presentations from any computer with an Internet connection and a standard browser. Have a look at these real user examples.

[tags]Google Docs[/tags]