Google Docs just added what I consider to be a feature that is needed to help bridge the gap between desktop and online word processing. They added a page view (as expected) that is typical of any desktop word processor, and it's almost like getting a live print preview while you work. To access the new setting go to the View menu, and select the fixed-width page view option.
Zoho took a pretty big leap today, and it will likely pay off in big ways for them. What they decided to do is leverage Google and Yahoo's rapidly growing user base to help attract new users. How so? Instead of having to create a Zoho account new (and existing) users can simply login using their Google or Yahoo credentials.
One of the things that I've felt online spreadsheets have really lacked is support for Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). I use VBA macros quite frequently in my spreadsheets as a way to analyze and process data that can't be done with formulas. Well, Zoho has decided to step up to the plate in a big way.
Zoho's suite of online applications continues to get bigger and bigger. Just this morning they launched yet another application called Zoho Invoice to join a whole slew of other business applications like Zoho Meeting, Zoho Projects and more.
Omar tipped me off yesterday to a rather amazing presentation creator currently in private Beta called SlideRocket. It's completely Flash-based, and the interface I would say is one of the best out of all the competing products.
Back in April we wrote about Peepel which at the time was a new online-office startup. They offer a spreadsheet and word processor that look near identical to Office 2007. Considering they haven't updated their blog since August, I'm guessing things aren't going so well for them and they aren't really updating the service.
Zoho has expanded its web service offering once again by introducing the new Zoho DB, which is a complete database and report management tool. It has a familiar spreadsheet interface that users will quickly be able to adapt to, and the chart creator is unbelievably simple.
It was only going to be a matter of time before Microsoft took a step towards bringing their Office Suite online, and yesterday they made that first step by announcing Microsoft Office Live Workspace. It's described as the online companion to Microsoft Office and for now, only pre-registration is available.
The list of companies offering an online word processor just keeps getting longer and longer. And because there are so many options, it makes it difficult to determine which service to use, if any at all. As though there weren't enough options, Adobe has announced that they are acquiring Virtual Ubiquity which is the company that makes Buzzword.
All along I had been wondering why Yahoo hadn't acquired Zoho (Online Office Suite) yet. In fact, back in July I asked this very question and I suggested that Yahoo seemed like a likely buyer because Microsoft has no need for them, and Google has their own Office Suite. Now I know that Yahoo had no need for Zoho - they were going after Zimbra, an Online Open Source Office Suite.
