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Microsoft recently launched Office Web App, which actually place its No .1 productivity suite Microsoft Office on the cloud. It’s available for free and users can access it via their Live account at http://office.live.com. This is sort of challenging Google Docs as one of the favourite productivity apps on the cloud. However, Office Web App has its value since it is directly linked with the desktop software.

Do try it out and share your views!

Kuala Lumpur, 11th May 2011 – Today, Microsoft Malaysia launched Office Web Apps and gave all Malaysians free access to the world’s leading suite of office productivity tools. Office Web Apps are the free online companions to the Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote applications that many people already use. Web Apps allows users to access Office documents from virtually anywhere, as well as share and work on documents with others online.

Office Web Apps is a part of Microsoft Windows Live service and is entirely web-based, so there is no additional software that users need to download or install. And it can be used from any computer, whether or not it has Microsoft Windows or Office installed. All that is needed is a free Windows Live ID, a supported web browser like Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox or Chrome, and an Internet connection. To get started using Office Web Apps just visit http://office.live.com

“Microsoft is very pleased to extend the Windows Live portfolio of services that are available to Malaysian users with the launch of Office Web Apps,” said Mark Ma, Head of Online, Microsoft Asia Pacific. “With a comprehensive suite of services and guaranteed no loss of fidelity with Microsoft Office, Web Apps will make a genuine contribution to helping all Malaysians bring their ideas to life at home, at school and at work.”

Using Office Web Apps users can easily create Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations and OneNote files right in their browser. They can also upload files stored on their PCs and edit and share these files as needed. Users that have Microsoft Silverlight installed on their computers can upload files simply by dragging and dropping them into their browsers.

Office Web Apps gives users the highest fidelity with files created and viewed in Microsoft Office. This means that formatting is a non-issue with Office and Office Web Apps. No matter which version of Office the user has, the file’s formatting is preserved from the desktop to the Web App and back again. With Web Apps users can be sure their content looks its best and that images, footnotes, tables and text effects will all remain consistent.

As a part of Microsoft Windows Live service, Web Apps is integrated with Hotmail, the world’s most popular email service, and Windows Live SkyDrive, a service that gives users 25GB of free online storage. Web Apps users can also access Web Apps via Docs.com and Facebook Messages, and they can read Word and PowerPoint documents on most smartphones.

Office Web Apps lets users easily share documents in password-protected folders and assign view-only or view-and-edit permissions to individuals or groups that they choose. Users can even send a link to the document they want to share and the receiving party can view the document in their browser without having to open Office on their PC. Not only does this make it simple to share documents, but users can be assured that their documents will look the way they want them to look.

Office Web Apps also supports co-authoring of documents so that multiple people can edit the same document simultaneously from within their browsers. This makes it easy to collaborate and share ideas in real time over distances and even when users are in the same room.

For Mariana Hashim, a working mother and a writer-producer for film and TV, Office Web Apps is a trusted platform with a familiar interface. “I have five children, four of whom are schooling. By using Office Web Apps, I know that my children have the best tools to complete their schoolwork. They can do research online and take notes, write essays and prepare presentations. And since everything is stored online, I can help check their schoolwork even when I am working on site,” said Mariana. “I myself use Web Apps to capture ideas when inspiration strikes, and to collaborate with my colleagues when I cannot be in the office with them. For me and my kids, Office Web Apps really does let us bring our ideas to life.”

Meanwhile, Shayanee Indra, the owner of WS Securities, a private security firm, uses Office Web Apps to coordinate work from remote work sites and to drive new business. “Web Apps lets us empower our site managers with tools that help deliver even better service to our clients,” said Shayanee. “Furthermore, although I am often on the road, I am still able to update and edit proposals for new clients in a timely manner using Web Apps, and also keep up with administrative tasks for my business. Office Web Apps allows us to effectively pursue new business opportunities and to maintain workplace efficiency.”