Google launches web-based word processor

Stuart Corner
Thursday, 17 August 2006 06:07

Your IT - Home IT

In another tilt at Microsoft, Google has introduced a web-based word processor, Writely, following its acquisition of the product from a Silicon Valley startup in March.
Writely was available prior to the acquisition but stopped taking new users while Google reworked it. It has now been relaunched in beta at http://www.writely.com.

Writely can read and write RTF documents and save as PDF, although Google says this is likely to be a premium feature of the paid service once Writely comes out of beta. Word documents can be imported and edited after conversion to html.  Writely is already available in over a dozen languages.

Documents can be shared with "the whole world" or just with nominated individuals, collaborative editing and the addition of comments are also supported.

An RSS feed can also be added to documents so that anyone who subscribes to the RSS feed can get an alert when that document is amended.