Google Spreadsheets Takes on Microsoft Excel With Online Collaboration

Google released a limited test version of Web-based spreadsheet program to make it simple to edit and share lists and data online. It comes barely months after Google bought a small Silicon Valley company called Upstartle, creators of a Web-based word-processing program called Writely. And you thought only Microsoft was targeting Google’s turf?

Google Spreadsheets, is able to read and create files in the format used by Microsoft Excel.

As many as 10 people can simultaneously edit a spreadsheet document online and chat about it using Google’s instant messaging program.

The new service will be able to handle several hundred formulas used to manipulate data in Excel, but not more complex functions like macros, said Jonathan Rochelle, the Google Spreadsheets product manager.

“When people want to share and collaborate, we think this product fits in well,” Mr. Rochelle said.

The spreadsheet service is intended to appeal to small groups of business users, or to people who now use spreadsheets as de facto database programs to keep simple lists, Mr. Rochelle said. For example, soccer coaches who are juggling team lists and people planning family reunions might use it to put data in a place where it can be easily viewed and edited by others. Frankly I would love to use it too.

Mr. Rochelle said the ability for many people to collaborate was quite different from the standard method of e-mailing files back and forth. “It’s a ‘wow’ moment with most users,” he said.

For now, Google Spreadsheets lacks the ability to chart information. But Google is clearly hoping that the service and Writely will give it a head start on Microsoft in the area of so-called Web services.

Microsoft says that the Office Live Collaboration service permits several users to edit an Excel spreadsheet document simultaneously. But for the service to work, users must have Excel software on their personal computers. Google is hoping that many Web users will find it simpler to share the information by placing it on Google’s servers.

via NYT

Read more on Google Spreadsheets features.
Endgame for Microsoft?