Discover Yahoo! With Your Friends

Explore news, videos, and much more based on what your friends are reading and watching. Publish your own activity and retain full control.

To get started, first

YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    Microsoft launches Web-based Office, rivals Google

    NEW YORK (AP) — Microsoft has officially launched its Web-based email and Office services, part of its ongoing effort to keep Google at bay when it comes to business software.

    "Office 365" has been available in a test version since last year. It combines Web-based versions of Word, Excel and other Office applications. It also includes the Exchange e-mail system, SharePoint online collaboration technology and Microsoft's instant messaging, Internet phone and video conferencing system.

    Google Inc. has its own set of office software that's based in the "cloud," that is, hosted on remote servers and accessed online instead of on users' desktop computers.

    Microsoft Corp. said Tuesday that it plans to charge $2 to $27 per month for Office 365 depending on what's included. Google Apps costs $4 or $5 per month.

     

    21 comments

    • CB  •  10 mths ago
      open office is free.
      • ffffffffff 10 mths ago
        and isnt compatible in many situations and cant do all that microsoft office can
      • CB 10 mths ago
        Yes it can and it is backwards compatible.
      • CB 10 mths ago
        I agree MS office is better. But if you can do 90% of what most people need for free it is the best choice.
    • Let Freedom Ring  •  10 mths ago
      The author needs to do some fact checking. I use the base version of Google Apps and it is free.
      • Bill Jong 10 mths ago
        Office 365 is for business users. He is comparing this with the business services version of Google Docs, which is a pay version. He is comparing pay vs pay. Not the free version of Google Docs, which is similar to the FREE Microsoft office in Skydrive
      • RobertS 10 mths ago
        The author was connected to Microsoft. This is what Microsoft does instead of building good products.
    • Snootch  •  10 mths ago
      I use Google Docs all the time, and don't pay a penny. Too little way too late Microsoft.
      • cerkpt 10 mths ago
        Not so, I use Excel live for work without paying a dime and it looks and works almost exactly like the local version of Excel. I tried google docs and it didn't even recognize the formatting on my spreadsheets and looked like the old Windows 95 spreadsheet apps. If you have simple office doc requirements and are tied to Google then so be it, but it's not even in the same league as MS offering.
    • RICHARD S  •  10 mths ago
      I really don't understand Micro$oft putting up a pay-to--use word processor, when Google has a similar one for free ...
      • Bill Jong 10 mths ago
        See similar posts. Office 365 is mainly for business use. There is a free word processor in MS Skydrive, just like Google docs. Skydrive also gives you 25GB of space free plus Excel and powerpoint. Again ALL FREE. Please be informed.
      • RICHARD S 10 mths ago
        I'll use a MAC and see how well trying to use a windows app works out ... You HAVE to own windows, or the MS junk will not work.
      • ffffffffff 10 mths ago
        compatibility and support is why
    • enternewid  •  10 mths ago
      No cloud for me! I don't want to have all my personal docs and information out there to be hacked, let alone disappear or be inaccessable!
      • ffffffffff 10 mths ago
        yea, uh huh. no need to trust your private stuff to a big corporation with many IT professionals and the best in Internet security features. You can protect it just as well with your little brain and your little home PC. Good luck with that
      • CB 10 mths ago
        Yes, we can do a better job. Look at Sony, 70 million accounts hacked. Just backup your own data and your good. It is easy to do, and I wont get hacked. You obviously have no idea what you are doing.
      • Glen 10 mths ago
        Agreed, If you store your most sensitive info offline, the chances of it being stolen go down significantly. Storing info on a system with a giant hacker's bulls eye painted on it makes no sense to me.
    • A Yahoo! User  •  10 mths ago
      Nothing like trusting all your work and data to the company with the worst track record for anti-trust.
    • W.  •  10 mths ago
      If you want it with all the usual Microsoft bugs, it's $2 a month. If you want a working version, it's $27 a month.
    • Food For Thot  •  10 mths ago
      Why is Microsoft always playing catch-up to everyone else? Better get back to work Bill or you will be the one that needs rescuing.
    • twindadplus2  •  10 mths ago
      The problem is I wouldn't trust Microsoft with a burnt out match let alone my private documents and emails online.
    • slipinin  •  10 mths ago
      Umm, let me get this straight. I can't use a Linux box and I have to install some MS Office product on my PC in order for me to use it online? What are they thinking? Why (or even how) will I be able to use this.
    • Robert  •  10 mths ago
      I have been living in the Google Cloud for some time now. No problems. If MS can do the same for me plus add a few goodies I might just move over... But it would be hard to leave Google...
    • .  •  10 mths ago
      But Microsoft's site says between $6 and $27, so they already priced themselves out of the market.
    • Doug  •  10 mths ago
      It's not a great benefit to home users, its great for enterprise business, small business, and non profits who can't afford to host their own servers, or pay an IT dept to manage them. Google products are good for home users, not on an enterprise scale. You all just want to criticize something for nothing. Just a bunch of Google hipsters I think....
    • Tavo  •  10 mths ago
      Microsofts $2 version with bugs galore, $27 version with bugs galore + bug updates (I mean security updates). Or, Open office, google docs almost bug free, for free. Hmmmmm
    • Tavo  •  10 mths ago
      Microsoft has never been an innovator, they just trail the pack, and throw their weight around.
    • R.T. Arcand  •  10 mths ago
      I like my software availablem to me 24/7/365. In other words, on my HD, not on a cloud network that may, or may not be working.
    • J  •  10 mths ago
      A 10-1 prices range? Whatever could cause that? Maybe the $2 is for IE9 only!
    • Chad  •  10 mths ago
      Die hard Google fans aside, our clients our clamouring for this product and we've been happy with the beta. Contrary to what much of the press has been, this is not Microsoft's first launch of cloud services, not even close. This is an (impressive) expansion of what they already offer. Free *is* nice. But when you need manageable,industrial strength solutions, paying for advertising free software that offers high-end features makes plenty of sense. Nice work Redmond. Keep 'em coming.
    • Michael  •  10 mths ago
      True, Google Apps is cheaper (or free for the lighter version). It is absolutely no comparison, however. This is the full Exchange, for one thing. Google is a pitiful subset (I know, I paid for "Apps" and it trashed certain functions in Oulook). Google Docs are not even up to par with these online versions from Microsoft. Sharepoint is more powerful than dropbox or even SkyDrive (another MS product that's free). Linc is sort of like Netmeeting used to be---with an upgrade to show presence. This is about 1 buck a month more than Google Apps and is in another league. I've tried both. This is NOT aimed at those who want the free stuff----that is Live Essentials in MS-land and Google Docs and Apps in the rest of the world. If 'free" works for you, be my guest. It certainly DID NOT for me (nor did the paid Apps version).
    • Jason  •  10 mths ago
      Hmm... I haven't seen Office 365 yet but the screenshots look pretty nice.

      I expect Office to be much better than Google Docs offhand; Microsoft has decades of experience in office productivity software. Nobody has come up with a solution better than Microsoft's office software yet. Everyone has tried - Apple's iWork, Sun's OpenOffice, WordPerfect.. Office is still the undisputed king even vs. much cheaper (or free) alternatives
    [ [ [['A picture is worth a thousand words', 5]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/why-facebook-bought-instagram-4-theories-160400376.html', '[Related: Why Facebook bought Instagram: 4 theories]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 9]], 'http://contributor.yahoo.com/join/yahoonews_virginiabeach', '[Did you witness the jet crash? Share your story with Yahoo! News]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Dick Clark', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/dick-clark-dies-at-82-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/c/21/c217c61aa2d5872244c08caa13c16ec5.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'Reuters', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['Titanic', 7]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/titanic-anniversary/', ' ', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/b/4e/b4e5ad9f00b5dfeeec2226d53e173569.jpeg', '550', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]
    [ [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]
    Coast to coast, Remake America is celebrating moms. Meet six American families who're using your solutions to confront real challenges. Join the conversation.
    Wounded veteran Kyle lost his hand during an explosion in Iraq.
    Single mom Erin faces foreclosure.