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<DOCID>Google_Free_Online_Applications_Reviewed.doc.txt</DOCID>
<AUTHOR>Doug Anger</AUTHOR>
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The online search engine Google is taking the web into realms traditionally reserved for desktop computing. Googles new online applications (currently in development) allow you to do things online with a web browser (for free) that in the past have required special programs on your computer (usually costing money). In this weeks column I review three of these new online applications for word processing, spreadsheets, and calendar management. While the online versions have significantly fewer features than their traditional desktop counterparts, they have the distinct advantage of allowing user collaboration in ways that typical desktop applications dont.

Writely

Currently in beta, Writely (http://www.writely.com/) is Googles free online word processor. Writely offers basic text and paragraph formatting options, eighteen fonts, and basic image support.



Documents in Writely can be edited online from any major web browser and exported (saved to your computer) as HTML, PDF, Word, OpenOffice, and RTF. Writely can also publish documents to the Internet as a static webpage or part of a weblog.



Writely also imports HTML, text, Word, RTF, and OpenOffice files, and also supports popular image formats. Alternatively, documents can be emailed in to Writely as attachments in any of the formats mentioned above or as plain text messages with no attachments.



Although Writelys formatting and layout options are not as comprehensive of those of their desktop counterparts, Writely offers powerful, instant collaboration. Documents can be shared with multiple users, all of whom can edit them online at any time, even simultaneously. Two or more people can work together on the same document together from different rooms or different continents. Changes made by one user are updated on the others screens every few seconds. Every revision is saved with the document, so changes can be compared and undone easily. Using Writelys web publishing features allows people with no knowledge of HTML (the language of the web) to manage web pages and weblogs that can be edited by several users.

Google Spreadsheets

Also in beta, Google Spreadsheets (http://spreadsheets.google.com/) is a free collaborative spreadsheet program with full support for cell and number formatting and formulas. It can import and export Excel spreadsheets, OpenOffice spreadsheets, and CSV files. Like Writely, Google Spreadsheets allows two or more users to work on one document simultaneously using only a web browser. Changes are replicated across all screens instantly and there is even a built-in chat so that everyone editing the spreadsheet can keep in touch.

Google Calendar

Google Calendar is another product Google has in beta. Google Calendar uses the iCal standard (also used by an Apple Computer program of the same name) to interact with a wide variety of desktop calendar software. Like Writely and Google Spreadsheets, Google Calendar is also accessible using only a web browser and works in a fully collaborative environment. Google Calendars can be editable by multiple users (even simultaneously) and can handle invitations and guest lists, all of which become available to users authorized to see them as changes are made in real time. Each event also has a space where users can post (theoretically relevant) comments, creating a virtual discussion board for each event.



Google Calendar also interacts with the Internet in various ways that make it useful in areas where desktop calendar software just isnt. Clicking on an event displays a screen of basic information about it. From there, the click of a button displays a Google Map of how to get there. Google Calendars can also be embedded into otherwise static web pages with a single line of code (provided through the Manage Calendars screen). Visitors to the web page will see the same live view of the calendar as its creator. 



For those willing to delve into the more advanced settings, Google Calendar offers many advanced features. HTML-savvy users can also embed a Google Calendar directly into a Writely document. Privileges of users to edit and view calendars can be fine-tuned. Calendars can be tied directly into desktop applications.

Conclusion

Googles new online applications have already begun to make ripples in the computer world. Microsoft is planning to make a free, advertising-supported online version of Microsoft Works. Ajax technology, used to make the applications, is quickly becoming a popular subject at Internet conferences around the world, which means that online applications like Googles are likely to become more and more common in the not-too-distant future.

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