Don’t Wait For Invitation – Try Microsoft Office Web Apps Now

As you know that Microsoft recently announced the web based version of Office tools, which makes it possible to use office apps online. Hence, you can use MS Word, Powerpoint etc. directly from your browser without installing them. It is a great move by Microsoft and a big challenge for Google Docs.

I still love my default – Zoho. It has some great features and of course, it is 100x better than GDocs. But, GDocs has a plus point – its integration with other Google services (read Gmail). Yet, GDocs is not the ultimate web-based office tool. And after trying MS Office Web Apps, I am sure that it is a GDocs killer.

Office Web Apps has a familiar dashboard, and MS Office (Desktop based ) users will find it very easy to handle. Though it is in early technical preview edition, it works fine and I am very excited about it.

And, if you wish to try Office Web Apps — you need to request for an invitation here, and wait. 

OK …. don’t get disappointed. Here is a trick to enable Office web Apps right now. Follow these steps :

Change Your Location

Log-in to SkyDrive, edit your profile details and set your location to US.

Upload A Test File

Now, upload a test file to skydrive.  As upload finish you will see a “Join our preview program” option.

Follow the link, accept terms on the next page and you will notice “New” option. Here is that! Now, you have the access to Office Web Apps.

Unable to find these options. Don’t worry! Try these solutions :

• Sign-up for a fresh account with live.com.  Don’t use another e-mail address, i.e.; sign-up for live.com e-mail address. Provide a US address.
• Change the browser, try Internet Explorer.
• Clear browser cookies and private data.

I hope that you will get the access by trying these tricks.

Create a new file now

You can create new files and edit uploaded files (after converting to latest formats). Only PowerPoint and Excel are available currently and many features are missing at this moment, still Office Web Apps has great user experience and you will certainly love it.

Screenshot : Creating a presentation with Office Web Apps

Link : See a sample presentation created with OWA.

  [via LiveSide ]

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