Microsoft Hotmail Arrives with “Free Web Based Office” – Here’s What Word Looks Like

I started using the beta version of Office Live with the Small Business features back in 2008 and I have been very happy with it. You can read one of my prior posts from 2008 at the link below. I have a simple website and a free SharePoint Server too, all of this is free. I also have my desktop version of Office and with having the best of both worlds, on the web and on my desktop it works for me.

“All my email synchronizes between machines automatically and I can access my email anywhere on the web. I can invite others to view documents on the server and they don’t even need MS Office on their machine to access at all. Sharing documents is no problem. “

Microsoft to soon sell full range of Web software – I use and like Office Live for Small Business and Office Live Workspace

As a matter of fact I have recommended using the services to small physician practices too. The format is good and you get the best of both worlds.

So today I opened up my Hotmail account to check out the new additions there to see what the “free” versions look like and created a sample Word document. By default, the document saves in “Sky Drive” in the cloud. You can also save the document to your computer and open it with your desktop Office installation, so the best of both worlds.

The web version has most of the features that are commonly used with Word. You can also create an Excel spreadsheet, PowerPoint and a One Note Document too.

Here’s a glance at the controls with the options you have.

Back at the main page here’s the document I created.

I did not share this with anyone, but here is the screen that allows you to do so. It’s a wizard and pretty self explanatory.

You can view a video at the link here and find out more about Hotmail and the “free” Office applications. If you are a mobile physician today this has meaning as you have access to your email anywhere you have an internet connection and I get all my email on my phone too with using Windows Live on my Cell phone too, so there’s lot of options and it works both on Windows and Apple alike. From your desktop Office installation you also can store documents on Sky Drive too.

You may not have the options yet as the article below states, but watch your account to see when the new features are added. BD

The updated version of Windows Live Hotmail is rolling out as of now to customers worldwide. Some users may find they receive all the new features at once while others will see certain features, but not all new features, at least at first.

For example, the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland will be first to get the Office integration features available via the new Office Web Apps service which allows you to create, edit and collaborate using web-based versions of the Microsoft Office software in the cloud. In the new Hotmail, you can open attachments with Office Web Apps, while right in Hotmail.

New Hotmail Arrives! | Sarah In Tampa | Channel 10