Excel Web Application Announced at PDC

During today’s Professional Development Conference keynote, Ray Ozzie made an exciting announcement about a new way to view, edit, and collaborate with Excel. If you weren’t able to watch the keynote, feel free to check out the following links: PDC Keynote Video, Official MS Press Release, and Channel 9 Video.In case you’re in a hurry, here’s the bottom line: Excel is providing a web application which allows you to view, edit, and do real-time collaboration on spreadsheets in your choice of web browser – Internet Explorer, FireFox, or Safari!The Excel web application will be available in two channels: as a consumer service offered via Office Live and as a business offering via either hosted subscription or volume licensing.Any spreadsheets you author or edit online will be compatible with the Excel desktop client.I know, I know: “Thanks for the teaser; where’s the app?”While we will have a limited technical preview later this year, we won’t have a broadly public release for awhile. As soon as I can share a date, and, more importantly, a way to sign up for the public release, I will post it here.
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