Web App Showdown: Word vs. Google Docs

Reviewer Ian Paul complains that the new stripped-down Web version of Word crashed while testing, misbehaved in other ways and could lose your work.

"Microsoft put the last piece of its online office suite puzzle in place Monday, officially launching its Web-based suite of Microsoft Office applications called Office Web Apps. However, the biggest news isn't that you can use these Web apps -- many have been in beta for a while now -- rather, it's Microsoft's introduction of an online version of its popular software program Word, a word processing program.

This week's ribbon cutting of Microsoft's Office Web Apps is significant. Google has posed a serious challenge to Microsoft when it comes to offering compelling Web-based alternatives to desktop software programs, namely Microsoft's Office software franchise. Starting this week Microsoft has all its skin in the game with its Office Web Apps to go mano-to-mano with Google's online office suite, Google Docs."