Posted September 7, 2006
Last spring, Google acquired an online word processing company called Writely. A few weeks ago, it quietly re-launched the Writely service in “beta” (test) mode, and I’ve been using it ever since. My verdict so far: Pretty impressive. If you’ve got a broadband Internet connection, Writely allows you to very quickly and easily create and edit simple documents online, save them, access them anywhere (on a PC or Mac), print them out, and share them with others. That last part is the clincher: If you’re working on a document that requires input from several parties, Writely allows you to instantly designate “collaborators” who can contribute to and edit a given document; you can track the changes you or your colleagues have made, and you can revert to older versions, compare versions, etc. (No more emailing documents back and forth and losing track of which version is most current.) It’s incredibly easy to use, and the price (free) is right.
Free at writely.com.