First look at the web versions of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint

Microsoft has released some images of the upcoming browser based versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint.  There’s a picture of the edit pane and another of the view/read window for each program.

Click on any of these images to see a full size version.

As you’d expect the look of the web versions is similar, though stripped down, from the ribbon interface. Though it is a surprise to see it emulating Office 2007 (note the large round Office button).

There’s a Quick Access Toolbar with a few icons – it will be interesting to see how configurable the web QAT will be.

Look but can’t always edit

Take care with these images – they can imply features in the browser based version of Office applications that may not be there.

Long ago our campus spies told us to expect the web versions of Office to be able to display more complex document elements but not necessarily be able to create or edit them without help from the Office software.

For example, just because the PowerPoint image below shows a SmartArt graphic does NOT necessarily mean you’ll be able to drop a SmartArt graphic into your web presentation.

Word web application

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Excel web application

Perhaps the most impressive of the three from this image … with integrated charts and what looks like conditional formatting. However the ribbon doesn’t seem to support those features.

Note the ‘Continue in Excel’ option on the right of the ribbon above the heading ‘Office client’. A good idea in the web application – if you find that the browser app can’t do the job you should be able to switch to ‘full’ Excel. This option doesn’t seem available in Word or PowerPoint – strange that.

PowerPoint web application

From this look it doesn’t seem there’s much functionality in the online version of PowerPoint with only a few slide management options.

See Also

• Office Web Applications – half measures for now
• Office Web Applications preview
• Office on the Web – the naming
• Office 2010 ‘enters’ Technical Preview
• Office 14 = Office 2010, so what?
• Word over the Web – Really?

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