Show and Tell: A Browser-Based Beta of Office 2007

Microsoft has a new tactic for luring users to future software versions--sort of like a test drive. Instead of downloading the beta version of Office 2007, which Microsoft made available on May 23, you can preview some of the new features in your Web browser.

Here's a screenshot of what an Office Word 2007 document looks like using the browser, with the tutorial menu on the left:



As reported by my colleague Elizabeth Montalbano at IDG News Service, you have to run the preview in Internet Explorer 6 or later (what, you expected Firefox support?). The good news here is that you don't have to download a beta, which will overwrite your previous version and potentially cause problems with existing documents. You don't get off scot-free, however. You have to install a browser plug-in from Citrix, and complete a questionnaire. Take the test drive here.

If you want a peek before you do, here's what an Excel doc looks like, again with the tutorial choices on the left:



Do you think this is Microsoft's first step toward a Web-based Office service vis-a-vis Google's Writely?