Software and internet giant Microsoft has announced the release of its Microsoft Office Live Workspace in beta. The new web-based extension of its Office Suite will enable consumers to create and store a variety of documents on the internet.
Previewed last autumn, the service is now available worldwide in English and people who sign up for it will be granted immediate access.
Microsoft also announced a number of new Office Live Workspace features, including an activity panel, notifications, direct links and multi-file upload.
"Today's announcement moves us further down the path of bringing a software plus services experience to people at home, work and school," stated Stephen Elop, president of the Microsoft business division.
He added: "By combining the rich client experience of Microsoft Office with flexible, intuitive service offerings, we're providing seamless computing experiences for our 500 million Office users worldwide."
Using the new service, people will now be able to organise, amend and share documents from almost any computer with internet access.
According to the Times, the product launch is Microsoft's "most audacious attempt yet to seize the initiative back from Google in the race to harness the internet as the computing platform of the future".
Microsoft plans to offer the beta program later this year in a number of languages for international markets and also intends to release the final public version of Office Live Workspace later this year.
