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At the 2-day Microsoft sponsored Professional Developers Conference which started yesterday, Microsoft gave a sneak peak at its upcoming Windows 7 OS as well as a preview of its newest take on cloud computing via a web-based application of its Microsoft Office application - Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.

Microsoft plans to deliver the full-version of Windows 7 as early next year, and it is already encouraging professional developers to get their gears going to come up with great applications that would enhance the productivity value of its follow-up to the much maligned Windows Vista.

With Windows 7, Microsoft promises to make computing tasks faster and easier with the following features; enhanced privacy and data protection, streamlined and simplified computer tasks that users do often via a new taskbar and simplified and yet sleek looking user interface, and more choices on how users interact their PCs, including multi-touch gestures.

Aside from the pre-beta release of Windows 7 which were handed out to developers, Microsoft has also previewed its upcoming web-based application which would bring its premiere office application suite to the web. That’s right, Microsoft is finally making lighter versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote available online.

These applications will be available through Microsoft’s Office Live service for individual users.  Enterprise-wide users can opt to get a hosted subscription and expand existing volume licensing programs to use these office application online.  Interestingly, all four applications will be compatible not only with Microsoft’s web browser, Internet Explorer but also with rival browsers including Firefox and Safari.  And yes, this web service is definitely a direct rival of Google Docs.

Thankfully, with the success that Google Docs has gathered since it was made available for everyone, it would take a lot of effort from Microsoft to be at par with Google Docs.  We expect to see more advanced features on Microsoft’s web-based office application.

Read [Microsoft Press Pass] Via [Ars Technica]