David Notik

Seems Google Spreadsheet is to launch tomorrow.

Rochelle [Google product manager] said the program's main goal is to make it easier for family, friends or co-workers to gain access to the same spreadsheet from different computers at different times, enabling a group of authorized users to add and edit data without having to e-mail attachments back and forth.

"We are totally focused on the sharing aspect," he said.

With this product, Google will have best-in-class e-mail (Gmail), calendaring (Google Calendar), and now spreadsheets (Google Spreadsheet) -- all web-based, nothing to install, accessible from anywhere, and with killer sharing features. Easy to see why the Microsoft empire is being challenged, eh? And that's just looking at the obvious front.

With Microsoft's long awaited and oft-delayed (and oft-criticized) Windows Vista coming early next year, together with updated versions of their Office productivity suite, Google looks to be positioning itself strongly as a web-based alternative. They've got me.