Google Spreadsheets: Google Spreads It On Not Quite An Excel Killer Vangie Beal
Office software today can come with a pretty hefty price tag for a small business to consider. For quite some time Google Inc. has been offering beta versions of several Web 2.0 applications, all with varying levels of integration. It came as no surprise, really, to see Google products expand into spreadsheets, and yes, we do expect a word processor from Google at some point in the future.
Google Spreadsheet offers various font styles and colors, as well as other formatting options. (Click for larger image).
While Google Spreadsheets is certainly no 'Excel killer', it does provide an easy way to create, import, export, and share your spreadsheets online. It is the perfect example to show the focus that is being placed on collaboration in Web 2.0 services. For those of you who tend to be budget-conscious, another bonus is that Google Spreadsheets is free.
The spreadsheet is currently in beta release through Google Labs, and you need to have a Google User Account to access the program. After signing up, you'll be added to a waiting list, and Google will e-mail you when your request to join has been accepted. To use Google Spreadsheets you need to have Internet Explorer 6 for Windows or FireFox 1.07+ for Windows, Mac and Linux.
Formatting, Layout and Functions Overview
When you first load Google Spreadsheet, it really looks like you are viewing a desktop application. Of course, you're working in a Web browser. You start with a 100- by 25-cell spreadsheet with more than 130 spreadsheet functions from which to choose.
Number formatting options let you choose specific decimal rounding, percentage format, and dollar rounding, and also includes options for date display. Google limits the basic text formatting to seven font types, and the ability to change background Text formatting consists of a few standard choices for color, size, and alignment.
You can easily access options for inserting or deleting rows through a single-click drop-down menu. Google Spreadsheets offers a basic set of features to provide simple formatting options when creating or editing your spreadsheet. As long as you don't expect to use the application to run your office, this should be be enough to get the job done.
When you choose to import an existing spreadsheet you simply select "open" from the file menu and browse your hard drive for the file. Currently Google Spreadsheets offers support for .xls (Microsoft Excel) or .cvs imports
