Microsoft updated its online Office Web Apps this week to bring new features to Excel and PowerPoint.
Excel Web App users can now now insert, delete or rename sheets in a workbook within the Excel Web Apps. Microsoft has also added familiar tools like AutoSum and formula assistance to allow power users to crunch data sets more easily. Formula assistance will now allow users to call up frequently-used Excel formulas.
Excel Web App improvements
Microsoft has also updated PowerPoint Web App. PowerPoint now supports theme designs online. Users can change the design theme of their presentation within the PowerPoint Web App. Microsoft has supplied over 45 professionally designed themes to apply to presentations. The software giant promises new ones will be added regularly.
PowerPoint Web App improvements
Microsoft’s Office Web Apps allow users to store, edit and share Office documents online. Microsoft first introduced Office Web Apps alongside Office 2010 on June 7, 2010.Facebook’s new messaging platform integrates the Office Web Apps to enable Facebook users to view Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents. Since its introduction Office Web Apps has been slowly rolled out to various markets worldwide:
- June 7, 2010: The Office Web Apps launched in the U.S., Canada, UK, and Ireland.
- September 23, 2010: added Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Russia, and Switzerland.
- December 6, 2010: added China, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong SAR, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, and Turkey.
- February 3, 2011: added more than 150 additional countries released (including India, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, and Thailand).
- March, 2011: The Office Web Apps will become available worldwide with roll-out to all remaining markets in Central and South America, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.