Using Google Apps

Introduction

Google is taking over the desktop.

We all know that Google is the king of web search; it long ago usurped Yahoo! for that honor. But Google also offers a bevy of traditional office applications, the kinds of apps you use to create letters, spreadsheets, and presentations.

That’s right—Google offers applications that compete directly with Microsoft Office. Google Docs competes with Microsoft Word; Google Spreadsheets competes with Microsoft Excel; Google Presentations competes with Microsoft PowerPoint; and Gmail and Google Calendar compete with Microsoft Outlook.

The big difference between Google’s apps and Microsoft’s is that Google doesn’t offer traditional desktop software, as Microsoft does. Instead, Google’s applications are ...