Google Docs sports PDF support

Microsoft Office rival adds to its armour

By Stephen Shankland, 17 June 2008 09:03

NEWS

Google Docs, the online office suite from the search giant, now has some limited but useful support for PDF files.

People using the service now can upload and view documents encoded with the widely used and now standardised Portable Document Format (PDF) initially created by Adobe Systems. People also can transfer PDFs stored on the web.

The move, announced on the Google Docs blog last week, isn't much of a surprise as close observers had already seen signs that hinted at imminent Google Docs PDF support.

Google Docs, still in beta testing, competes with Microsoft Office but is relatively primitive when it comes to feature support.

However, because it's web-based, Google can add new features relatively easily; users simply use the website, and they appear, one of the chief advantages of the software-as-a-service approach. And given that Google's three big areas of focus are search, ads and applications, expect lots of resources to be poured into this area.

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

Log in or create your silicon.com account below

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy.

Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Membership FAQ