Google has upgraded its online package of word processing and spreadsheet programs so they work even more like the Microsoft applications with which they’re competing, reports the Associated Press. The changes introduced April 12 include several editing tools for word processing and quicker ways to fill cells in spreadsheets. The new features have long been staples in Microsoft’s widely used Office suite of software. Google has been trying to lure users away from Microsoft’s products for several years in an effort to siphon revenue from one of its biggest rivals. At the same time, Google hopes to diversify its own business, lessening its financial dependence on internet advertising powered primarily by its search engine. Google believes it has developed a superior, less expensive alternative to productivity software, because hosting the applications in a web browser makes them accessible on any computer with an internet connection. But many schools and companies remain reluctant to entrust their technology to an outside service that could be hacked or suffer lengthy outages…
- ‘Buyer’s remorse’ dogging Common Core rollout - October 30, 2014
- Calif. law targets social media monitoring of students - October 2, 2014
- Elementary world language instruction - September 25, 2014
