14 DAY TRIAL // Ah yes, Microsoft's Office Live beta is out for public scrutiny today. But sorry to those European affiliates, it's only available to U.S. users at the moment. Since only U.S. residents can participate in the Office Live beta program, the service previewed here is optimized for U.S. businesses. A Microsoft UK spokesperson said that the company will announce its international strategy for Office Live later this year.
Microsoft is making the beta free because it plans to grab much of the small business market share. Small businesses that are trying to get their names noticed on the Web while managing their operations over the Internet. Another reason for the mass push is that Microsoft's logo will appear on their site. This undoubtedly means that they've already been planning keyword ads.
Collaboration and Essentials versions each provide 20 business applications, 50MB Shared Sites private work spaces with 10-user access, and phone support. Essentials adds more ways to analyze Web site traffic, along with 25GB of monthly data transfer, coordination with Outlook email, and 50 email accounts with a 20MB cap on attachments. Collaboration lacks the Web hosting and design features. You can go ahead and go straight to Microsoft's site to register, or go to Live.com for more info on the product.
If you've been lost or on a deserted island these past few months, here's a general description of Windows Live from the boys at Microsoft; "Your online world gets better when everything works simply and effortlessly together. That's the basic idea behind Windows Live. So the things you care about-your friends, the latest information, your e-mails, powerful search, your PC files, everything-comes together in one place. This is a brand new Internet experience designed to put you in control. And this is just the beginning-you'll see many more new services in the coming months." More info here as well.