New Word Processor Buzzword
Virtual Ubiquity's Web Powerhouse Emulates Microsoft Word
Despite the emergence of Web-based word processors, Microsoft has dominated the business of business communications for years. That may change with Buzzword's release.
With its recent release, Virtual Ubiquity's Buzzword is reshaping the world of online word processing -- and illustrating why PC-based software, specifically Microsoft Word, may no longer be superior to its browser-based counterpart.
Over the last several years, a number of Web sites, including Zoho, Google and ThinkFree, have created online alternatives to Word, the long-running king of written communication. Microsoft, which only recently entered the online arena with Office Live Workspace, has nevertheless built a PC program that is, in one version or another, on virtually every business computer in the country.
Cost Savings, Rich Formatting
But software programs cost hundreds of dollars, whereas online programs are relatively cheap, if not free. The problem has been that Web applications -- until now -- have been unable to match Word's rich formatting, which can swiftly combine text and graphics into a document that can be e-mailed in a format recognizable the world over — ".doc."
Startups Make Web Inroads, Profits
Enter Buzzword, which merges the what-you-see-is-what-you-get strength of Word (documents created on rival programs will vary computer to computer) with the collaboration wizardry of Adobe Acrobat Professional. This latter attribute comes as little surprise -- it was Adobe, after all, that recently purchased Virtual Ubiquity, an 11-person startup.
The success of Buzzword also continues a trend in which startups with scant capital build a program so stunning that it is immediately swallowed by a major player. A similar scenario played out a couple of years ago when Google bought Upstartle, the maker of innovative online word processor Writely. This paled in comparison to Google's later purchase of YouTube -- for a remarkable $1.65 billion in stock -- but it helped boost the company beyond the search engine model.
Buzzword Simple, Elegant
Buzzword is likely to become the gold standard in word processing, partly because of its simplicity and also because of its flawless inner workings and elegance. In some online word processors, a piece of text pasted in from another application becomes "trapped" in its original formatting and cannot be altered. Not so with Buzzword, which allows fonts and type styles to be changed easily.
Real-Time Collaboration
The real selling point for online word processors is that several people can work on a document at the same time -- in multiple locations. An editor can also post comments within a paragraph, for example, and any number of co-collaborators can even reword it. Don't trust someone? You can give them only viewing privileges.
Buzzword, Adobe Have Room to Grow
The only negative point associated with Buzzword is that a person to whom a document is sent must have Flash installed on their machine. The installation procedure on Macs and PCs is fairly easy, but many people may not choose to go through the required steps in adding yet another program to their hard drive.
Finally, Adobe doesn't have a "suite" of programs like Zoho and Google have, but Adobe has added Share, which will let users send documents without first attaching them to an e-mail. It will also embed documents in Web pages. And it's only a matter of time before other applications, such as spreadsheets and presentations, are added.
