科技英语新闻:Microsoft launches Office 365 cloud service

SAN FRANCISCO, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Microsoft on Tuesday launched its cloud service Office 365, which was the software giant's answer to competing products from Google and other companies.

The service includes on-line versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook and other Office applications, as well as Microsoft 's communication and collaboration tools such as Exchange, SharePoint and Lync.

It will allow users to work on files and documents at the same time using instant messaging and video-conferencing.

"Where does Office meet the cloud? It's Office 365, the absolute best productivity and collaboration service for business around the world," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said at a webcast event.

Microsoft said that Office 365 is now available in 40 markets with choices for small and big businesses ranging from 2 to 27 U.S. dollars per user per month.

Office 365 will compete directly with the web-based Google Apps, which Google sells for 50 dollars per user per year.

Microsoft's service was introduced in beta last year and the company said response was enthusiastic with more than 200,000 organizations signed up and began testing it in a few months.

"With a few clicks, Office 365 levels the playing field, giving small and midsize businesses powerful collaboration tools that have given big businesses an edge for years," Ballmer said in a statement.