<p>Google and Microsoft are intensifying their competition in workplace applications.(Photo: Paul Sakuma ASSOCIATED PRESS)</p><p>SAN FRANCISCO Google and Microsoft have been staging a new war of words over office business.</p><p>On Friday, Google is landing the latest punch. It's announcing that Weather Channel parent The Weather Company is going Google. The company's 1,200 employees are now using Google's Apps version of Office that resides remotely in the cloud. The Weather Company CIO Bryson Koehler says Google's office services such as Gmail, Chat, Google+, Drive and Docs are better woven together online. "We use Hangouts all the time," he says of the videoconferencing feature.</p><p>The contract win is sure to add fuel to a simmering rivalry. On April Fools' Day, Google aimed a prank at Microsoft's Blue self-improvement initiative, glibly saying it was turning Gmail blue. Literally. Down to the color of the fonts. Microsoft Blue is a recent company meme to improve its Windows 8 tablets and software.</p><p><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/04/04/google-microsoft-office-apps/2052069/">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://www.macrumors.com/2013/04/04/microsoft-to-end-support-for-office-2008-for-mac-on-april-9/">Microsoft to End Support for Office 2008 for Mac on April 9</a> (Mac Rumors)</p><p><a href="http://www.technobuffalo.com/2013/04/04/microsoft-office-for-mac-2008-support-lifecycl/">Microsoft Ending Support for Office for Mac 2008 on April 9</a> (TechnoBuffalo)</p><p><a href="http://thejournal.com/articles/2013/04/03/microsoft-365-or-google-apps-for-education-which-way-do-you-go.aspx">Microsoft Office 365 or Google Apps for Education: Which Way Do You Go?</a> (T.H.E. Journal)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=d2XTNawWG0fTA7Mtp9Ue_9yFIUJkM&ned=us">17 additional articles.</a></p>