<p>Microsoft's online Office suite is finally shaping up to be a strong competitor to Google Docs.</p><p>Today, Microsoft announced the addition of real-time collaborative editing for its Office Web Apps, a feature that Google brought to Google Docs back in 2010. The addition makes Office Web Apps a far better solution for working together with colleagues, and it's a big step towards bringing the best of Microsoft Office entirely online.</p><p>The new real-time features are available today in Microsoft's Word, Excel, and PowerPoint web apps. Those apps also received several other upgrades, including new formatting capabilities (like table styles) previously reserved for the Office desktop apps.</p><p>"When we first launched [Office] Web Apps, it was about getting access to content for light-weight edits," said Amanda Lefebvre, the technical product marketing manager for Office Web Apps, in an interview with VentureBeat. "Earlier this year, [we] started to think about them less as a companion, and more of a true Office experience on the web."</p><p><a href="http://venturebeat.com/2013/11/07/microsofts-office-web-apps-finally-get-real-time-collaboration-3-years-after-google-docs/">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2061293/microsoft-expands-office-web-apps-functionality.html">Microsoft expands Office Web Apps functionality, adds real-time co-authoring</a> (PCWorld)</p><p><a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57611239-75/microsoft-builds-multiauthor-live-editing-into-office-web-apps/">Microsoft builds multiauthor, live editing into Office Web apps</a> (CNET)</p><p><a href="http://www.theverge.com/2013/11/7/5075192/office-web-apps-real-time-editing-features">Microsoft finally takes on Google Docs with real-time editing in Office Web Apps</a> (The Verge)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dcKZD2bJL8PdxQM9Noy2eMrBOshQM&ned=us">47 additional articles.</a></p>