Microsoft has declared Thursday, Nov. 7, to be “Get It Done Day,” and in that spirit it’s rolling out significant changes for Office Web Apps, the free Web-based complements of the core Microsoft Office applications.

Traditionally, Microsoft has viewed Office Web Apps as a companion to the full suite of desktop applications—tools with limited functionality designed to allow those with Microsoft Office to continue to get things done even when they’re not at their primary PC. The new and improved apps are designed to provide a standalone productivity experience closer to the “real thing.”

What’s new

From Microsoft’s perspective, the biggest news with Office Web Apps is the substantial improvement in co-authoring functionality.

Peers, friends, or family can create, add, and modify content simultaneously in the Word, Excel, or PowerPoint Web Apps. Microsoft added real-time presence that identifies where your various collaborators are currently working in the document, so you can make sure two people aren’t editing the same thing and easily avoid conflicts.

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