Microsoft confirms online web based “Office Suite”

Microsoft has officially announced its upcoming online product to be released later this year(possibly 2009).  In an effort to compete with Google Docs, Microsoft has released a private beta test for their upcoming online office suite.  Codenamed “Albany” the suite includes Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007, Office Live Workspaces, Windows Live Mail, Messenger, and Photos client software, along with Windows Live OneCare.  According to the announcement, this online package may very well be subscription based.  But no news was released in regards to how much it will cost.  This suite will also have a media based version that you can pickup at retail channels such as Best Buy and according to the article, Office will only be able to save documents online via a plugin.  So it’s not quite as online as they tout it to be.  Especially since Microsoft products seem to break frequently.