Users of Microsoft Office or Windows Live will soon have the option of trying out Microsoft's new Office Web Apps.

Microsoft said Thursday that a select group of SkyDrive customers will be invited to try out a technical preview of the online versions of Microsoft Office Excel, Word and PowerPoint, also known as the Office Web Apps, integrated right inside their Windows Live SkyDrive experience.

When the final version is eventually released, it is expected that the Office Web Apps will become available to all 500 million+ users of Hotmail, Messenger and other Windows Live services.

The Web Apps allows users to access online versions of Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, and users can easily access and work with their Office documents from anywhere with an Internet connection.

When those of you participating in the Tech Preview upload or create a new document, you’ll be able to view them much like you do today when using the full Office programs—without the loss of formatting or data and with the familiar Office 2007 ribbon.

Online Web Apps allows users to easily and securely share documents in password-protected folders and give permission to whoever you want to have access – just like with any other SkyDrive file.

Watch a demo of Microsoft Office Web Apps in Windows Live:

Microsoft Apps Software