Microsoft's 'Albany' Project May Take Aim at Google Docs

  • By Becky Nagel
  • 03/28/08

Microsoft appears to be working on a secret project called Albany, and while no one knows for sure exactly what it is yet, clues indicate that the company is looking to develop a stronger competitor to Google's free, online-hosted Google Docs service.

According to reports, word of Albany first spread last week when beta testers received e-mails from Microsoft asking them to participate in the private beta of the product. All About Microsoft's Mary Jo Foley reported Wednesday that while beta testers and others first speculated that Albany would be a Software-as-Service version of Microsoft Works, now they've told her it's more likely an update of two of Microsoft's Live products -- Office Live OneCare and Windows Live Workspaces -- integrated with Office Home and Student Edition.

"Microsoft is referring to the bundle of three, unnamed products/services as a 'ValueBox,' suggesting that Albany ultimately will be sold in a box at retail," Foley wrote. She also noted that according to a screenshot from one of the testers, Microsoft referred to the package as "ValueBox," indicating that the term may, at the very least, be under consideration for the package's final name.

While Microsoft isn't publicly commenting on Albany, its e-mail to beta testers indicates that the project is indeed consumer-focused, Foley reported.

If the speculation is right, it would appear that Microsoft wants a stronger challenger to the free Google Docs, although it's unclear whether Redmond would charge for the new suite. The current retail price for Office Home and Student Edition is $149.95.

About the Author

Becky Nagel serves as vice president of AI for 1105 Media specializing in developing media, events and training for companies around AI and generative AI technology. She also regularly writes and reports on AI news for PureAI.com, a site she founded, among others. She's the author of "ChatGPT Prompt 101 Guide for Business Users" and other popular AI resources with a real-world business perspective. She regularly speaks, writes and develops content around AI, generative AI and other business tech. Find her on X/Twitter @beckynagel.

Featured

  • two large brackets facing each other with various arrows, circles, and rectangles flowing between them

    1EdTech Partners with DXtera to Support Ed Tech Interoperability

    1EdTech Consortium and DXtera Institute have announced a partnership aimed at improving access to learning data in postsecondary and higher education.

  • Abstract geometric shapes including hexagons, circles, and triangles in blue, silver, and white

    Google Launches Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet

    Google has introduced Gemini 2.5 Pro Experimental, a new artificial intelligence model designed to reason through problems before delivering answers, a shift that marks a major leap in AI capability, according to the company.

  • laptop on a clean desk with digital padlock icon on the screen

    Study: Data Privacy a Top Concern as Orgs Scale Up AI Agents

    As organizations race to integrate AI agents into their cloud operations and business workflows, they face a crucial reality: while enthusiasm is high, major adoption barriers remain, according to a new Cloudera report. Chief among them is the challenge of safeguarding sensitive data.

  • stylized AI code and a neural network symbol, paired with glitching code and a red warning triangle

    New Anthropic AI Models Demonstrate Coding Prowess, Behavior Risks

    Anthropic has released Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4, its most advanced artificial intelligence models to date, boasting a significant leap in autonomous coding capabilities while simultaneously revealing troubling tendencies toward self-preservation that include attempted blackmail.