Google is expected to unveil Tuesday morning a web-based spreadsheet program, in beta, reports the New York Times. The still-experimental Google Spreadsheet can open and create Microsoft Excel (.xls) as well as comma-separated values (.csv) files, but does not yet offer advanced Excel features. Nevertheless, the move once again puts the internet titan on a collision course with the software colossus.

Google Spreadsheet, which will go live as part of Google Labs, will allow people with Google accounts to view and simultaneously edit data while conducting "in-document" chat, explains CNET. Google Spreadsheets allows transfer of data from cell to cell and inserting and deleting of rows and columns; it also supports multiple sheets or tabs and automatically saves a document with every change - after it is initially saved.

Google Spreadsheet is not intended to challenge Excel, according to Jonathan Rochelle, product manager for Google Spreadsheet, writes the Financial Times. "We think we're solving a different problem," he's quoted as saying. Users would rely on online spreadsheets mainly to share and jointly edit information with others, he said.

Google recently acquired online word processing company Writely, but has maintained that it too is not intended to supplant full-featured desktop alternatives.

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