THOUGH IT DOESN'T SUPPORT ALL Microsoft Office features, the no-cost Think¬Free Online can use the same file formats, making it the most Office-compatible on¬line productivity suite I've seen-it even works with Office 2007 files. The package, which com¬bines a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation pro¬gram, runs in your browser and lets you store documents (up to 1GB) on ThinkFree's server. A bit confusingly, it has two editing modes: Quick Edit and Power Edit. Both have a toolbar interface but no standard menus. A subscription version, currently in beta, also runs as a desktop app.

Writer, the word processor, opens and saves even complex Word 2007 and older files, but edits in full-page view only. Calc, which is rich in financial, scientific, and engineering functions, opens complex Excel files, displays most charts well, and imports (but can't modify) PivotTables. The Show app opens elaborate PowerPoint files and, in Power Edit mode, resembles Power Point. It offers basic transition effects but not the fancy effects of recent Power Point versions. Quick Edit mode displays an outline-style list of slides with their text, which you can view and modify but you can't see your slides.

ThinkFree Online lacks the power of desktop-based Microsoft Office alternatives like OpenOffice.org and Corel Word¬Perfect, but if you need both Office compatibility and online stor¬age, it's a good choice.-E dward