Google has added support for the DOCX and XLSX file formats to the Google Docs office suite.
The Microsoft-developed file formats have been knocking around since the launch of Office 2007, but trying to import a document or spreadsheet using one of these formats into Google Docs would simply bring up a message saying that they weren’t supported.
This was despite the fact that they can be opened through Gmail and Google Search using the company’s HTML viewer.
Google has now rectified this situation following the ratification of the Open XML standard last year, but anybody looking to import the PPTX files used by PowerPoint 2007 will need to wait. The files can be converted into a Google Docs-friendly format, but you’ll lose formatting, themes and transition effects.
Despite its short life, the Open XML format has proved remarkably controversial. Microsoft’s attempt to have it fast-tracked as an international standard was plagued with claims of voting irregularities and accusations of technical flaws in the standard itself.
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