Microsoft's Outlook format isn't the only things being opened up.

Just over a month after releasing a limited pilot of its long-awaited online version of Office, Microsoft has said it's inviting more people to participate in tests.

Microsoft has not said how large the pilot program is. One condition of being invited to participate, though, is that you have Windows Live SkyDrive.

Simons wrote: "We've seen a lot of interest in Office Web Apps and received numerous requests from people wanting to try them out. To make this possible, we are opening up the Technical Preview and inviting more people to try out the Office Web Apps."

There's just two caveats: You had only a limited time to register and the features you'll be testing are exactly the same as those rather limited capabilities Microsoft unveiled in September.

To recap, testers can view, edit, and create Excel spreadsheets, but not create Word and PowerPoint documents. You can publish PowerPoint presentations and Excel workbooks to websites, blogs, and wikis but not publish Word documents in the same way. Also missing are OneNote and deep integration with the planned Microsoft Office 2010 suite of products, expected as a public beta next month at the company's Professional Developers' Conference (PDC). ®

Related stories

• Microsoft uncorks Outlook, world goes .pst (26 October 2009)
• Microsoft's Web Office trial gets limited release (17 September 2009)
• Microsoft wraps Project 2010 parcel in Ribbon (17 September 2009)
• US Bank dumps Sharepoint (to spend more time with Lotus) (15 September 2009)
• Review Microsoft Office for the iPhone (without the Microsoft) (14 September 2009)
• Word nemesis: Microsoft deliberately 'destroyed' our business (9 September 2009)
• Web-based Office misses August appointment (28 August 2009)
• Microsoft warns of 'irreparable harm' on court's Word injunction (19 August 2009)
• Outlook (finally) coming to the Mac (13 August 2009)
• MS revives Outlook for Mac (13 August 2009)
• Comment Microsoft at a loss in Word patent case? (13 August 2009)
• Nokia and Microsoft cosy up in small Office space (12 August 2009)