First Look

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You have no doubt heard a lot about Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0, but what about Office 2.0? At IT Redux's upcoming Office 2.0 conference scheduled for September 5 through 7 in San Francisco, numerous experts and customers will gather to take a look at some of the mobile productivity and collaboration technology that may revolutionize day-to-day life in offices around the globe. And in the spirit of Office 2.0, they're going paperless and giving away an Apple iPhone to each attendee for use during the conference.

"We're promoting the idea of doing everything online, and there is no better way of proving that it works by actually using online tools for managing the company itself," says event producer Ismael Ghalimi about the iPhone giveaway.

But why are iPhones symbolic of the spirit of Office 2.0? Ghalimi has more to say about that.

The Idea of Office 2.0

Office 2.0 is the extension of Web 2.0 into office productivity tools. It's the idea of getting office-type work done from anywhere using online technology and services through a Web browser rather than solely through desktop or laptops in the office.

"It's doing everything online, putting everything in the clouds," Ghalimi explains. "The primary reason for that is, when your data is online it is much easier to share with people, and more and more your work gets done with your peers, with your colleagues, with your customers and partners... When you can share information online it can make you more productive, it's going get things done a lot faster and a lot easier for a lot less money."

So, Office 2.0 collaboration tools might be anything from word processors to spreadsheets to database presentations and collaboration tools all delivered through a new model.

What iPhones Have to Do With Office 2.0

According to Ghalimi, iPhones are the perfect vehicle from which to demonstrate the ability of online tools and services to get the job done. At the Office 2.0 conference, attendees will be given iPhones and then instead of a printed agenda or schedule, they'll be able to connect to the Internet and go to a website with the information. They will also be able to connect to a directory to get contact information of other attendees with whom they want to network, or even to get a live video feed of sessions.

"I think we're going to demonstrate that what you get with that device is a real-time tool that makes it a lot easier to collaborate with people when you're on the go," he says.

Attendees will also be able to try out a lot of really neat applications through their iPhones, says Ghalimi. And of course there's a backup plan for those that already have an iPhone.

"For people who already have an iPhone we're giving a Sony Playstation 3 on which we've installed Linux, and so we can run the Firefox Web browser, which plugs into your TV and now you can not only play games but you can also do word processing from your sofa," he says.

New Office 2.0 Product Launches

So what else is the big buzz for the Office 2.0 Conference? Well, last year Google announced Google Docs and Spreadsheets at the Office 2.0 Conference. Expect even more this year, says Ghalimi, in the Launch Pad even where 20 new companies will announce new products and services on Thursday September 6th during lunch break.

"I can't tell you what this is all about; you're going to all discover that at noon on September the 6, but there are some very very interesting applications that will be released -- especially several of them directly working on the iPhone so we're very excited about that," he says.

Executive Summary by Krissi Danielsson