A Hotmail co-founder, Sabeer Bhatia, is placing his bets on an online office productivity suite that is positioned to compete with similar offerings from Microsoft and Google. Instant Collaboration Software Technologies Pvt. Ltd (InstaColl), a Bangalore company co-founded by Bhatia, unveiled its Live Documents last week, an application that allows users to access and work on their documents online using a browser, and collaborate and share documents in real-time with others. The software supports any browser that supports Flash from Adobe Systems Inc. and runs on any computer operating system, said Sumanth Raghavendra, chief executive officer of InstaColl. Online documents can also be synchronized and worked while off-line, using a desktop client that wraps around an office suite running on the desktop, Raghavendra said. Live Documents automatically synchronizes all changes, the next time the user goes online. Users can work on the document in Microsoft Office when off-line, for example, and then the document will be updated in Live Documents for online collaboration, he added. Live Documents is currently available for technology preview here.

Microsoft Corp. today announced that Windows Live Hotmail, the successor to MSN Hotmail, is launching globally in 36 languages. Windows Live Hotmail will deliver a safer, more powerful and productive e-mail experience than previous versions with flexible access via the Web, on a mobile phone or with an e-mail client. As Windows Live Hotmail begins rolling out on May 7 and continues over the coming days, consumers will be able to visit www.hotmail.com to sign up for a new Windows Live Hotmail account. Current MSN Hotmail customers can also update their existing account to Windows Live Hotmail by logging into their account and clicking on the green Join Windows Live Hotmail button. Later this month Windows Live Hotmail customers will also be able to access their Windows Live Hotmail e-mail and contacts for free using Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 or Office Outlook 2007 via the new Microsoft Office Outlook Connector beta.