Corel has released the public beta of WordPerfect Lightning, a free word processing software that combines the benefits of online services with the features of desktop applications.

Delivering First Hybrid Productivity Platform, WordPerfect Lightning offers free access to premium online services, including collaboration and data storage, enabling users to take advantage of Web technologies without relying on Internet connectivity to accomplish key tasks.

It allows users to view, print, and save information, plus create notes and other simple documents, without purchasing a full-featured office suite. For more advanced tools, it offers one-click access to the full-featured Corel WordPerfect Office X3, in addition to a powerful array of online services.

Richard Carriere, General Manager for Office Productivity, Corel, said, "Today, we spend most of our time consuming or reusing content, taking information from one place, whether it s the Web, email, documents, or other sources, and incorporating it somewhere else. By blending desktop and Web applications in WordPerfect Lightning, Corel is taking a truly hybrid approach to computing, enabling users to maximize their productivity by making it simpler and faster to gather, organize, and share critical information."

WordPerfect Lightning consists of four components: the Navigator, the Viewer, Lightning Notes, and the Connector. The Navigator is for organizing content. The Viewer is an all-in-one document reading tool for fast and simple viewing of documents in Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, or Corel WordPerfect file formats. Lightning Notes is a lightweight word processor. The Connector, powered by Joyent, is a suite of Web-based applications for email, calendars, address books, and file storage.

Users receive 200MB of free online storage, plus shared calendaring, contacts, and e-mail functionality. The software is compatible with Windows Vista and XP.

Corel WordPerfect Lightning beta is available as a 20 MB free download at www.wordperfect.com/lighting. Besides, the company is also offering a free trial version of its WordPerfect Office X3 productivity suite, which retails for $269.99 (Rs 11,967).