In the latest of acquisitions, Google has acquired Writely, a collaborative word processor that runs in a web browser. The acquisition was noted on both Writely's main Web site and on a blog run by Writely co-founder Claudia Carpenter. Now with a word processor in its arsenal, Google continues to tread on ground that was once sacred to Microsoft.

Carpenter writes, "Writely is now part of Google! Yes, we've been acquired by Google, and we're really excited about this for many, many reasons."

For current users that wonder how this acquisition might affect them, she says, "Our #1 priority is to maintain (and improve) the reliability, privacy and security of the Writely service for our current users. The Google announcement will undoubtedly generate a lot of interest in Writely -- perhaps too much -- and we're committed, on your behalf, to keeping our current service running smoothly."

Because of the acquisition, they have closed off new registrations for now. Carpenter states, "So, while we're moving Writely to Google's software architecture, we're closing off new registrations. Get on the waitlist and we'll notify you via email when you'll be able to try out Writely."