Google Docs and Spreadsheets Updated

Ron Schneider announced a new look for Google Docs and Spreadsheets today.

This is a good example of changing the feel for an app that you use daily, and adding some nice Ajax effects and features, such as the good ‘ole left side folder list. I wonder if anyone will be confused that these folders map to tags, and there is a difference (think ‘delete’).

What’s new

• Looking pretty – The entire document list has been given a complete visual overhaul – new icons, more content, and better organizational controls. We know users spend a lot of time here and we aim to make it feel more like home.
• Getting organized – Almost from the day we launched people have been clamoring for folders. They’re here! Even cooler, our new folders continue to work like the tags they’ve replaced – your old tags are automatically converted to folders and documents can live in more than one folder at a time. Organizing your documents is as easy as dragging and dropping a document to a folder. We’ve also included special controls for seeing only those documents created by you or shared with a particular person.
• Search that thinks ahead – If you’ve ever tried Google Suggest, you know how cool it is when a search engine offer suggestions as you type. Google Docs & Spreadsheets now works the same way – we offer dynamically filtered results from your document list as you type, saving you time and getting you to your documents more quickly.

(Via Ajaxian.)