The upcoming version of Microsoft Office will come with some brand new features and improvements — including online apps that let workgroups share documents and access them from anywhere.

When Office 2010 is released, Microsoft will also launch Office Web, a suite of free online versions of Word, Powerpoint and Excel. Businesses will have the option of buying Office licenses that allow them to host the apps themselves.

The applications will be stripped down versions of their desktop-based counterpoints. Microsoft says its doing its best to retain the traditional look and feel for the Web versions, but they won’t be identical.

Most importantly, the online apps will let users access their documents from anywhere with an Internet connection, using laptops, smartphones and other mobile devices. Employees will also be able to share and collaborate on documents.

Office 2010 and Office Web are expected to be available in the first half of 2010. There’s no word yet on pricing. We’ll keep you posted.

Tags: Microsoft, Office 2010