Google introduces an Apps tool for sending forms via e-mail

This morning, Google unveiled an intriguing new collaboration feature that lets users embed forms in their e-mails. It involves the company's existing Spreadsheet platform, and it could be a new tool to expand its online apps' user base.

In its effort to gain a foothold in the collaboration space against competitors who would otherwise have locked down their claim to that feature, Google has launched a new feature for Google Apps enabling users to add information and modify information on a shared spreadsheet without having to pass its file back and forth.

With the "fill out a form" feature, a user can send a Google Spreadsheet out to anyone who has an e-mail address, regardless of whether he uses Gmail or Google Apps. The Spreadsheet user shares it with recipients as though it were a form to be filled out, enabling the sender to use the Spreadsheet platform to endow e-mails with functionality.

The invite the recipients receive gives them the choice of including the form in the e-mail, letting people see existing responses, and creating a custom confirmation message.

In a BetaNews test, we sent an invite to four different e-mail addresses. Each recipient was successfully able to add data to the spreadsheet and respond.

The official Google Docs Blog indicates its employees have been using the service in-house for "signups, surveys, and miscellaneous mischief."

Google Docs is part of the Google Apps suite, a suite of software including e-mail, Google Talk, Google Calendar, along with Google Docs. Since all of the services are hosted by Google, users do not have to download or install any type of hardware or software.