While Google Docs still can't convert your .docx files, Gmail has added the ability to at least view those files as HTML documents. HTML isn't perhaps the ideal format, but if you just need to read the contents of a file, it gets the job done. The new HTML conversion also works with Google Search results.
While we've been fortunate enough not to run across too many documents in Microsoft's Office Open XML formats, if you need a quick and dirty way to convert them to something more useable, now you can just send them to your Gmail account.
Obviously the HTML conversion isn't perfect, but for a quick look at what's in the document, this is easier than asking the sender to use a different format or visiting another site to convert.
Of course there are also some other online tools like Zamzar and, our favorite, Zoho Writer that can handle converting .docx and its siblings to all sorts of other formats. Also be aware that the new OpenOffice 3.0 can convert them as well.
[via Google operating System]
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