Google announced today that it has acquired DocVerse, maker of a Microsoft Office plugin that retrofits the Redmond company's widely used productivity software for the world of online collaboration.

The deal had been rumored since last year. Google isn't saying exactly what it plans to do with the technology, but it gives the company a new connection to desktop computing -- potentially making Google Docs more competitive with the next version of Microsoft Office, which will be accompanied by new features for editing and collaborating on documents in web browsers.

It's "another move in Google’s attempt to bite a chunk off of Office," said Rob Helm, an analyst who tracks Microsoft's Office business at the research firm Directions on Microsoft.

Also notable: San Francisco-based DocVerse was founded by two Microsoft veterans, Shan Sinha and Alex DeNeui. The DocVerse plugin works in the right-hand sidebar of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, letting people synchronize documents to an online service and collaborate with other people. See this page for more details.

"​The future of productivity applications is in the cloud," said Jonathan Rochelle, Google Apps group product manager, in the blog post announcing the deal. "We've always believed the web is the best platform for creating and sharing information, and Google Docs has already helped millions of people become more productive. But we recognize that many people are still accustomed to desktop software. So as we continue to improve Google Docs and Google Sites as rich collaboration tools, we’re also making it easier for people to transition to the cloud, and interoperate with desktop applications like Microsoft Office."

Rochelle wrote that existing DocVerse customers can continue using the product, but Google isn't accepting new signups until it's "ready to share what's next."

It's the second acquisition this week for Google, which announced its purchase of Seattle-based photo-editing service Picnik on Monday.