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Documents To Go now lets you create and edit Power Point documents on iPhone.
(Credit: Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)DataViz and Quickoffice have long been racing for the glory of creating the most advanced office suite for iPhone. Their products, Documents To Go and Quickoffice Mobile Suite, have leapfrogged one another as they developed. This time, Documents To Go Premium pulls into the lead with version 3.0 of the $14.99 app that is now capable of creating and editing PowerPoint presentations, and opening Gmail attachments. (There's a simpler version of Documents To Go, without these features, for $9.99.)
As part of its update, Documents To Go Premium 3.0, previously known as Documents To Go with Exchange Attachments, now lets you create and edit PowerPoint presentations instead of just read them. Three simple templates for basic, casual, and corporate slides get you going on creating new presentations. You can add bullet points, speaker notes, and manage slides from a sliding navigation ribbon at the bottom of the screen.
Navigation took some getting used to, and could be more intuitive. Presentations were also graphically limited. With few colors and themes and no capability to add graphics or transitions, this initial stab at PowerPoint creation is best suited for textual edits of existing presentations and for creating concept presentations, not for generating full-blown PowerPoints.
As before, Documents To Go Premium accesses your e-mail attachments, but now gives you the option of viewing attachments from Gmail instead of from just Microsoft Exchange. You'll need to set up an account and open either Exchange or Gmail e-mail--but not both--through the app instead of through the iPhone's default in-box. The publisher, DataViz, provides setup instructions here.
While Quickoffice Mobile Suite costs $5 less than Documents To Go Premium, it does not currently create or edit PowerPoint presentations. Users of the $10 version of Documents To Go will soon be able to upgrade to the Premium version through in-app purchasing, after Docs To Go's next update.
Filling in a blank spreadsheet is an uphill battle, but one you can win.
(Credit: Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)Ever since Documents to Go came out on iPhone--both the standard version and with Microsoft Exchange Attachments--the publisher has been keeping our interest with promises of a version that could edit Excel documents and create new ones in addition to just viewing them.
That version, Documents to Go 2.0, is now here. The update brings Documents To Go back to fairly equal footing with rival Quickoffice Mobile Office Suite, which added Excel creation and editing support a month before.
In addition to viewing Excel XLS and XLSX documents, both Documents To Go apps can now also create new spreadsheets and edit existing ones. After taking a quick spin through the features, we can say it looks as if publisher DataViz, like Quickoffice, has been able to cram a lot of core features into a small space. There's support for multiple spreadsheets, and the capability to resize rows and columns and search cells (the Find feature). There are also formatting and typeface tools, and support for older, even password-protected, worksheets.
While the addition of Excel support brings this app back into direct competition with the Quickoffice suite, what's true in both cases is that it's infinitely easier to edit an Excel document on the iPhone than it is to create one fresh. However, if you must put your tapping fingers through the pages, then the opportunity is now, finally, here.
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Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)
Good news comes to the iPhone workforce on Thursday, in the form of an update to Quickoffice Mobile Suite. The latest version will now create and edit the Word and Excel documents native to Microsoft Office 2007 on Windows, and Microsoft Office 2008 on Mac. Prior versions did not support these DOCX and XLSX formats.
The change brings Quickoffice Mobile Suite ahead of its most threatening productivity rival in terms of editing support. Neither of the two Documents To Go applications for iPhone can create Excel documents; their capability is view-only. However, for some people, creating spreadsheets is overkill. For that set, Documents To Go and Documents To Go with Exchange Attachments are the more dollar-conscious choice at about $5, and $10, respectively, compared to Quickoffice's $15 mobile suite. Documents To Go creates and edits DOCX Word files.
Last week, Apple revised a support document about iPhone temperature to include the iPhone 3GS. The June 25 document cautions iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS users to operate their handsets within acceptable temperatures. It makes the following recommendations:
Recommended operating temperatures
Operate iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS in a place where the temperature is between zero and 35 degrees Celsius (32 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit). Low or high-temperature conditions might temporarily shorten battery life or cause the device to temporarily stop working properly.
Recommended storage temperatures
Store iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS in a place where the temperature is between -20 and 45 degrees Celsius (-4 to 113 degrees Fahrenheit). Don't leave the device in your car, because temperatures in parked cars can exceed this range.
Symptoms of overheating
- iPhone will no longer charge
- iPhone display will dim
- Weaker cell signal
- iPhone temperature warning screen appears (see below)
Up until last week, Quickoffice Mobile Office Suite was the most sophisticated Microsoft document reader and editor in the App Store. When Documents To Go came out (with and without support for Microsoft Exchange attachments,) some of you asked for a head-to-head comparison.
We'll see your request and raise it to a collection of business applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch that can help keep you productive at home or on the road.
Quickoffice versus Documents To Go
The starkest differences between Quickoffice Mobile Suite and Documents To Go boil down to price, file support, and interface. Both can view Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDFs, and iWork documents. They are also able to transfer files via a USB drive hookup or through pairing over a Wi-Fi network.
In terms of image quality, both had commendably clear and faithful rendering of images and text. Both instances of Documents To Go are less expensive (at the time of writing) than Quickoffice; about $5 and $10 versus Quickoffice's Mobile Suite at $20. However, Documents To Go can only edit and create Word docs. Quickoffice can generate and edit Word and Excel files.
Editing tools are more easily accessible in Quickoffice.
(Credit: CNET/Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt)The Word-only editing limitation brings the standard Documents To Go app closer to the standalone Quickword product (iTunes link), also about $5 now that it's on sale (it's been dropped down from $13.) Quickoffice cannot create or edit Word or Excel 2007 files at present, but Documents To Go does support Word 2007 documents.
In terms of layout and usability, Quickoffice's menu systems are slightly easier to access and use than those on Documents To Go. However, Documents To Go's more premium app opens the door to reading attachments sent over Microsoft Exchange. It's got a trickier setup process than we'd like, but once that's been cleared away, the actual reading and saving are smooth.
For now, choosing the better of the two apps for your needs is a simple calculation. Those who actively work with Excel documents should stick with Quickoffice at this time. Those who rely more on reading e-mail attachments in their full glory (and especially editing the attached Word docs) should head for the premium version of Documents To Go. The set that mostly needs access to Word documents but rarely works with spreadsheets should let economic considerations guide them to the $5 version of Documents To Go.
However, since both applications have ambitious development schedules and strategies, the value proposition of each could rapidly change by the version number. We'll be keeping an eye on these as they continue to take their turns at bat.
See which applications made our top productivity picks for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Corrected on June 26, 2009 at 2:45 p.m. PT: Documents To Go can edit and create Word 2007 documents.
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Apple, Inc.)
According to the support document:
If you don't have an option for Notifications in the Settings menu, then you don't have an app installed that supports notifications.
An app needs to be used at least once before it will receive any notifications.
The iPod Touch can receive notifications any time when the screen is on and Wi-Fi is connected. If the screen is asleep, the iPod Touch will check every 15 minutes for a notification.
You can disable notifications for an app in the Settings menu
If you restore a backup to your iPhone or iPod Touch, you'll need to use an app at least once to get notifications again.
If you've set up an Exchange in-box, you can view attachments.
(Credit: CNET/Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt)Documents To Go is such an excellent business tool for viewing and editing documents on other mobile platforms, we were excited to see it emerge in the iTunes App Store earlier this week. We talked about the more basic version of Documents To Go for iPhone (and iPod Touch; $4.99) here, which lets you create and edit Microsoft Word apps, and additionally displays Excel, PowerPoint, PDFs, and iWork files.
Quite a few users, however, had trouble with the more advanced version, Documents To Go with Exchange Attachments. This version essentially adds an in-app Exchange in-box that asks you to set up a Microsoft Exchange account in order to view the supported attachments. Many comments in the publisher's iTunes app page echoed users' frustrations at getting it set up, and hours spent trying to connect it just to have it fail. I decided to try it out.
Although I had already added a Microsoft Exchange in-box to the iPhone, Documents To Go required that I repeat the process. Making your way around domain and server names can be tricky, and it's easy to mistype a strong password. After a minute or two, the app successfully created a second Exchange in-box that had a few parameters, like how far back it should scan for attachments. I stuck with the 2-week default and in another minute or two, the application presented a list of e-mail messages flagged with attachments.
Opening one took some more time--Documents To Go, it appears, resyncs the first time you tap the floating attachment. You shouldn't have to wait the next time you revisit the attachment, except for the few seconds it takes to render the document you open. The viewer rendered spreadsheets and PDFs with its characteristic crispness, and scrolled without lags.
Click in your Docs To Go in-box to open a synced attachment.
(Credit: CNET/Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt)At this early stage, the secondary features are a little weak. You can view attachments from your in-box, out-box, and drafts. You can also locally save the attachment, but apart from Word documents, you won't yet be able to edit. Still, the faithful rendering makes Documents To Go's viewer a truer experience than that built into the iPhone.
Is it worth the extra time it takes to set up a new mailbox, sync it, and open the attachment? If you're a business user who's often on the road, probably. It helps to feel comfortable with your Exchange settings, or to be in contact with someone from the office (like an IT admin) who does. That "probably" shifts into a "definitely" if you're willing to give DataViz some leeway while it builds creation and editing tools for Excel, PowerPoint, and PDFs into future iterations (attachment support for other Webmail clients would also be welcome.) These versions give Documents To Go a toehold, but are not nearly as strong as we would hope or expect, given the tiered applications' performance on other mobile platforms. Business users, stay tuned.
Documents To Go has finally arrived on the iPhone.
It's been a long time coming, but DataViz's Documents To Go has finally arrived in the App Store.
The software allows you to view, edit, and create Microsoft Word documents, while a companion desktop app (for Windows and Mac) enables two-way synchronization.
Needless to say, this should have business users dancing in the aisles (or at least doing a little Where the Hell is Matt-style jig).
Drawing on years of experience with Palm and Windows Mobile versions of Documents To Go, DataViz crammed in a laundry list of features. For starters, the company's InTact technology guarantees that all document formatting gets preserved between iPhone and PC.
The app also offers predictive text, landscape viewing/editing, character formatting (bold, italics, underline, etc.), bulleting and numbering, tables, embedded graphics, and plenty more. Most importantly, it allows you to cut, copy, and paste text. (Remind me why it took Apple three versions of the OS to add this?)
For the moment, Documents To Go supports only Word files, at least in terms of creating and editing. As with countless other apps, you can view Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, and iWork documents.
Down the road, DataViz will add support for creating and editing Excel spreadsheets, at which point anyone who purchased this version will get a free upgrade.
And right now, Documents To Go is priced at just $4.99-- a"grand opening" special that ends June 30. I'm not sure what the price will be after that, but it's a good bet it'll be closer to competitor Quickword ($12.99). The latter can't yet edit Word 2007 files, nor does it actually synchronize documents.
Also on special: Documents To Go with Exchange Attachments, which includes a built-in e-mail client for downloading, viewing, and sending Word files on the run. (In other words, it syncs with your company's Exchange server.) That version will cost you $9.99 until June 30.
Good stuff. Now all we need is a decent portable Bluetooth keyboard for word processing on the run. Come on, accessory makers! Get with the program.
Apple's iDisk file-viewing and -sharing app is free, but you must be a MobileMe subscriber to use it.
(Credit: Apple)Lost in the shuffle of yesterday's myriad WWDC announcements, Apple unveiled iDisk, a free app that lets you view and share documents, videos, and the like.
If that sounds familiar, it's because these capabilities already exist in apps like Air Sharing, File Sharing, and Soonr.
So, what sets iDisk apart? For starters, it's exclusively for MobileMe subscribers. (Feel free to stop reading here and now.) So while the app itself is free, it'll actually cost you $99 annually to use.
iDisk offers two main functions. First, it lets you view your MobileMe-housed Office or iWork '09 documents, PDFs, videos, and, one would assume, images. You can also access the contents of other MobileMe members' Public folders.
Second, iDisk simplifies file sharing: instead of a mammoth file attachment, recipients get a link for downloading the designated file(s) from your MobileMe space.
You'll be able to nab iDisk when iPhone OS 3.0 rolls out on June 17. In the meantime, take a good look at Soonr (iTunes link). A free account gives you 2GB of online storage, and the app not only lets you view and share documents remotely, but also collaborate, fax, and even print.
DataViz, publisher of the venerable Palm OS application Documents to Go, has announced its plans to bring a version of the application to the iPhone. The software allows users to view and edit Word documents, PowerPoint presentations and Excel Spreadsheets and offers many other features, including the ability to display graphic files.
Some features available on the Palm OS may not make it to the iPhone because of Apple's stringent developer agreement.
DataViz is projecting delivery of Documents to Go for the iPhone in 2009. The company asks that anyone interested in news or information about the software sign up for a mailing list here.
The DataViz web site does not supply any screenshots or other solid information about the application's features or pricing. A phone call to DataViz resulted in a push to sign up for the mailing list.
The iPhone has built-in support for viewing some Microsoft Office documents and Adobe PDF files, but the functionality is not as robust as Documents to Go for Palm.
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