Quickoffice Brings Word and Excel Document Editing to the iPhone

[JayLenochiniMac]

Why isn't this a part of the QuickOffice suite I paid $20 for?

It is part of it. Look again and update your app if necessary.

 

[Habakuk]

Why pay for this when you can simply use Google Docs?

Google Docs' additional benefits:

No installation at all, constant app maintenance by Google. You even won't recognize normally updates, just Google telling you "this is new" or "that is better".

Best data security possible. Live online sync wireless! "Platform-free" 40 (forty) languages. And, yes, CocoaPuffs said it already: It's free.

Disadvantages:

Privacy concerns. But it's the same with Microsoft/OpenOffice. Don't use those products for delicate and sensible data.

Any app recommendations for accessing google docs?

Safari? IE?

because you get what you pay for.

I did not want to hear this sentence even before commercial crisis. Who has money to waste these days? Imagine there are people who don't need a fully or over-fully featured app everytime and for everything.

Google Docs sucks for anything other than casual use.

I am personally not so deep in office apps but there are people telling me that Google text & spreadsheets is working fine so far. There are some glitches but they are getting better rapidely. With additional apps you can even print documents from iPhone and do all that fancy stuff what they need in offices

Hah...funny you said that. Is there any other reason except "casual" use on iPhone?

Ack. For the time being. But they are getting better and somedays in the near future we will accomplish the major part of office stuff on the mobile.

I am using Google Calendar wireless live-synced with MacOS Calendar, iPhone Calendar app and some WinXP Calendars with access rights for different people and offices in the cloud. Working fine, reliable and very handy. Very mobile. Google Calendar even sends you text messages (reminders) for free (even here in Europe). For me personally that is the future technique, the only thing I need is a portable BT keyboard for really quick typing.

Here my blog entries -- sorry they are German but there are some screenshots in it and I've linked Google translation there:

http://rossau.wordpress.com/2009/02/10/google-sync/

Google Spreadsheets on the iPhone
http://rossau.wordpress.com/2009/02/14/google-ermoeglicht-bearbeiten-von-tabellen-am-iphone/

 

[bytethese]

Why pay for this when you can simply use Google Docs?

Kinda tough to do unless you have a cell/wifi signal. What if I was on a plane or in a subway and wanted to quickly access some docs and make changes? While this suite is a touch too expensive for my tastes, a cheaper one may garner some interest from me.

 

[pab1953]

You can edit Google docs (word processing files) on the iPhone? That's news to me. Google Help says you can't. And I've never been able to -- and would love to.

 

[iPegboy]

Yeah Google Docs is great, but unless you know a big secret trick that I don't, there's no way to create or edit a .doc file on your iPhone through Google Docs.

 

[bilboa]

Why pay for this when you can simply use Google Docs?

For one thing, you need an internet connection in order to use google docs. What if I want to edit a document while I'm on a plane for example? I know some airlines now provide wifi, but only a few do and it's usually very expensive. Or maybe I'm travelling overseas and don't want to pay exorbitant roaming fees just to edit my journal. There are plenty of reasons to prefer a native word processing app over a webapp.

 

[bilboa]

I'm surprised people really have a need to edit office documents on their iphone. I know some of you will jump all over me for saying this, but this really seems more like a cool app than a practical one. Personally, if I have files so important that I must edit them while out and about, i make time to sit down with my laptop and give them the time they deserve. Just my two cents.

That may be true right now, especially since there are still no external keyboards available for the iPhone. However in principle it's very useful and practical to have a word processor in a PDA. I've travelled all over SE Asia and Europe for months at a time with my Palm TX plus an external folding keyboard, and typed in my journal every day using Documents To Go's word processor. The keyboard folds up to a size not much bigger than the Palm itself. The Palm/keyboard combo is much more compact than a laptop, which is important when you're carrying all your stuff in a backpack.

I'm hoping that with iPhone 3.0's better bluetooth support, an external keyboard will be possible for the iPhone, at which time I will certainly buy that plus a word processor.

 

[Habakuk]

Kinda tough to do unless you have a cell/wifi signal. What if I was on a plane or in a subway and wanted to quickly access some docs and make changes?

For one thing, you need an internet connection in order to use google docs. What if I want to edit a document while I'm on a plane for example?

It seems that you need a notebook for the time being. Here is a Google Docs Help text:

Uploading, Exporting, and Using Docs Offline

I know some airlines now provide wifi, but only a few do and it's usually very expensive. Or maybe I'm travelling overseas and don't want to pay exorbitant roaming fees just to edit my journal. There are plenty of reasons to prefer a native word processing app over a webapp.

Yes. But most of the time I am not in plane or outside Europe. And I am sure when one airline starts to offer WiFi for free the others will do the same soon. It's just a matter of weeks or months.

 

[bilboa]

I know some airlines now provide wifi, but only a few do and it's usually very expensive. Or maybe I'm travelling overseas and don't want to pay exorbitant roaming fees just to edit my journal. There are plenty of reasons to prefer a native word processing app over a webapp.

Yes. But most of the time I am not in plane or outside Europe. And I am sure when one airline starts to offer WiFi for free the others will do the same soon. It's just a matter of weeks or months.

This thread isn't about just you though. The post I was responding to was expressing incredulity at the notion that anyone could want a word processor on their iPhone, so my response was intended to show some reasons why it is useful for some people. The fact that you aren't one of those people in no way invalidates my point. If you're always near a computer when you want to do some word processing, or you don't mind carrying a laptop everywhere with you, or you can do whatever you need to do through the iPhone's web browser and always have a cellular or wifi connection, then you have no need for this app.

 

[shigzeo]

Finally got to reviewing QuickOffice

With internet problems up the wazoo, it has been troublesome, but here is our review.