infoTECH Feature

September 22, 2010

Edit Your Docs on the Go with Documents to Go

Do you ever need to read or edit an important document on the go, but you left your laptop at home? Then you may want to take a look at Documents to Go from DataViz, the IT solution to your problem. This mobile smartphone app lets you view and edit Word and Excel files, open PowerPoint presentations, read PDFs, check email attachments, and sync documents between your computer and portable device.

Documents to Go works on Apple iOS devices (iPhone (News - Alert), iPad, and iPod Touch), Android phones, BlackBerry phones, Palm devices, Windows Mobile phones, and the Nokia N900 mobile PC. The app comes in two different flavors—a $9.99 Standard edition and a $16.99 Premium edition. Both versions offer you the ability to create and edit Word and Excel files. The Standard edition can open PowerPoint files, but only the Premium edition allows you to edit them. The Premium version also lets you password-protect your files and access documents stored at Google Docs, Dropbox, and other online storage sites.

DataViz (News - Alert) recently released version 4.0 of Documents to Go, which offers a more user-friendly interface than did prior versions. It also seems a bit faster and now supports Bluetooth keyboards.

I typically use the Word program in Documents to Go to edit documents that I’m currently writing, such as one of my columns. Though the small virtual keyboard on my iPod Touch doesn’t lend itself to quick typing, I can certainly review and make minor edits to existing documents. That’s especially handy if I’m waiting at the doctor’s office for my appointment or in the car while my wife gets her morning cup of coffee. Of course, you won’t find anywhere near the range of features available in Microsoft’s (News - Alert) desktop version of Word. But the mobile edition provides the basics by letting you format your text and paragraphs, create bulleted lists, and find and replace content.

I use the Excel program to review and modify spreadsheets on the go. For example, I create spreadsheets to keep track of automobile work, business expenses, and tax information, all of which I can update when I’m out. Like the Word program, the Excel app provides the basics. You can format your cells and their content, sort your columns, find specific text, and insert and delete rows and columns. You can even perform all of the basic and many of the advanced formulas found in Microsoft’s desktop version by manually entering them or choosing the type of calculation from a list of categories. You can also hide and unhide rows and columns and now freeze panes in the new 4.0 version.

I don’t create many PowerPoint presentations, but I do need to view them from time to time. So the basic edition of Documents to Go is fine for my needs. I also use Docs to Go to store several PDF files that I keep for reference. Though I do keep certain PDF files at online storage sites, I also need local versions of them for times when I don’t have a Wi-Fi connection.

Okay, so how do you sync documents between your smartphone or portable device and your PC? DataViz offers a free desktop component that you can download and install. Here you set up a specific series of folders to hold the documents that you wish to keep in sync and then manually trigger that sync when you’re at your PC.

I’ve used Documents to Go on and off for years, starting with my old Palm Pilot PDA and now on my iPod Touch. Though it’s not a program you may use every day, it definitely comes in handy for those times when you don’t have your trusty computer and can instead turn to your smartphone to access that important file.

FOLLOW US

Subscribe to InfoTECH Spotlight eNews

InfoTECH Spotlight eNews delivers the latest news impacting technology in the IT industry each week. Sign up to receive FREE breaking news today!
FREE eNewsletter

infoTECH Whitepapers