Google Docs Coming to Apple, Android-Based Mobile Devices

Within the next week, Google (News - Alert) Docs users will be able to access the cloud-based service from select mobile devices, according to a recent company blog.

As soon as the tool is released, mobile phone users with Android (News - Alert)-based devices running the new Froyo operating system will be able to view, edit and share documents while on-the-go. Owners of iOS devices, including the iPhone (News - Alert), iPad and iPod Touch, running version 3.0 or later will also have access to the new mobile editor. All users need to do to modify existing documents is to visit docs.google.com in a mobile Safari Web browser and hit the edit button on the top of the page.

Although the mobile document editor offers a new outlet for sharing documents while on-the-go, it is a clear step down from the desktop app. Users will be able to amend already-created documents and edit spreadsheets in real time, but will not have the ability to generate new texts, change fonts, add images or perform any advanced editing tasks, according to PC World.

Furthermore, the document needs to have been created under Google's new editing program for it to be viewable via a mobile device. Another critique of the soon-to-be-launched service is that it will only be available on select handsets and tablets. As of early this month, only 36.2 percent of Android-based devices were running the latest OS, which is needed to launch Google Docs, the Washington Post reports.

However, Android owners will be able to modify documents using Google's talk-to-text feature, which is fairly impressive. Apple (News - Alert) users who are running an older version of iOS will also not have access to Google Docs.

The California-based technology giant is expected to roll out the mobile editing platform to English-language users within the next few days. To view a short demo of the Google Docs program for mobile devices, click here.

Beecher Tuttle is a TMCnet contributor. He has extensive experience writing and editing for print publications and online news websites. He has specialized in a variety of industries, including health care technology, politics and education. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Tammy Wolf