Mobile office in the iPad: Documents To Go Premium, Office2 HD and ReaddleDocs 3

iPad - chic gadget a great entertainment device, and even to some extent help in work, but it is only addition to the PC, but some users try to see in it a self-sufficient product. Nevertheless, there is enough for the tablet software for serious work in completely different areas, from creating music, draw pictures, video editing and finishing all kinds of office suites. It is about the past, I would like to speak today, and we are not talking about the native resolution of the Apple iWork collection, and on the third-party products designed to ensure compatibility with the ubiquitous MS Office, and even allow the iPad to turn for a while in the print machine.

Documents To Go Premium: expensive, brutal and sometimes undone

Almost two years ago on the pages of Macradar already considered this package, but for the young tablet market a couple of years - it is a great time, not to mention the software for it. Have you changed something in the meantime in such a venerable product like Documents To Go Premium, available on virtually every relevant platform? Yes, it changed, but not in terms of functionality.

It seems, DataViz the company responsible for the package, attended only basic support for its decision, adapting it to new firmware, but in this respect I can not say that Documents To Go are all well. For example, a word processor does not work correctly with the new iPad. When the onscreen keyboard, it occludes the bottom toolbar to work with the text, at the time, how this panel should remain above the keyboard, and not hide behind it (at least in earlier versions it was So).

In addition, the selection does not work on double Russian word tapu. Allocated only one letter. With the release of the English words do not have difficulties. Paragraphs are also distinguished triple tapom without problems.

Retina-display? The guys from DataViz about this do not know, and after nearly a month after the announcement of the device, the interface is one of the most expensive office suites in the App Store under the high resolution still has not adapted. Well, okay, I will not nitpick. After all, if you do not look closely, the rough look of the interface elements is not particularly striking. Let's talk about the peculiarities of working with the application, and the interesting moments in its functionality.

On the basic capabilities, such as "in the Documents To Go can be printed, but you can not print" will not stop them before well-told colleague, Konstantin Klimov. I note only that this editor is sharpened to work with MS Office documents, although it can read (but not edit) and a number of third-party formats. In addition, compared to the previously discussed version of the current can even save documents not only in the formats MS Office 97-2003, but also in newer MS Office 2007-2011 (.docx and .xlsx, eg).

With regard to actually work in the editor, then, the first impression: "poor little and simple." On the other hand, it is a serious software is not created in order to consider the beauty of the interface, and for word processing and spreadsheets. Everything should be functional and is subject to only one purpose - to work! I will not hide his sarcasm regarding interface design, especially against the background of the Pages and Numbers, when everything is done beautifully and This functional but pleasant moment, I note in the Documents To Go Premium - is a small introductory course is offered when you first start application.

It was from him I learned that the program can be in the tables to select and process the multiple cells. Previously, this feature was not available. By the way, without a clue and guess how select multiple cells at once. It turns out, you have to tap on the one of them, and then immediately press your finger on the screen and drag it in the desired direction, thus highlighting the necessary cell. A kind of "double-tap to dredge".

Generally spreadsheet in Documents To Go to work quite convenient and nice, especially on the new iPad, with its incomparable display. Supports large multi-page files, can at its discretion, to edit each cell to change its size, move, and change the series, and so on. D. There is support for 111 functions for spreadsheets, the ability to freeze rows and columns, search, undo and return to the perfect action.

The word processor is also, in principle, it is possible to create a lot of things, including the multicolored lists as in the screenshots below. In addition, little has changed edit menu structure in comparison with the version of the 2-year-old. It turned out to be grouped into three sections, or you can call the window with all the features at once by clicking on the button «More» in any of the three menus. Naturally, preserved option detailed counting the number of words, characters and paragraphs.

Important fact - Documents To Go Premium is a universal app that is adapted and for iPhone, plus, unlike the cheaper version - Documents To Go - Office Suite, Premium-version supports cloud services, including Dropbox and google Docs. However, the developer did not notice that Apple iDisk no longer exists.

Test work with cloud services is successful. At least with Dropbox and Google Docs difficulties have arisen. If desired, the finished document can also be saved locally, then transfer to a PC via the iTunes, or send email. It is still possible to install a client PC and then synchronize the documents will take place automatically.

I want to throw a pebble in the iPhone-version of the application. It turns out that the guys from DataViz do not know about the existence of Retina and iPhone 4 / 4S. That's a shame I think - still not bring the phone interface in order. I can understand the delay in the Retina-version for the iPad, but the iPhone with the display on the market for several years already. Externally the phone and tablet interfaces are identical.

For application compatibility with different formats also have questions. Thus, the program does not understand coding plain text files (TXT), and a simple DOC-file in where there is a picture with text wrapping option set, she opened with an error by disabling this function:

I still wonder why the word processors for iOS does not support editing RTF-files. Documents To Go Premium in this regard is no exception, but opens them to see no problem, as the files and .pages .numbers.

And yet I have not found how to add to the document image. It seems that this function in the Documents To Go Premium do not, strangely. Incidentally, the Russian localization of either, but you can understand without knowledge of English, although it is strange that the developer has not added an interface translation on "great and mighty." Another nuance - unhurried work program with large XLS files and PDF files. In the first case, when paging is almost always visible "chess background" and only after you stop scrolling data appears. In the second - even when you open a PDF with the usual text and when you try to zoom, it is necessary for a couple of seconds to see how the page appears in parts.

As a result, I can not recommend this product to everyone. Strange and expensive program (even the version of Office Suite) with a number of flaws, but with the class module for working with spreadsheets. Pleases support for popular cloud services in Premium-version and product versatility, but sorrowful interface flaws. Although it is worth noting that the program is very compact - it takes only 14.3 MB. For comparison, Pages «weighs" about 270 MB. Overall Rating Documents To Go to the App Store, constituting three stars, corresponding to personal impressions on the application - strong middling, but there are more interesting solutions, one of which is about the talk below.

Documents To Go Premium in the AppStore (16,99$)
Documents To Go Office Suite in the AppStore (9,99$)

Office2 HD: some errors brutal competitor

Office2 HD pleased from the very first minutes of acquaintance. Perhaps my reaction would have been more relaxed if I do not first of all set to the package Documents To Go Premium, which places me seriously disappointed, but here it is rather a somewhat different approach to its product. Developer Byte Squared did not invent the wheel in terms of interface design, and the use of successful solutions of competitors.

For example, in landscape mode used 2-panel interface, in the portrait - the drop-down menu, which is traditional for the standard iPad interface, according to Apple guidelines. On the left side is a list of files and folders, and this unit has a basic file manager functionality. That is, you can create folders, copy and move files between them. At the same time the previously discussed competitor interface is basically a tablet does not adapted - it is exactly the same for the iPhone and for the iPad. Ie DataViz do not bother with it, but simply stretched under the enlarged area of ​​the screen version of the phone. On the other hand, Documents To Go is universal, and Office2 HD is focused only on iPad.

On the right side opens, in fact, the editor and if you want the left panel, you can always call or removed. Also worth noting, that without it the premium versions and some In-App surcharges in Office2 HD includes support for cloud services at the level of Documents To Go Premium. To enable them, just press the button "Back" in the upper left corner, then click on the "Add Service", select the desired and enter your account details. All work is checked.

I want to draw attention to the presence of file sharing with application wirelessly, via a web interface. In this mode, you can both download content into the application and save it to your PC. The rest of the settings are many and they are quite standard, including the ability to select a standard format created files (DOC or DOCX), application password protection and even the choice of paper size. By the way if you wish, you can set a password on a separate file, plus there is the possibility to send it by mail.

As regards the work of the editor, then its functionality is almost identical to Documents To Go Premium with the pleasant exception that there is no banal flaws and convenient interface. Making the last developer clearly spied from Apple and did the right thing - placing the toolbar at the top of screen intelligently, it has easy access and will not be accidental clicks as if it is just above the keyboard. Not to mention the embodiment, when the panel is generally hidden under the keyboard. The only nuance - is the need to swipe the panel gesture, if you need to get to the text alignment options and work with numbered lists.

Important point - Office2 HD allows you to work with images in the document: they add, resize, select the options flow images. In addition, the test document with a photo program was opened without any errors.

A little better organized and working with spreadsheets, and there is no "chess sketch" while navigating through large pages. For example, if a document contains many sheets, they appear as tabs from below, as in the desktop version of MS Office, which is more convenient than flipping pages in a separate menu, as it is implemented at the competitor. If necessary, you can select and multiple cells at once, but again, this time Office2 HD is more intuitive, and there I understood without visiting the "Help" section. We just need to click on the cell and hold, then there will be the sliders to select the desired number of items. In addition, the developer said more than 140 functions for spreadsheets, which is more than the Documents To Go.

It is present in the program, and Russian localization of the interface - it's good, but «Help» developer too lazy to translate, which is a pity.

Compatibility with third-party file formats in these programs two parity with the only exception that the viewer PDF-files from Office2 HD more comfortable and productive. Brakes when you open the test file does not arise.

Thus, the application allows you to view, but not edit Apple iWork 08/09 files, PDF, RTF. With encoding in TXT-documents similar to "ambush" - a test it is not defined, but the app allows you to edit it.

At $ 8 Office2 HD is an excellent office suite for iPad, if necessary dense enough compatibility with MS Office documents. This is not just a competitor, but it is much more interesting, pleasant and functional product than discussed above Documents To Go Premium, which costs more than twice as expensive. The only advantage of the latter - the universality, but, given the unpleasant glitches of the program, for example, with the release of Russian words, the absence of adaptation, even under the phone-the Retina display, it is better to pay attention to some alternatives. Same Pages / Numbers, for example.

Office² HD in the AppStore (7,99$)

I decided to summarize in two packages right now, since the third program is not their competitor, but rather complementary. Well, let's start.

ReaddleDocs 3: read all... the only question is, how well?

This is one of a fairly ancient for iOS projects, started on its way since the days when no one on the iPad did not know. The main purpose of the application - provide the user with the ability to read virtually any electronic document or email attachment, and not only.

That is, ReaddleDocs 3 in no way does not replace the Documents To Go Premium or Office2 HD, but will complement them perfectly, although there are nuances, as well as competitors, which discussed below.

The app is not cheap as for a normal viewer of everything, is worth $ 5, but it has good functionality, at first glance. In terms of design no discovery - a simple two-pane interface, which, moreover, are not adapted to the Retina. But this, I think, a matter of time. Developer quite actively supports its product.

Section Documents (Russian localization, unfortunately, not) - this is the main part of the application, in fact. There are all the files that you want to open and read or view. In particular, the support documents iWork 08/09, MS Office 97-2011, RTF, RTFD, TXT (viewing and editing), HTML, WEBARCHIVE, PDF. And a decent set of image formats, audio and video (although the "popular" among the latter there): BMP, GIG, ICO, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, XBM, 3GP, M4V, MOV, MP4, AAC, M4A, PCM, WAV, MP3, AMR, AIFF, and more others.

But, in words very well, but as a fact? Ever wanted to point out an interesting functionality vykovyrivaniyu pictures from albums recorded in the tablet. You can select any photo in it from the interface ReaddleDocs 3 and stored in its own local program folder in PNG format. Thereafter, images are easily transferred to a PC via a web interface.

Settings in the program a little, but they are. You can set a password, select the folder, save web pages (stored in HTML- or a PDF-format), choose the font and type size while viewing TXT-files, to determine the engine PDF (your own or built-in iOS), enable / disable Web server. There is support for basic cloud services.

At first glance, the program is very similar in functionality GoodReaderBut, as it turned out in the course of operation, more powerful rival has appeared in a number of cases.

To begin with, that the very weak ReaddleDocs 3 a PDF-engine - file opens slowly leafing through a tight, even if it's just a black and white scan of the book. If you open a large scan of the magazine, it lacks clarity, fonts look blurry, this should not be. When you switch on the native PDF-engine iOS blur disappears, everything is clear and beautiful, though, and offer the same scan up to ten seconds. But then quickly flipping, however, as one big "sausage". No separation on the page no. Except that you can put a bookmark on a certain percentage of click throughs. GoodReader in terms of working with PDF just a god compared to viewing a hero.

But ReaddleDocs 3 without problems read test TXT-file and encoded not nakosyachil. This is where the program will be useful as a supplement to the above office suite. I edit an open document, too, without too much difficulty.

With the opening of RTF files, DOC, DOCX, Pages, and Numbers difficulties have been, with the same view, is that a relatively simple spreadsheet iWork loaded for a long time (5-7 seconds). Marking Up the Display text flow on a contour in the DOC-file is recognized correctly.

But with the XLS format have difficulties. In addition to the wild brakes when loading and paging file, the program opens only one leaf table, access to the other is not. That being said «Epic Fail» for applications of this kind, or "ruthless bummer" bought it for User is calculated view received email multipage XLS-files.

Back in ReaddleDocs 3 has a built-in web browser with the function of saving Web pages in HTML or PDF. In the first case, for the full functionality of the content in the future, will require an Internet connection, in the second - the result is not very impressive, sometimes flies styles and in general somehow crooked all looks. Sorry, there is no support in the preservation Webarchive format when you end up with a replica of the original, but it can be viewed offline.

The last feature of the application, which is worth mentioning - a built-in file manager with the ability to work with folders and distribute content between them. Quite a necessary function, if the file accumulates a lot.

ReaddleDocs 3, there is a separate version for the iPad and iPhone, and in this case the price of $ 5 for this program consider unjustified for the simple because for the same money you can take GoodReader, with adapted for Retina and localized interfaces, smart PDF-engines (two of them - one fast and compatible, the second a more functional, but is slower), ample networking opportunities and a lack of problems when opening multi-XLS files.

ReaddleDocs 3 for iPad in the AppStore (4,99$)

iPad as a small office in a bag

By results of testing three productivity applications to the following conclusions:

• not always the most expensive program means that it is the best;
• before you buy something in the App Store, you need to check out the alternatives;
• problems in the treatment compatible with MS Office files to the iPad is not, the tablet can really be a good helper in the road, and in some cases it is easy to replace a laptop.

In this case, I can safely recommend Office2 HD for those who require a high compatibility with MS Office, but if such a requirement is not, then do not take the money for Pages, Numbers and Keynote (Depending on the needs of yourself long ago bought only the first two, with presentations not yet working). Better, more convenient and powerful office suite than iWork for iOS, now just does not exist. It harmoniously combines beauty, high quality and well thought-out details of each interface, and adaptation for the iPhone and iPad is present too.

The only serious alternative on the horizon for those who are tied to MS Office - it's own office suite from Microsoft, which the corporation has already long established for iOS.

With regard to the universal "reading room" of all things, the ReaddleDocs 3In principle, is able to complement any office suite, but GoodReader beats it on all fronts. The only unique feature of the first program - is the ability to pull-out the photos of the custom photo albums to the iPad.