Office Suite Pro 6.5 (for Android)

We're reaching the point where smartphones and tablets are poised to overtake laptops as the portable computing device of choice. While these devices are eminently mobile, they've historically been ill-equipped for document editing. OfficeSuite Pro 6.5 ($14.99) aims to rectify this deficiency with a full office suite for Android that turns your phone or tablet into a document creation and management machine. While OfficeSuite Pro isn't perfect, it's definitely a solid tool for editing, creating, and dispatching documents on the go.

Right off the bat OfficeSuite Pro impressed me with its speed and responsiveness. Having never used a full-fledged office suite on Android, I expected a rickety, feature poor affair. OfficeSuite Pro greatly exceeded my expectations as every icon popped alive at a tap. While it may look a little cheesy, (3D icons are so 2004; see the slideshow) it feels solid.

From the homescreen of OfficeSuite Pro, users can create new text, spreadsheet, and PowerPoint documents. They can also edit existing documents as the app supports DOC, DOCX, DOCM, RTF, TXT, LOG, XLS, XLSX, XLSM, CSV, PPT, PPTX, PPS, PPSX, PPTM, PPSM, PDF, EML, and ZIP files.

While the app can save files locally, it can also connect to cloud services, including Google Drive, DropBox, Box, SkyDrive, and SugarSync Share. Setting up cloud services was remarkably easy, as was accessing and editing those documents. This is a great feature, and OfficeSuite Pro handles it well.

In addition to cloud storage, OfficeSuite Pro provides a number of ways to get documents to other users?either transmitting device-to-device, sending via email, or even by printing a hardcopy through Google's Cloud Print service.

Creating New Documents
When creating and editing a text document, OfficeSuite Pro shines. The app sports some advanced features like endnotes, footnotes, highlighting, and many standard text formatting tools. Impressively, OfficeSuite Pro lets you create and edit comments in a document, which is a critical tool when editing documents from other users. However, users planning on using the app for in-depth editing should note that the app lacks a means to view or track changes.

When working with spreadsheets, OfficeSuite stays responsive despite the myriad of cells. Entering information into a blank spreadsheet is tedious on a mobile device, but OfficeSuite does have essential features like creating cell functions. Within minutes I had set up a cell to display the sum of two adjacent cells, though it was admittedly a little more difficult than working with Excel.

PowerPoint presentations are more of a challenge, and it's here that OfficeSuite Pro's awkward interface is more noticeable. It wasn't always clear to me what I was editing, or which of several "views" I had entered. It is also the only time I felt the app beginning to lag. That said, Office Suite comes preloaded with some colorful themes and supports animated transitions between slides.

The Cloud and Other Perils
The addition of cloud services is an extraordinarily powerful feature, though it does create some risks should users lose their data connections before they can save. If you you lose your Wi-Fi or data connection while working on a document in the cloud, OfficeSuite helpfully saves the document you're editing and will even restore it should your phone shut down. However, it is not saved permanently and will be lost if users navigate away from the draft without first using "save as." Some clearer, more helpful alerts would reduce the danger of losing information.

Likewise, users should be wary of using OfficeSuite to edit collaborative documents stored on the cloud. On Google Drive, for instance, OfficeSuite downloads your documents and then overwrites the new document to the cloud once you're done, obliterating work done by another user.

For local storage, OfficeSuite Pro provides a pretty solid means to move through the file tree of your Android device. With it, users can create and move documents as well as new folders to house them. However, it often feels like treading in forbidden territory as finding a folder in which to save was somewhat confusing.

Interface is Everything
While the app performed well letting me create and edit documents, I really struggled with its interface. It's not immediately clear where to find or even how to use some tools (editing comments was a particular struggle) and the online documentation did little to enlighten me. The app could benefit greatly from a redesign with the user in mind, and perhaps tutorials as well as more in-depth documentation. This app has a lot to offer, provided you know how to use it.

OfficeSuite Pro is a surprising Android app that succeeds in bringing many essential office tools to mobile devices, but struggles to make those tools accessible and understandable. I had low expectations for a mobile office app, and was happily surprised to see OfficeSuite Pro 6.5 perform so well. Unfortunately, that makes its shortcomings all the more frustrating.

More Android App Reviews:
??? Office Suite Pro 6.5 (for Android)
??? Small Call (for Android)
??? Twitter (for Android)
??? RPG Knight of the Earthends (for Android)
??? Google+ Mobile App (for iPhone)
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/IhVzDfuNjB8/0,2817,2414362,00.asp

blackout congress censored jerry yang stop sopa justified southland