Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite
There are many reasons why I like Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite and I’ll tell you about them in a moment. First, I have a confession to make.
I own a BlackBerry. I have for a while now, long before anyone knew what an iPod Touch or iPhone was and probably long after as well. Why? Well, although I think my iPod Touch is great for lots of things, writing (something I engage in frequently) is still something I struggle to do on the dang thing. I can type over 90 wpm (seriously) on a desktop or notebook keyboard, so speed and ease are critical factors. Plus, I’m just a physical keyboard kinda guy.
Because I’ve owned various incarnations of BlackBerry smartphones (five different models in all), I’m fairly well acquainted with a few other mobile office suite products. Some are good and some are not so good. Most are not so good at syncing without the umbilical cord (USB) or- in the case of the iPhone or iPod- requiring a wifi connection to a desktop application. Many of the mobile computing packages out there are getting better, but many still have a ways to go.
Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite is, of course, compatible with Microsoft Office. More important to me, though, is the fact that this app enables me to access documents I have created and stored on multiple cloud services. Not just Google Docs, but others such as Box.net, Dropbox, and MobileMe, most of which I have been using for some time now. What this means is that I can finally let go of the umbilical since anything I’ve uploaded and stored with those services is easily accessible via Quickoffice. And should I choose to make changes to a Word document or an Excel spreadsheet with my iPod Touch, those changes can quickly be updated. If you are not yet a cloud services user, it is a snap to access and upload files via wifi transfer.
There are some perceived shortcomings to this app that are worth mentioning. Quickoffice cannot yet create or edit PowerPoint presentations, though they can be viewed or emailed. Also, several users have commented on the fact that they had to set up a Quickoffice Connect account before they could establish cloud service accounts with Google Docs or Box.net on their iDevice. I don’t remember having to do that myself, but enough folks have mentioned it that I felt obligated to put that possibility out there.
Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite is available in the AppStore for $9.99, a justifiable investment given what the app offers in return. If you use your iDevice for writing and spreadsheets, viewing PDFs and documents in multiple formats or want the option to do so, Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite is worth your consideration.
And while I may not be giving up my BlackBerry anytime soon, it is no longer the first and only device I reach for when I want to get some writing done, either.
iTunes Link – Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite
Version 3.0.0
Tested on an iPod Touch 3.1.3
