The Right Office Suites for Android, iOS and Blackberry Tablets

An office suite is one of the most important software that every professional user, employee, student, lecturer and home user looks for, in his computing device. And when you talk about a tablet, which is a portable computing device, it becomes a must as you need productivity application software to view and edit documents. There are many applications available for different platforms but what each contains and how they will perform is difficult to understand. In this article, we reviewed 12 office applications out of which 6 are for Android users, 5 for the iPad and 1 for Blackberry PlayBook users.

Choosing a tablet office suite

Before choosing an office suite, here is a complete analysis of what you should look for:

Price : Decide whether you actually need to spend money for it or not. If you need to create good quality documents, spreadsheets, and presentations on the move, then buying an office suite makes sense. Otherwise, use the free versions that offer limited features and functionality. The free options simply let you view, edit and create simple files, such as Kingsoft Office, Documents To Go and OliveOffice Premium for Android devices and for iPad users there is Office2 for free and SmartOffice for just Rs.50.

Format Support: Prefer the one which supports the format that you want to create and receive from others. There are suites available which support all .txt files, MS Office files and Open Office files.

Cloud accessibility: Prefer an application which enables you to access files from cloud storage platforms as most office applications support access to different cloud storage platforms such as Google Docs, Dropbox, Box.net, Sugarsync and more. This will help you access documents from remote locations also. And for iPad users you should check the Apple cloud storage support.

Document transfer: For every tablet user, whether business or professional, there is always a need to send your documents to different people, in office or outside. For this reason you must prefer an application which allows you to send documents as email. Office suites such as Documents To Go, QuickOffice Pro HD and Piscel SmartOffice 2 for Android users allow you to send files through both email and Bluetooth. For iPad users, except Office2 HD, all others are capable of sending documents as email. Some of these suites are also capable of exporting documents as PDFs.

Default templates: More the inbuilt templates available, the better it is for you to create fancy and interactive documents, almost instantly. SmartOffice 2 for Android users and iWork for Apple users has the maximum number of default templates available.

View and edit in both modes-landscape and portrait: Ideally, you should pick an office suite that lets you view and edit in landscape as well as portrait mode. There are some apps, such as Kingsoft Office, OliveOffice Premium for Android, and Keynote for iPad which restricts the usage to landscape mode. If you are comfortable with this, go right ahead, else look at some other app.

Word processor: It allows you to create documents ranging from simple letters to complex reports using a variety of fonts and embedded graphics. iPad users have the choice of buying the word processor app called Pages separately. So, if word processing is the only thing you intend to do, go ahead and buy Pages. Similarly, you can opt to buy only Numbers (spreadsheet app) or only Keynote (presentation app).

Spreadsheets: This application offers you the ability to deal with numbers, working out account details, and creating graphs, tables and equations. Apart from basic editing, one can copy one cell to multiple locations, merge and sort cells and expand row and columns. For Android users, Thinkfree Mobile Office suite is the best software, while for iOS, Numbers is the best.

Presentations: A presentation application helps in creating interactive and attractive slideshows to help understand and share a project clearly with both visuals and sound effects. You can insert images, audio-video files, tables, shapes and charts in a presentation. But unfortunately no Android or iOS office application offers the ability to insert audio-video files which I wish were there. You can go with ThinkFree Mobile Office suite or SmartOffice 2 or QuickOffice Pro HD for your Android device and for iPad, there is Keynote and SmartOffice for making attractive presentations.

Add-on features: Apart from basic text formatting, tablet office suites do offer some exciting features such as a PDF exporter, drag and drop of files, wireless printing, insertion of images, tables, charts and shapes, hyperlinks, headers and footers, and much more. You should look for the office suite which offers you maximum features and suits your needs.

How we tested

We tested Android-based office applications on Motorola Xoom and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 tablets. For iOS we had iPad 1, and BlackBerry PlayBook for BlackBerry users. For all applications, we checked for features, their accessibility and responsiveness for the three file types: word processors, spreadsheets and presentations. We tested their ability to read, edit and store files on the cloud export documents as Email and PDF and also read attachments. Apart from the enriched features we also tested application performance on the basis of the user interface, where we tested feature accessibility, orientation and keyboard response, and for user experience, we tested the ease of use and responsiveness of the office suite. The final scores have been mentioned based on application price, features and performance.

Kingsoft Office

Kingsoft Office is a free application for Android users to view and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. It allows you to save files over cloud, send files or text as an email attachment and read PDF files. Kingsoft Office application has some exciting features such as the ability to create .txt file, you can make your file password protected, it allows you to do word count, sort content and also you can view your files on full screen mode. All these features make it a very useful and advanced office suite. It also allows you save files in all possible document type such as .doc, .docx, .txt, .xls, .xlsx, ppt and .pptx. It works well in both portrait and landscape modes. While working on word file I was able to insert images which is missing in Documents To Go, options for text color, text highlighting, formatting and alignment. Creating a spreadsheet is also easy, you can increase or decrease size of rows and columns and also sort between them. It has auto-spell correct but lack of cut-paste option is a bit strange and non friendly. With this office suite you can only view and edit PowerPoint files, which is the weakest section of this suite. Also while editing there is no option for inserting image and changing font of the content which makes it almost unusable when you are opting to use it for editing PowerPoint files.

Bottomline : The freely available Office suite is worth using as a word processor and for spreadsheets, but not recommended for making presentations.

Documents To Go Premium

Documents To Go office suite is a product from DataViz, which allows users to create and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. You can also view PDF files if you have paid for its premium version, which we are reviewing. Documents To Go premium version supports sending files as an attachment through your Gmail account, saves file in Dropbox and you can also send your file through Bluetooth, which I found really helpful when i was not connected with internet and needed to send file. With this application you can also read/edit files received as an attachment, which is must for any professional user. It offers some good features such as text formatting, word count, auto-spell correct, inserting hyperlinks, bookmarks, tables and footnotes, comments and end-notes. All these are very handy options which I was unable to find in other office suites. Sheet To Go app allows user to sort the columns which is missing in its main competitors like QuickOffice Pro HD and SmartOffice 2, there are more than 100 different functions and operators available to use and you can also insert rows and columns any time. The only problem I found was working with Slideshow To Go, which only allowed me to make black and white presentations. It does not even allow you to insert images which is a very basic need for any presentation.

Bottomline : Overall, the interface is good and user friendly. It works well in both landscape and portrait modes.

Piscel Smart Office 2

It is the only office suite for Android which allows viewing documents in 3D and printing documents from your tablet through any wireless printer. Other unique feature is the ability to view and export documents as .pdf and drag and drop contents in a document which is missing in all other Android office suites we have reviewed. SmartOffice 2 allows you to send and receive your files through email and Bluetooth. You can easily access your files from Dropbox and Google Docs, edit and save them. There are 12 default templates available for creating any type of file, which is very helpful. In QuickOffice and Documents To Go suite there is not even a single template available. Creating and editing files from this application is easy and convenient, you can create any file format through this. Apart from the basic text formatting it also allows you to color and highlight text, insert images, hyperlinks, has inbuilt auto-spell correct, search in document and undo and redo content features. However, it does not offer word count which is present in Documents To Go and Kingsoft Office. Also, you cannot insert tables and not sort data. Also, you can't select an entire row or column in the spreadsheet which is a basic thing and should be present in an office suite like this.

Bottomline :One of the best office suites with advanced features such as wireless printing, .pdf exporter, and drag and drop facility. But lacks some common features in spreadsheet.

ThinkFree Office Mobile

This office suite for Androids occupies 28.89 MB space, the maximum size amongst all office applications reviewed. It allows you to create, view and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. It also allows you to view PDF files. It is the only office suite which allows a user to save and view previous versions of a file by creating backups. The office suite does not offer any cloud access apart from Thinkfree online while others offer access to various cloud platforms. One more important thing missing is the inability to send/receive files as an email attachment which is a major drawback of this suite. To create any file, you just need to tap on a new option and select the type of file you want to create. It also allows a user to insert images, numbers and bullets, align text, change fonts, undo, redo, auto-spell correct, and other such features. You can insert headers and footers in your document, insert tables in a word file and the best thing is you can copy from one to multiple cell in a spreadsheet. Also in a spreadsheet like QuickOffice pro HD and Kingsoft Office you can expand row and columns for space and to sort data. While editing PowerPoint files, it allows you to see a slide show and insert images in your slides which is similar to QuickOffice and Smartoffice 2.

Bottomline : If you do not require cloud accessibility and the email attachment features, then this is the best office suite available.

QuickOffice Pro HD

QuickOffice pro HD, is another Android based office tool that allows you to view, edit and create Microsoft Office documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Like all other suites, this one also offers viewing PDF files. QuickOffice Pro HD has the best interface for accessing and editing files. It features file management within the application so you dont have to move to any other screen to access files. The application allows users to access files from many cloud services such as Google Docs, Dropbox, Evernote, SugarSync etc. It is the only suite from where you can share your documents through social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin etc. Similar to Documents To Go and Piscel SmartOffice 2 Other good features include the ability to expand rows and columns in a spreadsheet and insert images in your presentations. However, there are some drawbacks also. The inability to read OpenOffice.org files is one. The other drawback is that it has no auto-spell correct option which is offered by every other Android office application. It also lacks a word count feature.

Bottomline : Best for MS-Office based files. It also offers a good interface for accessing cloud-based files. But lack of word count and auto-spell correct feature makes it a bit less competitive.

Olive Office Premium

Olive Office Premium is another office application for Android device users which can be downloaded freely from the Android market. The application needs just 6.48 MB disk size, minimum amongst other Android office suites except Documents To Go. It enables you to view and edit Microsoft Word (doc/docx), Excel(xls/xlsx) and PowerPoint(ppt/pptx) files. In addition you can also view your PDF files, though it takes time to open them, and view and edit files from cloud storage. It lets you work only in the portrait mode. You need to change the mode to work on landscape which is killing as you dont expect yourself to hang on your tablet in standing mode or keep tapping to change the mode. This office suite has the worst user interface compared to all others as you have to search for every function you want to access by tapping on them and also need to tap on the keyboard sign to open it. There are limited options available to edit your documents and also they are on the slower side. The office suite is free and occipies low memory though.

Bottomline : With Kingsoft Office also availble for free, there is no point in wasting time to download and use this application.

Documents To Go Premium

Dataviz is the only company to have created an office application for all three platforms: iOS, Android and BlackBerry. Documents To Go Premium version for iPad users is available at a price of 16.99$ and occupies disk space of 20.8 MB. You can view, create and edit all types of documents, read, edit and save them to cloud services, email them and view PDF files also. The application synchronizes your iPad files and also you can access documents created in other office suites. Documents To Go includes every necessary feature which gives a good user experience and also has a user-friendly interface. The application is capable of finding and replacing text, a full screen view, auto-spell correct and much more. However, it lacks as compared to other iPad apps, in that it does not let you print a document wirelessly, which is a very helpful tool for professional users. One more weak point is that you cannot insert image in both Word and PowerPoint files which is a key feature to make documents impressive and interactive. The office suite is no doubt better than Office2 HD and Smart Office but is still not in the hunt to compete with QuickOffice Pro HD and iWork.

Bottomline : A cloud-friendly application which includes an excellent word processor and a decent spreadsheet but not for presentations.

Office2 HD

Office2 HD is a good word processing, spreadsheet and PowerPoint application that offers significant value for its price. It occupies just 11.8 MB disk space, and provides ability to edit files in any format, and print documents wirelessly. The office suite is a key competitor of Pages in terms of features and support. Apart from inserting hyperlink and headers and footers it offers everything that is offered by the best word processor for iPad, ie Pages. But working on spreadsheets and presentations is not interesting enough. There are very less features present in both, so you can only do some basic editing through it. The major thing that disappointed me is that it does not allow you to access files from a cloud service. Not only cloud services, I was also unable to send documents as email which is the last thing one can expect from an office suite for iPad. Despite of a very interactive word processor, Office2 HD is a complete waste of money; one should prefer Smart Office instead.

Bottomline :With other suites available at a lower price and providing more features, Office2 HD stands nowhere.

QuickOffice Pro HD

QuickOffice Pro HD is one of the key competitors of iWork and Documents To Go Office suites. It includes every basic feature and gives the best user interface to work on. It allows users to view, create and edit all three types of documents: Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Similar to what you can do on iWork, you can view and export PDF files. QuickOffice Pro HD is the only office suite for iPad where you can share your files to social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc. You can also email your files as attachments directly from the application and also access files directly from cloud storage, and even save them to cloud services like Google Docs, Dropbox, Evernote and many more. It provides the ability to view and edit in both portrait and landscape modes, cut-copy-paste between files, and other such features. However, it still lags behind iWork as here you cannot insert headers and footers and hyperlinks. The other thing that pinched me is that it does not allow you to insert images in a Word file. In spreadsheets, it offers row/column spacing but not sorting between them which is manageable. Howerver, in presentation, the interface is friendly and improved.

Bottomline : Priced at 24.99$, the office suite is definitely not cheapest available. Moreover, for managing Word and Excel files, there are better options.

Smart Office

Smart Office from Piscel is the cheapest office suite available for iOS. The application is available at only 0.99$ which means it is almost free for the high-end iPad users. The office suite is capable of viewing, creating and editing MS Office documents, reading PDF files, accessing documents from cloud and sending files as email. It has the most advanced default templates for users to understand its usage and compatibility. Similar to iWork, QuickOffice and Office2 HD, this suite also offers basic text formatting; auto-spell check, and other text editing features. You can also print your document from the iPad itself. It is the only suite for iPad which offers drag and drop facility in a document. However, while working in a Word document, there are some key features that I found missing, such as word counts, find and replace, inserting hyperlinks and tables. Smart Office is best suited for creating basic and simple documents whether it is a document, spreadsheet or a presentation.

Bottomline :The suite lacks in features as compared to iWork or QuickOffice or Office2 HD. But if you don't want to spend then this will best suite you.

iWork

iWork, is a complete office suite for creating and editing your iPad files. It is a combination of three separate apps: Pages, Numbers and Keynote, each of them including every possible advanced feature. Pages, the best word processor for iPad, offers you text formatting, auto-spell check, find-replace and word count features. It is also capable of inserting images, header-footers and tables. Its Numbers app also gives the best interface, with ability to do row/column spacing, sorting between them, etc. You can even insert images and tables in it which is a very attractive and unique feature. Keynote, meant for making presentations, works in only landscape mode, however, but you can insert images, shapes, charts and tables in it which is not the case with any other office suites. The other thing that pinched me is that to insert audio you need to import a file, which is a limitation. It is the only application that automatically saves your changes. Also, you can export files as PDF, send as email, access files from iDesk, WebDAV etc and print your documents through wireless printers. The iWork works best in portrait mode but shrinks in landscape mode and also it does not offers you access from cloud storage such as Google Docs, Box.net etc.

Bottomline : iWork for iOS is a must-have application for professional iPad users. If you don't want all three apps then you can pay for the one you think would be helpful and get smartoffice for editing other files.

Documents To Go Premium

Documents To Go Premium version comes pre-installed with the PlayBook, which means you dont have to pay for this service. It offer users the ability to view, create and edit Microsoft Word and Excel files. The application does not allow you to create a new presentation, and you are only allowed to read and edit Powerpoint files, and read PDF files. In Word To Go, it has all necessary features such as text formatting, autospell check, bullets and numbers, word count, text and background color, and the like. All these features work well and are quick to respond. While creating Excel files you can expand row and column spacing but sorting between them is not allowed. The application is good for Word and Excel documents but to edit Powerpoint files, the interface is not user friendly. Images cant be added, and even the background color cant be changed. Overall Documents To Go Premium office suite is the best available app for BlackBerry PlayBook.

Bottomline :The only available suite for BlackBerry PlayBook, as of date, which works well with Word and Excel.

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