Thread: iPad 2 questions

I've got myself an iPad and I've just got a couple of questions on what app is best for compatibility with Word and Excel.

I use a computer quite a bit for Word and Excel documents. What's the best app so I can create and edit documents on the iPad and so that I can read them on the computer? I also got told by a mate that I might be able sync the 2? So that if I edit them on the iPad, it'll automatically update it on the pc? And vice versa? If this is true, is this easy to do and do I need to add anything to the pc? I'm using XP.

Still trying to catch up on tech!

Thanks in advance for any help!

Have a look at this lot under review - we use Pages, Numbers and Keynote from Apple, although it's usually easier to just fire up the laptop to be honest.

i use numbers and its very good
dont bother with laptop anymore - and with iCloud it syncs between ipad and iphone
its a struggle to begin with and really not natural but once you get used to it very good !
no idea on the others,,

I use Apple's Apps (Pages / Notes etc.), but there is another option which admittedly I haven't used myself. It's by a company called Byte2, and I think it's called Office2. Might be worth reading the reviews to see if its more friendly for Windows users as it takes some time to get used to the Apple apps and I wouldn't say they are quick as rich featured as full on MS versions if you're performing complex tasks.

Many thanks for the input guys!

Originally Posted by OxfordRich

Have a look at this lot under review - we use Pages, Numbers and Keynote from Apple, although it's usually easier to just fire up the laptop to be honest.

Interesting read that. It is easier to use the laptop, but it's MUCH easier carrying around the iPad! Less fiddling around!

Originally Posted by warren_cox

I use Apple's Apps (Pages / Notes etc.), but there is another option which admittedly I haven't used myself. It's by a company called Byte2, and I think it's called Office2. Might be worth reading the reviews to see if its more friendly for Windows users as it takes some time to get used to the Apple apps and I wouldn't say they are quick as rich featured as full on MS versions if you're performing complex tasks.

That's one of the reviews in the link that Rich posted. Seems to be alright in that.

I'm new to this whole Apple lark (apart from an iPod, but that's p*ss easy to use!), so just getting used to how it works and how it can be compatible with MS.

Another question... when I'm using the 3G and I want to download an app or a file of some sort, it comes up saying that it's not connected to a wifi connection, and that it can't download the file. At this point you'll see me SCREAMING at the iPad, telling it to use the frigging 3G! So in short, can I get it to use the 3G for downloading stuff because it drives me up the bloody wall!

I have recently moved to Pages / Numbers / Keynote as I now have a Mac with the laptop versions of these. For the most part I have used Documents To Go on my iPad (and iPhone) for doing light document work - it's very good.

The easiest way to sync is to use Dropbox. Install the software on your laptop so that it will automatically connect and update; you can connect to your account directly in Docs To Go (and there is a stand-alone app too if you want it).

Re: downloading large items via 3G, if you are talking about downloading from iTunes then there is a built-in limit which stops you downloading apps over a certain size via 3G. I presume it is done to stop us swamping the mobile networks.

I use a app called quickoffice here is some of the info on it copied from a file in the app

Quickoffice® for iPhone
Quickoffice is the first integrated office suite to allow ACCESS, VIEW, EDIT, and SHARE of native Microsoft® Excel and Word files on the iPhone. Quickoffice now brings even more office functionality and connectivity to iPhone users, enabling a true, next-generation mobile office experience. Quickoffice now supports creating, opening, and editing Microsoft® Office 2007 files.

Quickoffice Quality and Expertise
Quickoffice for iPhone is developed by Quickoffice, Inc., the world’s leading provider of mobile office productivity solutions. Quickoffice software is embedded on more than 100 million smartphones worldwide and used by millions of satisfied customers every day. We are pleased to bring this experience to iPhone customers.
Microsoft Office compatibility - Files edited or created with Quickoffice are saved in native Microsoft formats eliminating any content or format loss.
Optimized for mobile devices - Quickoffice (Word and Excel editors) is built such that it demands the least memory or processing power, thus allowing you to open complex files with ease.
It is a Reader, not just a Viewer – Word Processor wraps text thereby eliminating scrolling horizontally, thus allowing you to read the document easily.
Advanced Spreadsheet Calculation Engine – Allows you to handle professional grade spreadsheets with ease.

3 Applications in One
Quickoffice for iPhone is really 3 applications in one:
Quickoffice Connect – Provides rich features to transfer files between your computer and iPhone. Integration with Google Docs, Dropbox, MobileMe, and Box.net lets you access, view, edit, and share your online documents from anywhere. Allows you to view many different file formats including PDF, iWork, PowerPoint and pictures.
Quickword – Create or edit Microsoft Word documents (Supports DOC and DOCX format)
Quicksheet – Create or edit Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. (Supports XLS and XLSX format)

Quickoffice Connect™
ACCESS. VIEW. EDIT. SHARE.
With Quickoffice Connect, you’ll have easy access to your content from anywhere with your iPhone or the iPod touch. New in version 3.1 of Quickoffice Connect™, we have included the full editing capabilities of our awarding winning Quickoffice Connect™ Mobile Suite Quickoffice. If you have not already purchased the Quickoffice Connect™ Mobile Suite, we ask that you upgrade to it from the free Quickoffice Connect™ version to save any edits that you make.

In-App Upgrade
Upgrading is only applicable to users of the free Quickoffice Connect™ application. Upgrading to the full version of Quickoffice Connect™ Mobile Suite from the free Quickoffice Connect™ version will you to save any edits that you make to files. You can upgrade at any time:
From the Welcome Screen by clicking on the Upgrade to Full Version button
From the Connect Screen by clicking on the Upgrade to Full Version button
From the Save dialog box by clicking on the Upgrade Now
Any of these buttons will take you to the Upgrade screen. Click on the Quickoffice Connect™ Mobile Suite banner and complete the Apple purchase process. After upgrade, the application returns you to where you started the upgrade process. If you upgraded while working in a document, you are returned to that document with all your edits still intact. You can now save those edits to either your iPhone, or any of your connected online services.
Transfer Files To Your iPhone
Transferring files to your iPhone is simple and does not require you to install any software on your computer. Make sure you have turned Wi-Fi on your iPhone and your computer and iPhone are on the same Wi-Fi network. You can transfer documents to your Quickoffice application on your iPhone any time Quickoffice is running. File transfers can happen in the background while you do your work.
Launch your favorite browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari) on your computer and enter the http address you see in the grey bar at the bottom of the screen on your iPhone. Please see the example below (figure 1).
Figure 1

From the browser interface, you can see the files stored on your iPhone (within Quickoffice application) and transfer files to your iPhone.
In addition to this, you can mount your iPhone as a drive on your computer and perform operations such as drag & drop. Please tap on the Wi-Fi toolbar button and read About File Transfers to learn how!
Extensive File Format
Quickoffice supports the following file types to be viewed or played on your iPhone:
Images: .jpg, .jpeg, .tif, .tiff, .gif, and .svg
Microsoft Word: .doc and .docx
Microsoft Excel: .xls and .xlsx
Microsoft PowerPoint: .ppt, .pptx, .pps and .ppsx
iWork: Pages, Numbers & Keynote
Adobe Acrobat: .pdf
Web Pages: .htm and .html
Web Archive: .mht
Audio: .mp3
Online Services Access
It is easy to setup Quickoffice application to access your Google Doc, Dropbox, MobileMe, or Box.net files. From the main screen, press the Edit button in the top left of the screen. Then click on Add Account. Choose the service that you wish to add. To access this service, we ask that you create a Quickoffice account. Enter your email and password, press create. If you already have a Quickoffice account, enter your email address, password and press sign-in.
Choose the service you wish to add. Enter your email address or member name and password, press Save to finish the setup process, and your online folder is now available from the main screen.
You can browse your online folders with ease and view files (supported file formats only) with ease. Files can be viewed both in Portrait or Landscape and support flick scrolling and pinch apart zoom gestures.
Offline Access Made Simple
If you need access to your iDisk files, when you are offline, simply select the files and press Download to download files to your iPhone for offline access.
Upload Files to Online Folders
Select files stored on your phone and press Move
Tools/Settings
Press the Tools icon on the main screen to manage the following:
Learn About Quickoffice provides detailed online help
Cache – Files that are viewed from your iDisk folder are cached to minimize repeat downloads. You can manage the storage allocated to the cache and clear the cache at anytime to free up space.
Passcode Lock allows you to set an application level local passcode for added security.
Restore Purchase allows you to restore in-app purchases that you have previous removed from your iPhone.
Sign in/Sign Out allows you to sign in or out of your Quickoffice account.

Quickword (Word Processor)
Word Wrap
Quickword wraps text at any zoom level, thereby eliminating the need to scroll horizontally. High fidelity display renders document text with all formatting and combined with the flick scrolling and two-finger zoom gestures, reading a document on a mobile device has never been this good.
Text Selection
Double tap to select a word or triple tap to select a paragraph. Double tap and dragging lets you select as you go. You can adjust the selection by moving the grab points and placing them accurately either with or without magnification.
Cut/Copy/Paste
Once you have selected text, you can cut or copy it to paste it elsewhere. Tip: You can cut/copy/paste from one document to another.
Find
You can use the powerful Find tool in your documents. Select the magnifier from your toolbar, and a find interface and keyboard will appear. You can find next and previous after your first search is complete. Tip: If you select some text and then tap the magnifier, the selected text will automatically be entered into your find bar.
Format Text
Quickoffice provides many ways to format your document. Explore the toolbar to discover the formatting options. This includes:
First line, list and paragraph indentation
Alignment
Bold, Italic, and Underline
Text format, color, and highlighting
Learn About Quickoffice provides detailed online help
Undo/Redo
Following the iPhone user interface, many actions are executed without asking user for a confirmation. However, if you wish to undo or redo a change, simply invoke Undo or Redo with the standard iPhone OS 3.0 shake gesture.
Auto-Recover
Quickoffice automatically recovers your changes so that you can press the Home button and switch to another application without worrying about losing your work.
Autosave
Quickoffice saves your changes (to a temporary file) periodically in case of unplanned exit (such as shutdown due to battery depletion) without worrying about losing your work.

Quicksheet (Spreadsheet Processor)

Professional Grade Calculation Engine
Quicksheet’s calculation engine is highly tested and optimized to handle spreadsheets with advanced features. Cells are recalculated only when input cells are modified and only those cells that are dependent are recalculated. Quicksheet supports more that 125 functions (see Appendix for complete list). Quicksheet also supports advanced Excel features such as implicit intersection, array formulas, named ranges, etc.
Edit in Landscape
You can edit the spreadsheet in landscape with a wider keyboard. Just rotate the phone and the application will automatically display in landscape. Tap in any cell to place your cursor and bring up the keyboard.
Edit Directly into a Cell
Now you can edit directly into a cell in portrait mode just like landscape editing. Double tap in any cell to place your cursor and begin editing.
Add, Rename, or Delete Worksheets
You can now add new worksheets inside your existing spreadsheets. Additionally, worksheets can be deleted or renamed.
Resize Row or Column
Simply tap, hold and drag the column separator to resize the selected column.
Select range of cells, or row or columns
Double tap and drag to specify range of cells. Tap the column or row header to select a column or row.
Copy/Paste
Once you have selected one or more cells, you can copy it to paste it elsewhere. Note that you can copy/paste from one spreadsheet to another. Our Professional Grade Calculation Engine will recalculate your formulas once they are pasted to the spreadsheet. Tip: You can copy a single cell, a range of cells, an entire column, or an entire row.
Format Text & Cells
Quickoffice provides many ways to format text and cells in your spreadsheet. Explore the toolbar to discover the formatting options.
Quicksheet provides the Auto-Recover, Autosave, and undo/redo features just like Quickword.