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Google Play, developers slash prices on apps and media for Thanksgiving weekend
If you've taken advantage of the myriad Black Friday deals on mobile devices and PCs, you're probably looking for content to feed the technology beast. Google and app creators are pulling out all the stops to make sure that beast stays full: Google Play has discounts throughout the Thanksgiving weekend for just about every format on offer. Android apps are the highlight, with SwiftKey 3, Shadowgun and Documents To Go on the list of those with grander price cuts, although there's some definite bargains to be had in media. Among the picks are price drops on books like The Hobbit, movies like The Big Lebowski and Serenity, and music from the likes of Diana Krall and Kendrick Lamar. We can't possibly mention every offer here, so check our links for some of the larger deals. Terrence O'Brien contributed to this report.
iPad apps to the rescue
"Whenever there's a fight so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Whenever they's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there... I'll be in the way guys yell when they're mad an'-I'll be in the way kids laugh when they're hungry an' they know supper's ready. An' when our folks eat the stuff they raise an' live in the houses they build-why, I'll be there." -- John Steinbeck, Grapes of Wrath The iPad is an overlooked hero. When you need it, the iPad will be there. It will be there to access data or connect back home. It will be there to let others reach out to you, or to let you reach out to others. With the right software, and the right ingenuity, the iPad can metaphorically leap tall buildings and save the day. These are everyday rescues, not life-or-death scenarios. This post isn't about how the iPhone saved one guy's life after the Haiti Earthquakes. Here's how iPad applications can fix your workday with simple, helpful solutions that will free you from the laptop and live "la vida tablet." We've got five real world scenarios, including the iPad apps that will be there for you.
TUAW App Shootout: Comparing Quickoffice and Documents To Go
Although the iPad was never designed to be a laptop replacement, iWork for iPad was featured as one of the platform's star programs. If you're happy with the simplistic iWork format -- and want to pay $9.99 each for Pages, Keynote and Numbers -- then stick with it. However, for a few dollars more than the cost of just one iWork for iPad app, you can purchase either Documents To Go or Quickoffice and get all of the apps rolled into one. %Gallery-102467% %Gallery-102466%
DataViz quietly acquired by RIM for $50M?
Along with Quickoffice, DataViz's Documents To Go is one of the longstanding stalwarts of the mobile document editing game, stretching back into Windows CE's early days and beyond -- but the future of the company's direction is in question on news that it's apparently been snapped up by RIM in a deal valued around $50 million. Nothing official's been said at this point, but the evidence is growing, most notably the fact that a number of DataViz employees on LinkedIn have updated their profiles to indicate that they're now employed by Waterloo. If you're the conspiracy theory type, you might appreciate this little morsel: DataViz recently blamed its cancellation of the WebOS version of Documents To Go on shifting business needs after a delay brought on by SDK issues, but a far more likely explanation would be that RIM isn't really interested in producing versions of Documents To Go for competing platforms going forward. Windows Phone, Android, and iOS users: we sense trouble. Update: And here's RIM's official statement, suggesting that some slivers of DataViz's assets weren't acquired (though it's unclear what has happened to them): "RIM has acquired some of the assets of DataViz and hired the majority of its employees to focus on supporting the BlackBerry platform," the company said in a statement. "Terms of the deal were not disclosed but the transaction was not material to RIM in the context of RIM's financial results."
Toshiba's AC100 8-hour Android smartbook plays 1080p video on a 1GHz Tegra 250 processor (update: video!)
We wouldn't fault you for thinking that's a first generation ASUS Eee PC what with that iconic fingertip pose and all. But Toshiba's AC100 is a very modern take on the ol' Atom-based netbook idea. For starters, this super slim smartbook runs Android 2.1 on a 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 250 SoC (built around a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore processor) capable of about 8 hours of browsing and video playback (and 7 days standby) before needing a recharge. It's also packing a 32GB SSD, 512MB of DDR2 memory, 802.11n WiFi, optional 3G data, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, and an HDMI jack beneath that 10.1-inch 1,024 x 600 pixel display. As for software, the AC100 ships with Documents to Go for editing MS Office docs, an email client with POP3, IMAP, and Exchange support, an Opera Mobile browser, and a Tosh media player which should support HD 1080p video playback if it's taking full advantage of that Tegra 2 silicon. Too bad Toshiba is being quiet about the pricing and availability 'cause this little guy has us intrigued. Update: Netbooked got its hands on with the Japanese Dynabook AZ twin and received confirmation that it'll ship in Japan in August for between ¥40,000 and ¥50,000 (about $438 to $548). Video after the break.%Gallery-95912%
Documents To Go now available on iPad
Many years ago, I used Documents To Go with my Palm IIIe.* Now, the productivity suite for handhelds is available for the iPad. Just like that old version, this universal app lets you view and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents (including those in the Office 2007/2008/2010 XML format). Unlike Docs To Go on the Palm, it's got the iPad's big, beautiful screen to work with. It also takes advantage of iTunes file sharing and apps that use the "Open in..." feature. For example, you can send an email attachment directly to Docs To Go from within Mail. You can also open iWork files and access documents in your Dropbox, Google Docs, Box.net, iDisk, or SugarSync accounts. It's definitely nice to see the majority of a spreadsheet or an entire Word document at once, and desktop sync over Wi-Fi (separate desktop app required) is quite handy. We've only had time to give this a cursory once-over, but we'll be spending more time with this suite. It's currently on sale for US$14.99 (that's 20% off), but that offer ends today. Pick it up and get productive. We'll also be checking out Office² HD and the soon-to-arrive Quickoffice for iPad in the next few days. *Anyone else remember the IIIe? It was a great little device.
First Look: Documents to Go for iPhone
Documents to Go from DataViz has been known for years to the Palm and Blackberry community, and it finally comes to the iPhone -- filling in the need for a built-in Word (and soon Excel) editor that truly turns the iPhone into a mini computer. There are currently two versions of Document To Go. The $4.99USD version [App Store link] features Microsoft Word editing alone and the $9.99 version adds Microsoft Exchange support. You can also view and synchronize Excel and PowerPoint documents, PDFs, HTML pages and iWork '08 documents ('05, '06 and '09 are not supported at this time, though I do imagine that iWork '09 support will be added later). A free upgrade is part of the deai; when purchasing Documents to Go now, you net the ability to create and edit Excel documents when that feature becomes available. For an in-depth look of the app itself, click through. Please note that this review covers the $4.99US version of the app sans Microsoft Exchange. %Gallery-66042%
DataViz brings Documents To Go to the App Store
Editing documents? On a phone? We're sure most iPhone users are a little taken aback by this prospect, but we assure you it's completely safe and devoid of artificial preservatives. DataViz just launched its Documents To Go suite for the iPhone, which lets you edit and create Word documents, sync work files with a desktop over WiFi, and view other Office documents with the iPhone's existing viewer -- it's not the first app to offer some of these functions for the device, but it's the first with this level of street cred. An optional version of the app also includes a Exchange mail client with ActiveSync for accessing and editing Word documents from email, which seemingly flies in the face of Apple's vague "don't mess with Mail or any of our other built-in apps" policy. The basic Documents To Go app retails for a limited time at $4.99, while the Exchange version goes for $9.99 -- and anyone who picks up the 1.0 version will get a free update to include Excel editing once it becomes available.
Documents To Go 10 does Office 2007 on Palm OS
Ah, Docments To Go -- a constant, trusty pillar for countless PDA users for what seems like an eternity. Ironically, one could argue that DataViz's suite loaded on a high-res Palm OS device actually makes a better platform for loading up Office docs on the go than a Windows Mobile device does (certainly Smartphones, that's for darned sure). On cue, DataViz has dropped Documents To Go 10 for Palm OS, which rocks support for Office 2007 documents -- an important feature to be sure, considering that Microsoft totally threw 2007's file formats in the mixer. Even though Palm OS (Garnet OS, if you will) is getting embarrassingly long in the tooth at this point, we guess it's a comforting feeling to know that the third-party powerhouses are hanging in there with hot new apps -- or, as the case may be, worthy upgrades to old ones.
Documents To Go coming for Windows Mobile 5 Smartphones
Motorola Q Pro owners are gonna get hooked up out of the box, but don't worry -- the unwashed masses with old-school Q's, BlackJacks, and all other manner of Windows Mobile 5 Smartphones will get their due soon enough. DataViz has posted a preview of Documents To Go for Smartphone on their site with final release "coming soon." Of course, with all this document editing action going on, the lack of touch screen could become more of an issue -- but let's give it a whirl and see how it goes, eh?
