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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."
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.
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?
DataViz brings Direct Push to Windows Mobile 2003 SE
Are you HP hw6500 owners out there feeling like the brave new world of MSFP is passing you by? Do you keep looking down at your device, hoping for pushed email that just never comes? DataViz has you covered, updating its RoadSync Exchange client to support Direct Push, GAL lookup, and all the other goodies that MSFP users have been enjoying for a few months now. Initially, it sounds like DataViz will only be supporting for the Samsung i700 series (a little bit late for that, guys) and the HP hw6500, but we see no reason it shouldn't work on other WM2003 SE Pocket PCs as well -- so if you're holding out for that Hermes, this might make your wait a little more bearable.[Via Geekzone]
