Docs to Go 6 Released with Native Office Support

Posted By: Ryan Monday, September 15, 2003 10:07:54 AM

DataViz announced today that Documents To Go Premium Edition version 6 is now available. Documents To Go now offers native file support for Microsoft Word and Excel documents and a number of other new features.

Other new features include a new user interface on the desktop and handheld, the ability to use password-protected files, and language tools such as spell-check and word count. Since its introduction in 1999, Documents To Go has been and continues to be the #1 selling Palm OS(R) office suite as measured by market research firm NPD Intelect.

Why Native Document Support?
Before native document support, the Documents To Go desktop application converted Microsoft Office files to a special handheld format that Documents To Go could open. Then the files were synchronized to the handheld. With native support, transferring and opening files gets even easier. Here are some examples where native file support is useful:

  • Easily share files in a "mixed" environment. For example, you can use your Secure Digital (SD) card as a modern day "floppy disk" to exchange files between a Palm handheld and a PocketPC simply by swapping SD cards loaded with Word and Excel files. You can even use the same SD card to upload handheld files to any computer with an SD slot or card reader. There is no need to have Documents To Go installed on that desktop computer.
  • Use Documents To Go along with popular wireless e-mail applications such as VersaMail to receive, edit, and send real Word and Excel files as e-mail attachments. Documents To Go can automatically open your attachments on the handheld itself so you can view and edit documents you receive. Edit any Word or Excel file in Documents To Go on your handheld, send them off as an e-mail attachment, and they will arrive at their destination as real Word or Excel files.

Docs to Go 6 Released with Native Office SupportOther New Features in Documents To Go Premium Edition 6 Several other new features are offered in Documents To Go Premium Edition 6. These include document password protection, Spell-check and word count, enhanced expansion card support: Users can add files directly to expansion cards, and use categories on expansion cards.

Dataviz has also updated the desktop and handheld user interface. The new interface facilitates adding files and changing file formats. For example, a file can be set to be synchronized as a Word or Excel file so it can be easily e-mailed or shared, as a Word To Go or Sheet To Go document to optimize size, or set to Margi’s-Presenter-to-Go format for projecting (Margi Presenter-to-Go hardware and software required). In addition, Documents To Go now offers selective sync so that the user can quickly synchronize just the one or two documents that need updating.

Documents To Go Premium Edition version 6 is available immediately, and will be available by October 1 in office supply and computer retailers such as Best Buy, CompUSA, and Office Depot, as well as from online sites such as Amazon, Handango, and PalmGear. The suggested retail price is $49.95. Upgrade pricing of $29.95 is available for all previous Documents To Go customers, including customers who received Documents To Go as bundled software with Palm or Sony Clie handhelds.

Documents To Go Premium Edition version 6 works with Windows and Macintosh computers. It can be installed on Palm OS handhelds running OS 3.5 or higher.

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Bundled software

ozz @ 9/15/2003 11:45:48 AM #
Does anyone know if this new Premium version of Docs To Go will be installed in new Palms which have this in their bundled software?

_________________________
Lord, help me become the person my dog thinks I am!
RE: Bundled software
helf @ 9/15/2003 12:12:20 PM #
I don't see why it wouldn't be.

RE: Bundled software
spg66 @ 9/15/2003 1:59:30 PM #
I've got a Tungsten C. It came with Docs2Go pre-loaded in ROM. Will Palm be offering an updated image of their ROM for the TC which does not have Docs2Go, PalmReader, PrintBoy, VersaMail, etc. pre-loaded so users can opt to upgrade or to use competing products?

Can't get a reply from Palm tech support (or from Palm at all - for that matter).

- Stephen

RE: Bundled software
Tungstenman @ 9/15/2003 7:43:21 PM #
I wonder what will be bundled with the new handhelds coming out october 1st :-)

A Palm in one hand is worth 2 PocketPCs
: )
-Steve B.
RE: Bundled software
Be3G @ 9/17/2003 2:42:16 PM #
FWIW, I've just checked the rumours, and it appears D2Gv6 will be bundled with the T|E.

Thomas

Check out the *updated* Palm Tungsten|T review at www.comp-talk.co.uk

no more conversion?

arielb @ 9/15/2003 12:36:31 PM #
this of course is the update we've been waiting for and it should be interesting to see how it compares with QuickOffice. But while Wordsmith also just came out with an update, it is small and certainly doesn't claim to support native office documents. That's too bad because I don't think people will tolerate having to convert files just to use on the pda-and thats a critical feature of MMplayer as well

RE: no more conversion?
I.M Anonymous @ 9/15/2003 1:44:40 PM #
The big advantage over QuickOffice is that it can actually save in native Office format, unlike QO which can only read native formats.

RE: no more conversion?
arielb @ 9/15/2003 7:38:23 PM #
what about font support?

Will it be compatible with other email clients?

gfunkmagic @ 9/15/2003 12:46:41 PM #
Will this new version be compatible with other email clients like Snappermail? I'ld to be able to open/send/edit native Word & Excel documents with other email clients besides Documents TO Go...

Visit http://goodthatway.com/
-better living through better technology.
RE: Will it be compatible with other email clients?
ozz @ 9/15/2003 1:01:12 PM #
I don't see why it wouldn't be. :-D

_________________________
Lord, help me become the person my dog thinks I am!
RE: Will it be compatible with other email clients?
Zippy @ 9/15/2003 2:30:28 PM #
I just tested it: pick a document and tap "send" then tap "snappermail" and it works!

Couple of quick questions, comments

treo007 @ 9/15/2003 1:29:06 PM #
1) Is DocSync technology in place on NATIVE files? In other words, is formatting preserved the way it is in prior versions? If not, it's of little use.

2) It doesn't look like Power Point is native. Thus, I still need to go through Inbox to Go's server to convert and wirelessly view Power Point files? Or buy Quickpoint ;-)

3) Somewhat off topice, but hey Adobe: it's not like the hardware isn't there at this point to produce a NATIVE PDF viewer for Palm OS!



RE: Couple of quick questions, comments
scottyt @ 9/15/2003 3:12:12 PM #
DocSync is still in place for Native Documents that you are synchronizing.

RE: Couple of quick questions, comments
treo007 @ 9/15/2003 4:35:33 PM #
Thanks, but I guess I should be more specific. I probably shouldn't have mentioned DocSync when, what I'm actually referring to, is a situation in which you get a document (wirelessly) in which the formatting isn't supported fully by Docs to Go (if ALL Word formatting is supported, then this is a moot point). Docs to Go opens the file, but changes the formatting to look like something a 3rd grader produced. If you make changes to this document and send it back out, I would think you're screwed. It's going to look like what was on your handheld screen.

I know the first "native" version of Quick Office had this problem (don't know if the newest version does as well).

If all formatting is supported, or if the integrity of the document is kept (the latter of which Dataviz is known for), they've got my money. If not, I'll just wait until TextMaker comes out with its Palm OS version.

RE: Couple of quick questions, comments
scottyt @ 9/16/2003 8:16:46 AM #
If you edit a previously synchronized Native document on the handheld and sync back with the desktop, DocSync is in effect - that is ALL formatting is maintained whether WordToGo or SheetToGo supports the "additional" formatting in question (WordArt, ChangeTracking, Embedded Objects, etc.)

If you edit the document and then send it as an email attachment or save it to a card prior to synchronizing with the desktop, then the document will be converted rather than DocSynced and some formatting may be lost.

Even with its more limited capabilities compared to Word, WordToGo will still maintain quite a bit of formatting including fonts, most paragraph formatting, most character formatting, tables, auto bullets and numbers - many people do not even use these features in everyday documents.

If you do sync in between edits, then the file you attach or send to the card will contain everything.

Is it true that TextMaker supports "everything" in a Word document on Pocket PC? How do they handle revision marks if Change Tracking is turned on for example? I think all these solutions use "conversion" to some degree - even Pocket Word & Excel.

RE: Couple of quick questions, comments
treo007 @ 9/16/2003 1:58:17 PM #
Yes, but many of us actually use those formatting options. Looking at Textmaker's site, it looks like they support everything Word does (Docs to Go may as well, but it isn't exactly spelled out on their site).

RE: Couple of quick questions, comments
thisislucus @ 9/19/2003 10:32:06 AM #
not off comment: we desperately need a native pdf viewer! Especially if your a mac user :-)

Lost tungsten in pond :-(
iMac G4 with blueblue tooth & iSight
Nokia 3650
+++++++++++

Save money, ditch MSOffice

GHaavy @ 9/15/2003 2:06:40 PM #
Finally!

So my question is:
Why would you pay $350 - $500 to upgrade or purchase MS Office Pro when you have close to the same functionality on your Palm at 1/10th the price?

And, incidentally, what does that say, in general, for the value of MS Products?

But I don't want to get off on a rant, here.

RE: Save money, ditch MSOffice
orol @ 9/15/2003 2:21:42 PM #
actually good point :-) I wasn't thinking of this :-)
btw I hope DTG 6.0 will support landscape of UX series. Well I must admit UX is even better now.

RE: Save money, ditch MSOffice
GHaavy @ 9/15/2003 2:34:03 PM #
To take that comment even further...
When will Pa1mOne port the Palm operating system to my PC.

Imagine: No So Big, no GPF's and 20,000 software titles, the majority of which are under $30.

kay, I'm finished my rant now.

RE: Save money, ditch MSOffice
Bartman007 @ 9/15/2003 2:44:37 PM #
1280x1024 Resolution PalmOS Screen. 3ghz processor. *drool*
Damnit! No apps that support it, son of a b*tch.
hehe.


Peace,
-Bartman007

RE: Save money, ditch MSOffice
Lucky Bob @ 9/15/2003 3:39:56 PM #
Docs To Go is supposed to work in hand with Word, not replace it. How else will you work with the files? And what about clipart?

(Why do some people say you can kill two birds with one stone when it's hard enough killing one bird with two stones?)
RE: Save money, ditch MSOffice
Lucky Bob @ 9/15/2003 3:41:00 PM #
...and Excel, and Powerpoint...

(Why do some people say you can kill two birds with one stone when it's hard enough killing one bird with two stones?)
RE: Save money, ditch MSOffice
tluna @ 9/15/2003 4:02:35 PM #
we are going to save money when they support OpenOffice!!!


RE: Save money, ditch MSOffice
GHaavy @ 9/15/2003 4:33:35 PM #
Open office support... another great suggestion.

... clipart? Do you really need clipart?

RE: Save money, ditch MSOffice
cbowers @ 9/15/2003 4:53:05 PM #
Exactly. With all the work they (CESW and Dataviz) went with native handling, how tough would it have been to add simple .rtf and .csv support as well.

RE: Save money, ditch MSOffice
cbowers @ 9/15/2003 5:01:15 PM #
Textmaker for example:
http://www.palminfocenter.com/palm/p_story.asp?ID=5694

MS Word, RTF, txt and HTML

RE: Save money, ditch MSOffice
arielb @ 9/15/2003 6:57:46 PM #
this is what a Palm is truly capable of:
http://www.cerience.com/samples/screenshots/pos5/clie/sony.htm
(note that with repligo there is conversion)


RE: Save money, ditch MSOffice
grg @ 9/15/2003 6:58:13 PM #
This product is not of any interest to me. I would buy it though if it supported OpenOffice without the need to use .doc or .rtf files.


Installation Notes

Altema @ 9/15/2003 4:14:50 PM #
Just a couple of notes before you install:
1. If you have a previous version, uninstall the old one first. Attempting to install over the old one will cause the former version PRC files to be installed. I had to uninstall and delete the directory.
2. The documents from the old version were left on my Palm expansion card. You may want to make a list of your docs, then delete the documents on the handheld and do an extra sync before installing the new version. I wound up with 2 or 3 versions of some files (eg: doc, doc_1, doc_2) on my expansion card.
3. If you use WordSmith as your ebook reader, and select the "search for files" option in DTG, it will list your Palm Doc files used by WordSmith in the DTG file list. Not a real problem, but it clutters up the DTG file list and you cannot remove them. Delete removes them from the list AND your handheld. There does not appear to be an option to exclude files used by other apps.
4. Don't look for the individual icons for WordToGo, SheetToGo etc... they no longer show up in the launcher, which is a good thing. To move them to an expansion card, follow the directions in the "Getting Started" file, or you can use the move command in FileZ or McFile. The card tools for LauncherX also work fine. Do NOT move the DocsToGo.prc file to card, this is a core file and must remain in RAM.
5. This appears to be an excellent upgrade, so don't let the few complications get to you!

RE: Installation Notes
IanJD @ 9/15/2003 7:19:36 PM #
I also had some issues with the codes not working in the installation; apparently DataViz have had a lot of calls about this. You need to install it as an Evaluation Copy first, then upgrade it with the button on the desktop, and hotsync to validate the Palm-side programs.

T|C owners might want to look into Jacksprat to move the Flash-installed previous version to RAM to achieve a reasonably seamless upgrade.

RE: Installation Notes
rexracer @ 9/16/2003 3:55:34 PM #
No problems with an upgrade here. Though I don't have any docs on my SD Card, the apps upgraded with no problem. I was also able to convert the Docs to Go documents to native Word format error free. Using Windows XP Pro and Zire 71, if that matters.

Bad Timing RE: UX50

TechnoCat @ 9/15/2003 5:09:07 PM #
DTG6 apparently does not support the landscape mode of the UX50. I love that mode; six days with my UX50 and I'd have a hard time going back to anything else.



RE: Bad Timing RE: UX50
treo007 @ 9/16/2003 12:07:20 AM #
If the UX uses the same API as the upcoming Tungsten T3 (I think the Tapwave device will as well), then you'll probably see landscape support when the T3 makes it debut (it will no doubt be bundled with Docs to Go).

Here's hoping Sony did it right. Lord knows they can't make figure out the memory issue.

RE: Bad Timing RE: UX50
orol @ 9/16/2003 6:45:02 AM #
zodiac as well as tungsten T3 use new palm os 5.3 api
whereas UX uses sony proprietary API

RE: Bad Timing RE: UX50
TechnoCat @ 9/16/2003 8:38:17 AM #
How do you figure it's Sony doing it wrong when they're the pioneers? Sounds to me more like Palm is intentionally breaking compatibility on the feature.

RE: Bad Timing RE: UX50
enjolras @ 9/16/2003 11:18:50 AM #
Actually Handera was the first palm with Landscape support (And rotation) that I'm aware of..:)

RE: Bad Timing RE: UX50
JKingGrim @ 9/16/2003 7:40:25 PM #
How do you figure it's Sony doing it wrong when they're the pioneers? Sounds to me more like Palm is intentionally breaking compatibility on the feature.

This has been discussed in the forum. The SONY api is not good.

Syncing woes?

mikecane @ 9/17/2003 10:32:13 AM #
The last article on PIC about a DTG upgrade had several msgs from irate users who had problems when syncing plenty of files.

Has that issue been resolved with this new version?

RE: Syncing woes?
Altema @ 9/17/2003 3:36:34 PM #
Mike, I've had no problems syncing. Even synced a couple of Word documents that failed on my friends iPaq. One was a 3Mb doc, the other was a 13Mb doc, both of which had photos. BTW, you can now tap and zoom pics. The UI on the Palm and desktop are really nice and a lot easier to use. Another bonus is that you tap an icon in the Palm list view to turn sync on or off for individual files. This used to be a pain for me because files on the Palm which were documentation never needed syncing, but always slowed down the sync becaue they were checked for changes each time. No longer a problem! The native in, native out is sweet, and you can convert between WordToGo, Word, or Palm Doc in any direction... on the handheld alone. DTG and SnapperMail have become my road office.

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