This is the first of several posts to come about Android applications that are useful to writers. As I come across new and helpful apps, I will call them out here on the blog. I own a Motorola Droid, running Android 2.1 Update 1. So if I talk about an app here, you can be sure I’ve downloaded and used it on that platform.
Today I’m taking a look at Gdocs and Androffice. Gdocs lets you download and interact with any file in your Googledocs folders. Androffice is the start of an office suite on Android.
Androffice aims to be the OpenOffice of the Android OS. It was started by two computer engineering students in Seville, Spain. At the moment, it mostly just does spreadsheets. But in the future, it will also have a writing application. Androffice uses same the open formats that OpenOffice does. So if you do all your writing in OOo, you will be able to view and edit your work in Androffice. I can’t wait till that happens, as I use OOo exclusively. With all the new computer tablets coming out that will run Android, look out iPad!
Gdocs is an Android client for the venerable Google Docs. If you are like me and have a substantial amount of your writing in Google Docs, then this app will make accessing them on your phone easy. Gdocs makes all your documents and folders available to you on your phone. It converts them to a basic text file that your Android OS can edit. Which is convenient for making changes to the document on the go. All I need now is a Bluetooth keyboard and I’m writing on the go.