Microsoft is working on an HTML5-enabled version of its Hotmail Web application, according to a new report from ZDNet. The updated version will deliver offline storage capabilities, which means webmail users will be able to access their email even when an Internet connection is not available. A similar feature is supposedly in the works for Gmail, Hotmail's top competitor, as well.
With Microsoft's initiatives in the area of HTML5 (the next major revision of the Web's core markup language), including its HTML5-enabled version of Bing search, and updates to Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9 Web browser, it wouldn't be surprising to hear that Microsoft is indeed working on an HTML5-enabled Hotmail Web application, too. But will Microsoft actually release it before Google does the same for Gmail? That could make things interesting.
Mobile office giant Quickoffice has released a number of updates for its software programs, including a custom-built application designed specifically for Android's tablet operating system, code-named "Honeycomb." The new app will ship on Motorola Xoom devices, and will be upgradable to a full version for a fee.
The Google Honeycomb version of this popular office program takes advantage of native Android features, including contextual search, voice-to-text and text-to-voice as well as design interface elements, like fragments. But what might be the most amazing part about the launch of the Honeycomb edition of Quickoffice is how fast the app was built - in only 2 months.
At a recent press event, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckberberg famously said "iPad isn't mobile," in response to a question about the possibility of a Facebook iPad application. "It's a computer, sorry," he added. Now it looks like Google agrees.
A few weeks after Google announced that its Google Docs service was mobile and iPad-compatible, the company has just noted, via blog post, that Docs' full (aka "desktop") website works on the iPad as well. And it's not just for viewing files, but for editing them, too.
Google just announced it's extending the drag-and-drop functionality in its online office suite, Google Docs. A few weeks ago, it introduced an image uploader for docs that worked the same way as the new feature does - you simply drag a file from your computer's and it will immediately upload to "the cloud," (the cloud, in this case being the Google Docs online service). Today's upgrade now brings drag-and-drop to the file upload page, where it serves as an easier way to move your off your PC's hard drive and into Google Docs.
Memeo, the company behind a host of backup, sharing and synchronization tools and mobile applications, has just launched Memeo Connect 2.0, an updated version of its earlier desktop-to-cloud synchronization service for Google Docs.
Like its progenitor, Memeo Connect still offers drag-and-drop uploads, but in the latest release, the application's operating system integration has been dramatically improved. Most notably, your Google Docs folder now appears as a virtual drive that Memeo labels "GDrive", and, according to company representatives, the name is being used with Google's blessing.
Dropbox, the file storage, sharing and sync service, is now available for the iPad. With an early morning update to the company's iPhone application, the free Dropbox app is now a "universal" app, a term that describes single apps that resize and reformat themselves to function properly on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.
With the updated version of Dropbox installed, iPad users can access all their stored files and folders without having to sync files via iTunes first, as is necessary with Apple's own iWork suite of office applications. Those files can then be viewed in Dropbox itself or opened using third-party software programs .
Uh-oh, Google Doc's offline mode is going...well...offline. Starting May 3rd, offline access for Google Docs, the Internet search giant's web office suite, home to an online document editor, spreadsheet editor and slideshow creator, will be disabled. Previously, users had been able to take advantage of the offline functionality provided by Google Gears, an open source browser extension which allowed for both the viewing and editing of files when an Internet connection was not present. Soon, the Gears-enabled feature will be no more. But have no fear - this setback is only temporary..at least that's what a company blog post says.
In the plugin's place, there will be a "new and improved" HTML5-based offline option which will replace the former solution, but its exact launch date is still unknown.
OffiSync is launching an all-new version of its Microsoft Office to Google Docs synchronization tool, a plugin that's a "must-have" for anyone still straddling the two worlds of office suites: that is, the desktop-based world of Microsoft software and the web-based world of Google Docs. In the updated version of OffiSync, set to arrive minutes from now, you'll be able to co-author documents in real-time between Microsoft Office and Google Docs, no matter what version of the Office software you use. There are a few other new features too, including improvements to search, added Google Sites support and the ability to store any file type, but it's the co-authoring feature that's today's biggest reveal.
One of the features that Google's online office program Google Docs lacks is a cloud-based version of Microsoft Office's "clipboard" feature. Although you can copy and paste when using Docs, it's a much simpler procedure. The keyboard shortcut "Ctrl + C" copies and "Ctrl + V" pastes, but it's a one-time process. You can't accumulate a collection of copied items for later pasting as you can with the Office clipboard.
Some may argue that's by design - Google likes to keep things simple. However, it appears that may not be the case, after all. As spotted by the Google Operating System blog, a new server-side clipboard looks like it may be close to launch.
When Google announced an upgrade to their Google Docs service earlier this month, a company blog post also mentioned several third-party applications which can help make the transition to the online service easier. With these apps, you can transfer and synchronize your local files to Google Docs without having to upload them one-by-one. But which application is right for you?
We took a look at the options Google suggested and have summarized the features, drawbacks and pricing information below. In addition, we also reviewed one other application not specifically mentioned in the Google blog post that may be of use to those moving to the cloud-based service.
