Editing Google Docs With Office2 HD

Todd and I use Google Docs to manage what we post on this blog. During the day as we identify topics that we want to write about, we record them in a Google Docs spreadsheet so that we don’t end up writing about the same topic. Every time that I am editing the spreadsheet at the same time that Todd is also editing it, I marvel at how powerful Google Docs is as a collaboration tool.

For all its power, a limitation of Google Docs is that to take full advantage of its capabilities you must use a desktop web browser. Google provides a mobile version of Google Docs that is the only way to work with it on Android (ironically) and all other smartphones as well as the iPad.

This week I am on vacation, traveling across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan visiting friends and family and I am trying to do all of my blogging strictly with the iPad, even though I also brought the Asus Eee PC 1000HE netbook as a backup. Yesterday morning I needed to make a copy of a Google Docs spreadsheet and could not find a way to do it on the iPad, so I had to turn on the netbook for the first time of this trip. The experience sent me to Google to look for an iPad app that works with Google Docs.

I found a review of Office2 HD by Kevin Toffel that provides a good overview of this $7.99 app. What caught my attention is the fact that it can access and edit Google Docs documents and spreadsheets directly, and even though Kevin warns that the app has some bugs, I decided to go ahead and buy it.

Connecting Office2 HD to Google Docs is not obvious. When you start the app you see a Files pane that is empty and you need to tap Back, then Edit to see the option to Add Service. When you tap Add Service you will see Google Docs listed as one of the services along with MobileMe, Dropbox, myDisk, icloud, box.net, and other WebDav. When you select Google Docs you are asked for your Google user id and password, and it then accesses all of your files and presents them in alphabetical order.

I have had no problems using Office2 HD to edit the main spreadsheet that we use to track our blog posts, and I am able to easily clear cells, delete rows, and edit text. One quirk is that the program expects that you are going to enter numbers on spreadsheets so by default it displays a numeric keyboard, while I am using it to mostly enter text. Another quirk is that when I save the spreadsheet, an error displays that suggests the document is not saved, but I have found that it is in fact saved.

My hope is that the developers of Office2 HD make improvements to the app to remove the bugs and perhaps make it easier to use. If you are willing to live with the caveat that the app is not perfect, and you need to work with Google Docs on your iPad, you may consider Office2 HD, otherwise, you may want to wait until the bugs in the app are resolved.

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