Starting today, users of the Android Docs word processing application will be able to enjoy on-the-go collaboration functionality, which they are already utilizing on desktop browsers, including the ability to see in real time the changes and edits that other users make to documents, Google said in a blog post.
This latest addition was disclosed in a blog post, in which Google says the update focuses on remote collaboration and is aimed at increasing users’ productivity. Google software engineer Vadim Gerasimov describes how he now can accomplish everything he does in the office–such as check his email and edit documents–with his Android during his morning commute to the company’s Sydney office.
“We want to offer everyone the chance to be productive no matter where they are, so today we are presenting a new update to the Google Docs app for Android. We have brought the collaborative experience from Google Docs on the desktop to your Android device. You will see updates in real time as others type on their computers, tablets and phones, and you can just tap the document to join in.”
This means that users will not only be able to edit documents on the go, but collaborators will also see the edits taking place in real time on shared documents, as others are making, regardless of what device anyone is using. Real-time collaboration has always been a major attraction for the desktop Google Docs, so perhaps this update will get more users to adopt the mobile version.
In addition to the new collaboration capabilities in Google Docs for Android, Google has also included with the update are a few interface changes that should make it easier to tinker around and edit documents from your mobile device. Most notably, there is a rich text formatting toolbar at the top of the screen, offering options to add bold or italicized text, bullet lists, font and background colors, and more.
“We also added rich text formatting so you can do things like create a quick bullet list, add color to your documents, or just bold something important,” Gerasimov explained.
Also, users can now pinch to zoom and focus on a specific paragraph, for example, or see the whole document at a glance. It is a huge step up from the bare-bones editor that mobile users were forced to deal with in earlier versions of the app.
These remarkable enhancements to the Android word processing app will be available both to individuals who use Docs as a stand-alone suite and to people who use it as part of the broader Google Apps suite at work. The updated Google Docs for Android is available now for download in the Android Market.
The video below demonstrates the new Google Docs app in action.
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