Perezalil pictures on your server, everything should be fine

Introduction

Apple has built in the iPad a mechanism for viewing and editing office documents from Microsoft. I don’t know how comfortable it is to work with large documents on a tablet, but I really need to look at the documents, because it’s not always more convenient for this pdf to come by mail. With the release of numerous broods of Android tablets, I wondered how they were looking at the documents. I created several files in Microsoft Office 2007 (under Vista) and saved them in doc and docx. Then I created a virtual Android device (unfortunately I don’t have a live tablet yet) with a 1024x600 screen like on the Samsung Galaxy Tab. The following applications were installed on the emulator:

1. Officesuite
2. Documents2Go
3. OffiViewer
4. ThinkFree Mobile
5. Gdocs

Under the cut there are many pictures in png with a width of 1024 points, about 2 megabytes of traffic. Habr reduces the pictures somewhat, so the text seems blurry, I can not do anything.

Formulation of the problem

A document was created containing the text in a different font size, color and typeface, a wraped image, a Microsoft Equation mathematical formula, and a table were inserted into the text. Actually MSO itself displays this file as (reference rending):


The file itself can also be posted ( docx and doc ).

Android was emulated with a standard emulator from SDK 2.2:

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Testing

Officesuite

This package comes with HTC devices. While HTC does not release tablets, so you should not expect miracles of adaptation for them. The APK was ruthlessly torn out of my hero and installed on the emulator. Immediately I want to note that the interface perfectly fit into a large resolution. Although this plus relates more to the Android platform than to software makers.

First try the docx:

The result is generally not particularly.
1. Picture moved out
2. The formula is displayed as the devil knows what, but you can hardly understand something.
3. The text is terribly small (due to maladaptation under the big screen)
4. Styles of the 2007th Word are not displayed.

Of the benefits:
1. Formatting is more or less left, the table is in place, in principle, readable.

Doc looks the same, so we won't give it here.

Documents2Go

Vinrarny software, familiar to fans of mobile computers even on Palm and WM2000. Once it had a desktop part that converted office files into its own special format and displayed already prepared files on HPC. Now they have refused the converter, everything happens right on the device. By the way, the program allows you to view files for free, and to edit you need to buy a key for $ 15.



In my opinion it looks nice, better than in QuickOffice, the colors of the headers are in place. However, again, the picture has moved out, the formula is a curve, but you can understand something.

doc is almost the same.

Offiviewer

Unlike the others, it does not provide editing capabilities (the name hints) for any money. It works on the principle of old Documents2Go, sends files to the server itself, does something there — shows the result.
docx:

Formatting is saved more or less, instead of a formula some kind of plug. It is interesting what kind of software is used to distill documents. Smoothing fonts is terrifying, it's hard to read.
doc:


Well, the result is decent. It would be almost perfect if it were not for curved fonts.
The disadvantages include the inability of the program to work without fast Internet. Although, on the other hand, where did the file come from, if there is no Internet? So it is not particularly critical. It should also be noted that the program does not customize the size of the document to the size of the device, so it will be impossible to read the documents on the phones.

ThinkFree Mobile

This program is installed just on the Samsung Galaxy Tab, also available in the market. Whether these are the same versions - I do not know, so we will be content with the version from the market. The program has a terrible greed, and it does not even want to show files without buying a key. The key costs $ 10 for all types of documents (doc, xls, ppt, pdf) or $ 6 for each. Due to the fact that in the market it is possible to return the program during the day and get my money back, I was able to test it. I think this is a huge advantage of the market, it is unnecessary to buy a cat in a bag. AFAIK this is nowhere.
docx:

The picture has moved out, there is no formula at all, the formatting is more or less saved. The table is fine. You can read the text.
doc is the same.
I don’t know if Samsung will finish something in this software, but it’s impossible. There’s almost nothing to do with money. So the program will have to return - eat yourself.

Gdocs

Free program, positioned as an android client for Google Docs. in fact, I had particular hopes for this program, since the service from Google rendered my test files almost perfectly (except for the formulas) .

We look:

EPIC FAIL. Unfortunately, the program shows only the text, and even with some stripes. So it sweeps away once.

Another world

The review would not be complete if it were not compared with other platforms. Actually there are always two competitors (on the ARM platform), these are iOS and GNU / Linux. The iPad viewer is built into the system (what did you think Google is, eh?) And allows you to view documents from any program, which is certainly correct and convenient. This is what the dropbox files look like (thanks to payalnik ):

Rendering is perfect. (How to size it into an album is not very clear)

Then I launched my OpenOffice and squeezed it to the size of the tablet window:

Everything is also very, very good. Plus, of course, everything can be edited, and the spell checker swears in quasi-Latin. (Sockets, of course, you can clean to taste, adaptation for tablets is needed.)

Verdict

While the Android platform has no means for normal viewing of MS Office files, we are not talking about editing at all. However, there are 3 commercial programs, one of which with a very good history, there is also a free viewer, which is almost-ready. In fairness it should be noted that under WM for the whole of its long life an adequate office did not appear.

So if I needed a tablet for editing office documents, I would choose either an iPad or some device with the ability to install full-fledged GNU / Linux. In terms of the latter, MeeGo looks promising, but the appearance of at least some tablet devices is not yet visible on the horizon.