Docs to go vs. Office Suite

[modernmystic]

Well, we've all probably at least taken a look at Docs to go (http://www.dataviz.com/products/documentstogo/index_palm.html) and/or Quickoffice (http://www.palmgear.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=software.showsoftware&PartnerREF=&siteid=1&prodID=1276), however, now there appears to be something new. It's called OfficeSuite (http://www.mobi-systems.com/product-info.asp?ID=184&MSSID=6243e15cafe38ae13505d05718f80118).
Does anybody have any thoughts about this?

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All right, I'll be honest, the main reason that I would like to know some personal experiences about this software is because A)I have dial-up and don't really want to sit around waiting for the 14mb file to download, and B)the classic bundle is the same price as DataViz's version 7 update!
Thanks,
-mm

[Kyle-]

I've been trying out the MobiSystems OfficeSuite and I LOVE it. It's far superior to Docs to Go.

[modernmystic]

It's far superior to Docs to Go.
In what ways?
Have you found any bugs?
Thanks,
-mm

[mikeux50]

haha im downloading the professional version (31.2 MB) on dial-up. This is gonna take a while... lol

[gvtexas]

The first reviewer at the PalmGear listing was enough to make me pass on OfficeSuite:

Bad Review (http://palmgear.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=software.showsoftware&PartnerREF=&siteid=1&prodID=58986)

Too bad...

[mikeux50]

yeah i tried it out and it was REALLY slow. too bad because because it looks like a good app

[modernmystic]

The first reviewer at the PalmGear listing was enough to make me pass on OfficeSuite:

Bad Review (http://palmgear.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=software.showsoftware&PartnerREF=&siteid=1&prodID=58986)

Too bad...
That's actually the third reason that I want some feedback. Although, that is only one person's experience. Perhaps there's a way to fix it ourselves.?
-mm

[dag3]

While it seems that quickOffice has more features (I could be wrong here having never used it) I'm curious about the space it takes on the handheld. Documents to Go, using dataViz tech, has a pretty small footprint which I and many other ux50 users appreciate. Is QuickOffice comparable? Can it be run from a memory stick or internal media?

[Kyle-]

Sorry for the belated reply MM,

The bad review on the palmgear site does bring up a good point - MobiDocs does not sync to a card directly. It syncs to RAM fine. I just periodically back up my MSDocs files to my card to be safe.

Unlike the reviewer, I have not had any memory OR speed problems on my TH55 even with my Belkin wireless keyboard running. But that does bring up another point. MSDocs locks up occasionally when I use the wireless keyboard - to their credit, they do not list my make and model on their compatibility list, so it's my own fault. Just check with MS to be sure your keyboard will work. The program has a handy autosave that will save your files in the background. You don't even know it's happening and can make your day in the event of a crash.

The primary reason I like MSDocs over D2G is stability. I am a doctoral student and use EndNote (a bibliographic reference program) extensively in my academic writing. D2G would cause a soft reset anytime a fragment of EndNote's formatting was left in a document. To get around this I had to format and unformat my Word documents each time I dumped them onto and off of my Clie. This was a pain to say the least. MSDocs handles EndNote's formatting flawlessly. Aside from the EndNote-induced instability, I've found the program to be more stable all around. I think I just had serious issues with D2G because I have so much random stuff on my handheld. For me (perhaps me only) MSDocs "just works" compared to D2G. Not to mention, it has a useful spellchecker and a great looking GUI. If they could just polish up the desktop application a bit (more user-friendly), make it work with my keyboard (of course), and allow you to sync to a card, it would be perfect.

[Tam Hanna]

I once had a review version from MobiSstems-it was the premium pack. so, here is my oppinion:

The Mail part of the product is absolute crap...
The PowerPoint thingy is decent, but not really good either(beter fullscreen, but it has no native file support at this time)
The spreadhset component is nice, but lacks charts-a ko feature for me. Hiowever, it displays stuff way better then DocsToGo
The word app is really nice. Image support, inserting images, truetype fonts ... is all there
The paint app is also nice
and so is the database, altough a "bit" limited compared to Acces!

Overall, I didn't reg the program for another reason: the fonts smetimes weren't as sharp as they were in documentsToGO. I can miss out on the bonus features, but I really want a clear display! I wonder why nobody uses FontBucket-it has a very good font rendering engine IMHO

[GadgetGuru]

Mobiletechreviews has a Officesuites/Word processor shootout, it's not the latest version that's reviewed, but might give a good insight:
http://www.mobiletechreview.com/software/palm_office.htm

Also was wondering why PalmOne would include DocsToGo bundled BUT advertised Mobile System's Office Suites prominently in its ad materials for the Lifedrive.

[Demens]

HI! Anyone ever used Spreadsheet from mobisystems with a external keyboard?

I just cannot find any buttons for changing cells. Only enter works and it only jumps to the lower cell. Its annoying to keep the pen in your mouth for keeping it ready to select cells.

Docstogo exel-thingie worked with direction button.

[JAmerican]

MobiSystems has nice software but it doesn't offer keyboard support. If you press Backspace while using Word in their app, its like pressing the home button. Once they offer keyboard support, then it will be great. It offers support for adding images, which is cool.

JAmerican

[modernmystic]

Does this keyboard problem only apply to external keyboards or is the UX's keyboard included?

Also, I have to wonder how far we can stretch the possibilities with this thing-any idea if it works with PrintBoy (http://www.bachmannsoftware.com/pbprem.htm)?
Thanks everyone,
-mm

[Kyle-]

The backspace issue does not occur with the Belkin wireless keyboard. I suffest you download the demo and try it out for yourself. It seems like some keyboard/handheld combinations may work even though they are not officially supported.

Yours,

Kyle-

[modernmystic]

Okay, here's another question for all of you. For about the next day or so, Mobisystems has a 50% off offer for their Classic bundle ($20) and with the last update, it's not looking too bad. The question is...well, what does everyone think.

BTW, the deal has appearently been going on all summer, I just haven't noticed it before, sorry.
-mm