Starting today, new cloud service CloudOn brings Microsoft Office files to the iPad in their native formats with all the features and formatting you expect. The files and editing tools look and work the way you expect them too. Yes, you can even view and created tracked changes.
CloudOn appears to host a cloud-based version of Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint. After creating a (currently) free CloudOn account and linking your Dropbox, you can access, edit and create Microsoft Office files. In my brief tests, all the formatting tools worked as expected.
The screen shot below reflects my edits to a Word document created on my desktop. Using CloudOn I accessed the file in my Dropbox, created the tracked changes you see in the screen shot, and saved the file. The file when viewed on my desktop reflects all the changes, including the tracked changes, that I created on my iPad.
Hey look, tracked changes on my iPad.
CloudOn’s website doesn’t explain how the app works. I can’t tell if CloudOn is hosting its own version of these apps or a version licensed from Microsoft. The menus are similarly configured to the products offered in Microsoft’s Office 365 suite, but not identical. In either case, based on my short test, the features work the same as your desktop version.
CloudOn is similarly silent about development plans. From poking around the support website, I see that a PDF viewer is planned for inclusion in 2012. A couple features described as “under review” include the ability to access files from your PC and to have the app open at the last document you were using. Google Docs support is described as “Planned”.
Finally, things are also cloudy about CloudOn’s pricing structure. At this point, all the features are available and free. I suspect that CloudOn will soon limit free access and require a paid subscription based on the amount of access time desired. Each time I start the app, a timer in the settings menu begins to count down from 2 hours.
Probably the number one question / comment I get somehow involves lawyers wanting to use Microsoft Word documents on the iPad and many of those are questions / comments about tracked changes. For those users, this could be a great tool. Looking forward to more from CloudOn about how the service works and pricing.
CloudOn is a free download in the App Store (iTunes link).
HT (Justin Kahn, iPad Notebook)
Looks very impressive, but it does appear to be some kind of limited beta as the app is no longer available to download and the website states that they are “fully subscribed”.
I know there is a different regime in relation to data protection in the USA, but from a UK perspective the big question for me is:- “where are the confidential client documents I upload to this service being stored?”. I would really much rather see an app which worked with documents stored locally on the iPad and encrypted via the iOS data security API.
Whilst it is useful having tracked changes via MS Word I am also aware that there are solutions being launched this year which allow you to upload versions of documents for the production of a “redline” version in the cloud which can be exported as a PDF. This may well be a better solution as it cuts out a lot of the issues around amended versions of documents using MS Word tracked changes.
How would a service that creates redlines in the cloud address the UK cloud storage requirements?
As I understand CloudOn’s service, documents only exist on their servers during the user controlled work session. After that, they are returned to your Dropbox (yes, also cloud service). I see from trolling CloudOn’s support forums that they are considering a tool that would allow you to remotely access files on your PC. That would eliminate the Dropbox intermediary, but doesn’t change the fact that the file exists in CloudOn’s servers for a time.
I’m aware of cloud based practice management solutions in the UK. How do these services address the document confidentiality requirements in Data Protection Act? (which I admit I know nothing about but understand that it is different than how things roll here in the US).
Does the app require a connection to the Internet to work?
It shows highlights but I can’t figure out how to create a new highlighted area. Shading works but it’s the whole paragraph or cell in a table.
Otherwise I am really impressed, especially the track changes ability.
Use the tap-drag technique I mentioned in this post to select what you want highlighted. Then long-tap your selection (essentially a right-click). Highlighting is one of the choices in the contextual menu that appears.
Thanks for figuring that out! I was looking for a toolbar icon, I forgot about the right click!
Thanks for this post. Shame it is not available in Australia yet!
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Pooja
I edited and tracked changes to a ms word .docx doc in CloudOn that is housed on Google docs. When others then open the updated doc from Goggle docs or when I email it to them, they see the edited doc. No tracking or comments are shown. That seems to be one of the appealing points of this app. I want others to be able to review the edits and then decide what to accept or reject. Am I doing something wring? Can anyone advise?