Google Enhances Google Docs
Today Google details some improvements to its online office suite Google Docs. The new enhancements focus on new visual and editing features, speed and better real time collaboration.
From Google blog:
New document and spreadsheet features
We’ve responded to many of your requests for features you’re used to in desktop software. In documents, we’ve added a margin ruler, better numbering and bullets and easier image placement options. And in spreadsheets, you’ll now find a formula editing bar, cell auto-complete, drag-and-drop columns and other features not possible with older browser technologies.
Higher fidelity document import
We’ve made big improvements to our document upload feature so moving files from your computer to the cloud is easier now. Imported documents retain their original structure more accurately, so you can hit the ground running editing in the browser without having to fix formatting like bullets and text alignment.
Speed and responsiveness
New browser technologies like faster JavaScript processing have made it possible for us to speed up Google Docs significantly. Even very large spreadsheets are fast to work with in your browser now. Applications that run this fast feel like desktop applications but have the unique advantages of being in the cloud.
Faster collaboration
We’ve extended Google Docs’ collaboration capabilities too, with support for up to 50 people working together at once, and in documents, you can now see other people’s edits as they happen character-by-character. And now you can also collaborate on flow charts, diagrams and other schematics in real time with a new editor for drawings on Google Docs.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/6_hJ3R8jEZM[/youtube]
Video link
I’m loving the new features in Google Docs especially the margin ruler. That’s the only thing I was asking for. I’m so glad they added that. The better formatting for importing and exporting is also a huge plus. It’s like Google listened to everything I had to say when I submitted my feedback to them.
The most noticable thing for me is that it exports to MS Word properly now. I was having difficulties with that before.
It seems slower to me, and it seems to have less features rather than more, but it’s all worth it to be able to export to MS Word without any hassle.
On a side note, the tab-stops don’t export in PDF files. At least for me anyway.