Google adds Docs to Android armoury

 

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By Stewart Mitchell

Posted on 28 Apr 2011 at 14:11

Google has ported its Google Docs productivity tools to Android, enabling users to edit and share documents directly from smartphones and tablets.

According to Google, the tool brings all the expected editing features, and enables Android users to access documents stored in any Google account or from within Google Mail.

“With this new app it's easy to filter and search for your content across any Google account, then jump straight into editing docs using the online mobile editors,” said Reuben Kan, a Google software engineer, on a company blog.

“The app also allows you to easily share items with contacts on your phone, right from within the app.”

The package includes optical character recognition (OCR), enabling users to convert images taken with a handset camera directly into documents that can be shared over the web.

“It does a pretty good job capturing unformatted text in English," Kan said, although he admitted the system wouldn't yet recognise handwriting or more complex fonts.

The Google Docs app is already available (in English only) from the Android Market, for phones running Android 2.1 or above.