Google Apps!

Google Documents

Have you tried out Google Apps yet? If you haven’t you are missing out on seeing history being made. Google Apps include a word processor, spreadsheets, and now presentation maker. You may be wondering why you would need these when you already have Microsoft Office or Open Office already on your computer, but with those programs, you are missing one key function that makes Google Apps a must have…Collaboration.

In real estate it is all about location, location, location. Well, in the business world it is becoming more and more about collaboration, collaboration, collaboration. What is collaboration? Collaboration is the ability to work together on something. Google Apps allow you to do this in a very functional way. Once you have opened or created a document, you can invite people to make changes to it with you.

Do you have an important spreadsheet that needs information from 2 other people to finish it but you don’t have the time to wait for them to make their own version? Invite them to work on your Google spreadsheet and get it all done at once. Have a school project with 5 of your closest acquaintances who only have 20 minutes to finalize a presentation before their next class? Try out Google’s new presentation app.

That only drawback is that some of the features you would expect in the apps just aren’t there. The word processor app (the oldest of them) has the most functionality. The functionalities that are missing would be used by more hardcore typists and would not be missed by the general user. The spreadsheet app is right in the middle with most of the features that you would expect but missing a few features you would want.

The presentation app is the newest of them all (unveiled just a month or so ago) and is missing some pretty important features. The most important missing feature(s) would be the lack of audio and video files. Obviously this is a major consideration for using this app but it would not prevent you from making a rough draft together so one person in the group would make the final version…that is if another missing feature didn’t prevent this. Google presentations cannot be saved or run in PowerPoint. This alone might be a deal breaker.

Right now, the word processor is good enough to type a school research paper on (if you don’t go crazy) or a memo to your manager. The spreadsheet app is almost ready. They just need to update it and add a few more capabilities. The presentation app isn’t ready for any real use that to play around with it. Don’t kids yourself. If you walk in and do a Google presentation, they will probably think you are too cheap to buy Keynote (Mac) or PowerPoint.

Overall, Google is doing something innovative. They always have. However, it is going to take time for their apps to be true contenders in the office. I would suggest you try them out and see if you like them. Who knows, you might need to collaborate with someone and you will end up using Google Apps.

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