Good news for Google Docs users: The Mountain View giant plans to unveil mobile editing capabilities for Google Docs running on Android-supported smartphones as well as Apple’s iPad.
Up until now, Google Docs has only allowed users to view documents in real-time from the cloud anywhere, anytime. With 3 million business customers, Google Apps’ updating – letting co-workers co-edit files simultaneously from a wide array of devices, will help the company go toe-to-toe with cloud collaboration offerings from the likes of Microsoft and IBM.
Given the increasing popularity of development platforms such as Android and iOS, Google’s decision to up the ante on its on-the-fly collaborative capabilities is right on track and could lead to more advertising opportunities for the company.
Google launched its Apps Marketplace, an online store where users can buy cloud-based applications designed to work with Google’s own apps, back in March. Apps include Gmail, calendar, Google Docs and many other applications. By unveiling Google Apps Marketplace, Google expanded its functionality to include office productivity, scheduling, workflow and management applications.The unveiling of Google Apps Marketplace coincided with the company’s announcement that 25 million users and 2 million businesses are now using Google Apps. More than 50 developers have already signed up, including Aviary, Expensify, NetSuite and Intuit. Developers can pay a $100 fee plus 20 percent of each sale to participate and may add as many apps as they wish to the Google Apps Marketplace.
Among the greatest beneficiaries of Google Apps such as Google Docs are small businesses, especially in today’s educational and non-profit markets. With pricing that begins at free, and complexity becoming less of a deterrent, these applications promise to level the playing field for young companies that wish to compete in today’s global arena. However, large businesses may also select from apps with additional features and SLAs (service level agreements) that include uptime guarantees and greater security.
Edited by
Erin Harrison
