SoftMaker is preparing to launch a private beta of its new office suite for Google Android devices. You can sign up for the beta by following the instructions in the latest SoftMaker newsletter.
The company has been producing powerful office apps for mobile platforms for ages, building a strong following for its Windows Mobile office suite which includes apps that are compatible with Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The Android space is already rather crowded, with office apps from QuickOffice, ThinkFree, and DataViz. But SoftMaker is confident its software will trounce the competition in a number of areas.
While most Android office apps support Microsoft Office 97 and up, SoftMaker Office can handle files from Microsoft Word 6.0 and Excel 5.0 in case you have any ancient files lying around you need to view or edit.
SoftMaker Office also lets you convert files. For instance you can open a DOCX file and save it as a Word Doc. The apps also support OpenOffice.org files as well as HTML, RTF, and a number of other formats. SoftMaker Office can also handle password protected documents.
The SoftMaker Presentation app will be able to play slideshows and display animations and transitions, while the PlanMaker spreadsheet app can generate PDF files, support in-cell editing, show formulas, and offer other advanced features that are absent from most Android office apps.
With the modern CPUs in mobile devices Softmaker could have just ported the full version of Softmaker Office–it’s a pretty lightweight office suite.