Quickoffice Conference Allows Real-Time Wireless File Sharing

Cutting Edge Software is demonstrating Quickoffice Conference this week at Comdex. This app will let users join a wireless application "conference" and simultaneously see and make changes to the same spreadsheet or document. It will include peer-to-peer and peer-to-multi-peer conferencing capabilities and supports the 802.11b wireless LAN protocol and CDPD, CDMA, GSM and GPRS wireless wide area data protocols. It will be available in the first quarter on 2002. Pricing is not yet available.

The app will be made up of two parts: Quicksheet Conference Edition for editing spreadsheets, and Quickword Conference Edition for documents.

Workgroups will be able to conduct Quickoffice Conferences in either “Collaboration” or “Presenter” mode. In Collaboration Mode, multiple participants will be able to view, edit and control the files being worked on together. In Presenter Mode, a single conference participant will control the views on each of the participants’ devices.

“When we launched the very first Palm OS spreadsheet back in 1997, our aim was to provide mobile professionals with a tool for conducting their business anytime, anyplace,” said Jeff Musa, Cutting Edge Software’s president and CEO. “We are proud to once again be the first to break new ground by combining Quickoffice with today’s wireless communications technology.”

Cutting Edge Software designed Quickoffice Conference to enable participants to use the wireless modems and WLAN solutions already in use by the vast majority of “connected” mobile professionals. The application also works with the latest models of wireless “smart phones” from Samsung, Handspring, Kyocera, among others.

“This is an exciting announcement for users of our recently introduced Samsung I300 Palm Powered smart-phone,” said Todd Person, Business Development Manager for Samsung Telecommunication America. “The Quickoffice Conference technology provides an incredible platform for our industry leading I300 handset to add appreciable value to individual business customers as well as corporate implementations.” Cutting Edge Software will be demonstrating Quickoffice Conference at the Palm Partners Pavilion, Booth # L6155.

Related Information:

Article Comments

 (17 comments)

The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. PalmInfocenter is not responsible for them in any way.
Please Login or register here to add your comments.

Comments Closed Comments Closed
This article is no longer accepting new comments.

Down

What for?

I.M. Anonymous @ 11/13/2001 11:58:10 AM #
I don't see any real use for this, anyone?

RE: What for?
I.M. Anonymous @ 11/13/2001 12:10:14 PM #
It's pretty self-explanatory. Business people can
share and explain information and collaborate no
matter where they are - without haveing to have and
use a laptop. This is in effect a simplified
'NetMeeting' type of application.

Phil

RE: What for?
I.M. Anonymous @ 11/13/2001 12:10:28 PM #
Maybe for kids to cheat on tests.... that's about it.

RE: What for?
I.M. Anonymous @ 11/13/2001 12:11:11 PM #
Killer multi dungeon peer to peer gaming over wireless. Well I guess tick tac toe is supported within Quicksheet, they still must be working on the 3d dungeon. :P

RE: What for? - A new era
popko @ 11/13/2001 12:43:00 PM #
Just think of the things you can do with these "mini netmeeting" software. The beging of a new era is what I see.

RE: What for?
I.M. Anonymous @ 11/13/2001 12:56:17 PM #

Any group that needs this kind of critical real-time access to their data on a regular basis can afford to buy better gear than Palm OS devices.

How can you say ''What for?''
I.M. Anonymous @ 11/13/2001 1:14:46 PM #
Something like this opens the door for all sorts of things. Walk into a meeting late, and get a copy of the up-to-date meeting minutes as someone types them in with their Go-Type Keyboard, Dynamically assign tasks on a single spreadsheet in an impromptu meeting in the hallway or elevator.

You’re right in that its not going to replace PowerPoint slides in an organized meeting, but for quick, impromptu communication this could be great. I’m sure that there will be tons of other applications that can then use this technology to make their programs collaborative.

However I do think that the cheating on tests would be a cool trick too.

Mike K

RE: What for?
I.M. Anonymous @ 11/13/2001 1:57:21 PM #
> Walk into a meeting late, and get a copy of the up-to-date meeting minutes as someone types them in with their Go-Type Keyboard

You wouldn't even have to walk in the door. You could get them on your Treo stuck in traffic half way across town. That way everyone doesn't have to waste 5 minutes while you get caught up when you do get there.

RE: What for?
I.M. Anonymous @ 11/13/2001 2:01:03 PM #
> Any group that needs this kind of critical real-time access to their data on a regular basis can afford to buy better gear than Palm OS devices.

15 years ago, everyone thought snail mail was fast enough. The people who needed to exchange documents faster than 3 or 4 days paid big bucks for it. Now everyone has email and I can send pictures to my mom in less than 10 seconds. Saying that the only people who NEED faster access to info are the people with deep pockets is short sighted.

And what do you consider "better gear" than a Palm OS device?

RE: What for?
I.M. Anonymous @ 11/13/2001 2:06:31 PM #
I agree, real-time collaboration is great. WITH A LAPTOP. As one of the other posters mentioned in this thread. Any group who needs this can afford better equipment than a Palm OS device. The same is true for a PPC or any other handheld. A 3.5 lbs. laptop most certainly gets the job done.

RE: What for?
I.M. Anonymous @ 11/13/2001 2:08:18 PM #
I think this is a useful, and really cool, idea. But personally I just wish they would add Sony hires support to QuickWord first. :)

RE: What for?
I.M. Anonymous @ 11/13/2001 2:15:47 PM #
>And what do you consider "better gear" than a Palm OS device?

Real teleconferencing / collabration equipment in conjunction with a laptop. More than two people trying to keep up with changes to a big spreadsheet by panning around on a tiny PDA screen would bring any meeting to its knees.

RE: What for?
I.M. Anonymous @ 11/13/2001 2:37:32 PM #
We're seeing different uses for this. You seem to see a group of people sitting around a table holding handhelds. If that's your image, I agree this is pointless. I see Bob on the factory floor putting in QA numbers to a spreadsheet while Larry is in the home office 500 miles away seeing the data come in real time. Bob has to keep moving between machines so a laptop isn't practical. Just an example.

What I think would be even better would be a real-time wireless connection between a Palm and a laptop/desktop. Bob is putting in the numbers in Quicksheet while Larry sees them show up in MS Excel. Maybe someday.

RE: What for?
I.M. Anonymous @ 11/13/2001 4:34:05 PM #
I agree with the original comment. This is a "gee whiz" product that opens all sorts of possibilities that no one will use. I want to say niche product, but that doesn't seem to do justice to how little this will acually be used; pico-niche seems better.

RE: Let he who has ears, hear...
I.M. Anonymous @ 11/14/2001 4:16:58 AM #
I found it amusing to read the comments here related to Quickoffice' new announcment.

ANY new technology, when first introduced, is by definition "ahead of its time". Quicksheet sold for $50 in 1997, and it was the creator of the "pico-niche" for office productivity apps on the Pilot 1000 and Pilot5000. Naturally, lots of readers are going to scratch their heads at this new introduction. I think this is EXACTLY the kind of bold "innovation and leadership" that I came to expect from Cutting Edge Software over years of using their stuff.

Palm, Inc., you picked the wrong partner. What innovation has DataViz ever brought to the table?

Those who yawn at this announcement are simply not in a business situation or industry where they can envision the benefits of this product. I also see many uses for this idea. I'm anxious to see it!

Quickoffice Conference honored as "Best of Comdex Finalist "

I.M. Anonymous @ 11/13/2001 8:22:51 PM #
Quickoffice Conference was honored for their leadership and innovation November 13, by being named one of three FINALISTs for the BEST of COMDEX honor in the Handheld Software category.

The awards ceremony will be held on Wednesday evening.

RE: Quickoffice Conference - Way ToGo!
I.M. Anonymous @ 11/14/2001 1:33:55 AM #
I'm going to be very interested to see what this is all about! At first I thought this info was "ho hum" but as I've thought more about it, this could be very useful. This certainly shows up Palms' shortsighted bundling w/ Docs To Go...
Go Quickoffice Go.

Top

Account

Register Register | Login Log in
user:
pass: