Quickword Now Includes Spell Checker, Thesaurus, Custom Fonts

Cutting Edge Software has just released a new version of Quickoffice that includes a major upgrade in the Quickword word processor, adding built-in custom font support and an integrated spell-checking engine and thesaurus. The company has also improved the application suite's speed and it now has better support for portable keyboards. Quickword is $20 and the entire Quickoffice suite is temporarily $30. It's a free upgrade for current users.

Cutting Edge Software has collaborated with DDH Software to add a 45,000 word spell-check dictionary and a 55,000 word thesaurus to Quickword. This is the same spell-checker and thesaurus that are included with WordSmith.

For the first time, Quickword users will be able to view custom fonts on their handhelds. Previously, users could select different fonts, but they would not be able to see the effect of their selections until the Quickword document was synchronized with MS Word.

To provide this new capability, Cutting Edge Software implemented Hands High Software's FontBucket technology, a font management system that is now integrated with Quickword to give users true font support. Further, Quickoffice will now come equipped with a Windows desktop Font Converter designed to convert TrueType fonts into display fonts for use within Quickword.

Cutting Edge has worked to improve the speed with which Quickword opens files and scrolls through documents. It has also improved the processing speed of Quicksheet.

In addition, Quickword now offers improved performance with the popular Stowaway folding keyboards. Finally, Cutting Edge Software has made it possible to view and edit files in the standard DOC format from within the Quickword file list.

Quicksheet has support for the Sony Clié's hi-res display. It has over 80 built-in spreadsheet functions and can synchronize its files with Microsoft Excel. The suite also includes, Quickchart, a charting and graphing tool that comes with Quicksheet.

All the Quickoffice conduits are for Windows only.

Thanks to Bryant Smith for the tip. -Ed

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How does it stack up with other products?

I.M. Anonymous @ 3/5/2002 10:54:09 AM #
Has anyone tried all the major Palm word processors? I (and I'm sure lots of other people) would love to hear a comparison. Also, which of the products are Mac-friendly? Mac support is one reason I've stuck with DTG even though it lacks many of the capabilities of other products.

RE: How does it stack up with other products?
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/5/2002 11:25:57 AM #
Quickoffice has no usable Mac support. WordSmith's is excellent. If you want to move up to a real word processor, go with WordSmith. It's also got the best SD card support of any Palm app.

RE: Who needs Mac?
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/5/2002 11:59:14 AM #
Everyone runs Windows...that's what makes it a monopoly...

RE: How does it stack up with other products?
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/5/2002 1:39:45 PM #
I just tried Wordsmith. Unfortunately, it requires that you save files in RTF, so it's a pain to use.

RE: How does it stack up with other products?
Bartman007 @ 3/5/2002 2:26:24 PM #
If your on a pc then you can save in either doc or rtf format. The rtf format actually works out very well on OS X because TextEdit uses that as the default format.

RE: How does it stack up with other products?
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/6/2002 11:59:15 AM #
It stacks up VERY well. While many call WordSmith a "real" word processor, the one thing that keeps me away from it and constantly going back to QuickWord is speed and memory requirements.

QuickWord opens documents VERY fast, and when you scroll, it moves quickly.

My MAJOR problem with WordSmith was its inability to open a large document under low memory conditions. For example, I have an e-copy of "The Fellowship Of The Ring" which weighs in at about 985KB uncompressed. I have it (and a ton of other stuff) loaded on my 8MB Palm Vx, leaving me with about 370KB free memory. QuickWord opens the file to read quickly and efficiently. I edited the file without incident. WordSmith? Forget it. I CONSTANTLY get "Not enough memory" errors.

OK, granted, I am using this mostly for document reading, not editing, but the fact remains that QuickWord has remained fast, fast, fast!

expansion card support when?

I.M. Anonymous @ 3/5/2002 11:00:27 AM #
Well I really like Quickoffice, but they don't seem to be taking getting card support seriously. I can change the fonts in a document on my PC if I need to when the document is done.

I'd especially like to see more in this area for Quickword. Since their app now seems to be focusing on more HTML-like editing, I'd like to be able to just save and load a document as an HTML file on the card. Then I could just edit the document from Quickword on my PDA, keep the document on the card and edit it from the card as well on my PC. Then there would always just be one version of my document, and I could carry it with me. I know that isn't the only solution people might want, but any kind of card support at this point would be a huge improvement.

RE: expansion card support when?
james_sorenson @ 3/5/2002 11:34:18 AM #
Look up "QuickStart" at PalmGear to add card-support to the QuickOffice suite. Granted, it would be nice if card-support was built-in, but Quickstart seems to do the job job well enough.

Jim

-------
James Sorenson

RE: expansion card support when?
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/5/2002 11:56:37 AM #
> Look up "QuickStart"

I knew about that, but thanks. $10 for a hack to add minimal card support which should already be integrated into the currently $30 Quickoffice suite, is ridiculous.

BTW, $29.95 for Quickoffice is a bargain. Everyone ought to be jumping on that one.


Quickword hi-res

I.M. Anonymous @ 3/5/2002 11:57:34 AM #
whe Quickword will support Sony Clié's hi-res?

RE: Quickword hi-res
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/5/2002 12:26:10 PM #
I'm surprised it doesn't already. Are there any other Word Processors out there that support Hi-Res?

RE: Quickword hi-res
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/5/2002 1:55:40 PM #
I sent email to ask about Clie hi-res support in Quickword, and they said "shortly." This was on November 1, 2001. Other than that, I'm pretty happy with the product.

RE: Quickword hi-res
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/5/2002 3:41:58 PM #
WordSmith not only supports Hi-res,
but also does subpixel rendering for smoother fonts.

Support for HandEra 330

I.M. Anonymous @ 3/5/2002 2:27:49 PM #
HandEra bundles a version of QuickOffice with the 330 unit. Updates are generally available, but as a seperate install set. Does anyone know if...

(1) This new version supports the HandEra 330 (QVGA, soft Grafitti, hi-res fonts, etc.)?

(2) Is it free for HandEra users?

RE: Support for HandEra 330
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/5/2002 2:42:43 PM #
Might have a partial answer to my questions. I just was able to download the update using my registered name & email address I used for the copy that came with my HandEra.

I'll have to see if that version works or now.

RE: Support for HandEra 330
Cutting Edge @ 3/5/2002 3:04:07 PM #
The HandEra-ready version is available, and is a separate software build (e.g., you have to download a different file).

This will ONLY run on HandEra devices, and here is the link:

http://www.quickoffice.com/download/56/qoffice_handera.exe

HandEra 330 users must register Quickoffice to obtain a serial number and the unzip password for this archive. If you have already upgraded once in the past 4-6 months or so, you'll have the information you need to install this newest version.

Keep in mind, it is a fair bit larger than past Quickoffice installations, if all optional modules are installed for spelling, thesaurus, their dictionaries, as well as FontBucket (www.handshigh.com/fontbucket) and any fonts you convert for use.

Mike Compeau
Cutting Edge Software, Inc.

RE: Support for HandEra 330
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/5/2002 3:22:12 PM #
Tx. Mike.

That is what I thought. I was able to install it on my HE and it appears to be working.

Yes, the size, with all options, is big... ~1.4MB on the handheld.

I hope this new version fixes some of the stability issues I've seen with 5.6.3. I really like this product because of its support of the HE hi-res screen.

RE: Support for HandEra 330
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/5/2002 3:25:29 PM #
Cool! Thanks for the great support of the HandEra 330 in Quickoffice.

Are there any changes on the PC side of things in the new version with Quickoffice Desktop or in MS Word or Excel?

RE: Support for HandEra 330
Cutting Edge @ 3/5/2002 3:46:46 PM #
Yes, there are enhancements to the "PC side", in that the Quickoffice Palm Font Convertor application to convert TrueType fonts for use in FontBucket is included.

But, that's the extent of PC enhancements at this point.

Mike

RE: Support for HandEra 330
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/5/2002 3:51:15 PM #
Hate to take up too much of this tread, but... ;-)

A problem with 5.6.3 was that although you could run QuickWord and QuickSheet from MMC/SD/CF (not from RAM), it would cause issues with HotSync and the documents syncing with the desktop correctly.

Does the new version support running the PRC's from expansion memory... to save some RAM space?

Am I missing something here?

I.M. Anonymous @ 3/5/2002 4:55:47 PM #
Unless you convert the file to Quickword format, the font can't be changed -- it's the smallest font I have ever seen on the Handera, and almost unreadable. So reading DOC files is useless now.

Even if you convert the DOC files over to QW format, you need to unlock it even to get to the "change font" dialogue box. And I can't seem to change the font at all if the files on the expansion card.

Wordsmith has had this for a while already

terrysalmi @ 3/5/2002 5:37:56 PM #
Everything included in the newest QuickWord has been in Wordsmith since 2.1.1 - about a year. Wordsmith's FineType Font is great because you can use any font from the computer, and can edit them to make them look the best on your PDA. It has had the same spellcheker and thesaurus for the same amount of time. It has PC and Mac support, and is the best for synchronizing to Microsoft Word. Wordsmith even has built-in printing options from PrintBoy, an enhanced memo pad, and great e-book reader. Everyone, Blue Nomad's Wordsmith is definitely the choice! It's the best $30 you will spend. Oh, by the way, did I mention the FREE UPGRADES??

RE: Wordsmith has had this for a while already
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/5/2002 7:00:23 PM #
and so what if WordSmith had all these features a year ago? If Quickword has pretty much all of these features now, plus you get Quicksheet (which is the best spreadsheet program) and a charting program for the same price as just WordSmith, then it is still a pretty good deal. Sure WordSmith likely has even more features as well, but I don't need all that much word processing power on a PDA, maybe you do. BTW, Quickword has allowed you to print via PrintBoy for quite some time as well.

RE: Wordsmith has had this for a while already
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/5/2002 7:11:05 PM #
Does it support hi-res screens (like the HE 330)? Viewing formatted docs and spreadsheets on 160x160 screens stinks IMHO.

RE: Wordsmith has had this for a while already
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/5/2002 7:11:30 PM #
Not true.
Wordsmith only got the spellchecking stuff last November.

The finetype fonts are anything but "fine"--should be called "fuzzyType" as they are far harder to read. Smooth is overrated if contrast is messed up inthe process.

Builtin print support in Quickword preceded Wordsmithg by months last year, and your device already HAS a memopad.

So where's the BlueNomad Spreadshet? are we EVER gonna get to see and laugh at it?

Wordsmith CERTAIN DOES NOT sync better to Word, as TONS of pasted/embedded objects are specifically stated to NOT SYNC in their manual. Read it and weep.

Hats off to CESINC>


RE: Wordsmith has had this for a while already
terrysalmi @ 3/5/2002 7:46:11 PM #
And that is exactly the reason it syncs better to Word. It keeps the document with a clean interface on the Handheld for easy, no-pain viewing, while keeping all formatting that is not shown on the handheld on the desktop version.

RE: Wordsmith has had .......but not Font Bucket
fkclo @ 3/5/2002 11:14:18 PM #
One good thing about this version of QuickOffice is the integration with FontBucket, which also supports ToDoPlus and ThoughtManager (Shame that Handshigh's own MemoPlus is not yet FontBucket ready). Which means you can have a common font manager for a range of applications on your Palm, which at the end would mean more efficient use of space, and less confusion.

With resolution on Palm OS devices getting better, I would imagine more applications would offer more fonts flexibility. Font Bucket is a step forward and it is good that QuickOffice takes the lead to embrace it.

Francis Lo, HKG

RE: Wordsmith has had this for a while already
Altema @ 3/6/2002 10:35:26 AM #
"The finetype fonts are anything but "fine"--should be called "fuzzyType" as they are far harder to read. Smooth is overrated if contrast is messed up inthe process."

The finetype fonts look better on some devices than others. I have Palm Reader, iSilo, Docs to Go Professional, and Wordsmith. The FineType fonts were good enough for me to switch to Wordsmith as my ebook reader all the time now. Fonts such as stilltime look fine with FineType, but are almost unreadable with the hi-res turned off... but like I mentioned, they look good on some handhelds and fuzzier on others.

No comparison yet!

I.M. Anonymous @ 3/5/2002 10:19:26 PM #
I own both WordSmith and QuickOffice. I used QuickWord until WordSmith came along. For my uses, WordSmith beats QuickWord by providing superior functionality and superb keyboard integration.

I have the Palm keyboard and WordSmith is a real gem when used with the keyboard. QuickWord just doesn't understand the concept of a keyboard well enough to make one want to trying using one with it. Some of the keys work the way I expect and others are totally ignored. I understand the Palm philosophy simple is better and I realize that few have keyboards, but for larger documents, a keyboard is something that is essential and adds significant functionality when I am on the road. I can not part with it.

QuickWord is not a total lame-duck however, It does offer HTML editing and faster operation. The new font handling is nice, but not as nice visually as that in WordSmith. I do find that HTML seems to get in the way sometimes by reinserting HTML thingies after I had just deleted them. Line breaks are particularly annoying since single spacing becomes double spacing after a scroll (sometimes!) Also, I notice that it takes several delete stokes to wipe out a marker. It appears to me that while I can not see them, each stroke is deleting one of the characters that make up the HTML markup at that point in the document.

If they figure out how to do menus from the keyboard and provide much better keyboard functionality, I will reconsider QuickWord.

By the way, they both use the same spell checking software so it's a push for this feature. It is too large to be of much use to me. This is especially true since it is impossible to move the dictionary to SD memory and if it was, the slow spell checker would be even slower!

If you are looking for a document editor or word processor, download both, take them for a spin and see what you think works best for you!

RE: No comparison yet!
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/6/2002 7:19:48 AM #
This is so cool. Two full featured word processors with spell checkers and thesaurii for the Palm platform. Wish I had this for my Ipaq.

-Timothy Rapson-

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