- Expand the Capabilities of Pages Using Templates
- Pages Alternatives for Word Processing
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Pages Alternatives for Word Processing
While Pages is arguably one of the most powerful and well-designed apps for the iPhone and iPad, you have many options when it comes to word processing. After launching the App Store app on your iOS mobile device, enter the phrase “word processor” into the Search field.
The search results you’ll see include a handful of word processing apps from third parties, such as Quickoffice Pro HD ($19.99), Documents To Go Premium - Office Suite ($16.99), Microsoft OneNote for iPad (Free), Open Word Processor Professional for iPad (99 cents), iA Writer (99 cents), and Docs2 HD ($5.99).
For a while now, rumors have been circulating that Microsoft is working on an iOS version of Microsoft Word, which will of course be 100 percent compatible with Word for the PC and Mac, and utilize Microsoft SkyDrive to wirelessly transfer and sync documents with other computers and devices. In addition to full-featured word processors currently available from the App Store, you’ll find dozens of text editors and note-taking apps that have more specialized functionality.
Just like its Windows PC-based and web-based counterpart, Microsoft OneNote for iPad is a feature-packed note-taking app that offers a virtual tabbed notebook-like interface. This app allows you to create, view, and organize primarily text-based notes. Notes can include text, pictures, and bulleted lists (complete with checkboxes), each of which can have its own heading and tab for easy reference later.
What makes Microsoft OneNote for iPad useful is that it works seamlessly with Microsoft OneNote for the PC (or it can be used as a stand-alone app on the iPad). The app can be set up to automatically sync with Microsoft’s SkyDrive cloud-based file sharing service, which then makes your notes accessible on your other computers and/or mobile devices.
While not a full-featured word processor, Microsoft OneNote is designed to be a note-taking app that allows you to create documents using the iPad’s virtual keyboard or an external keyboard. This app does not currently work on the iPhone.
From the App Store, you’ll also discover PDF annotation apps, such as PDFPen ($14.99), that allow you to view and edit PDF files on your iPad. Now, let’s take a closer look at some full-featured word processor app alternatives to Apple’s own Pages app.
Quickoffice Pro HD
Like Microsoft Office for the PC and Mac, Quickoffice Pro HD is a suite of apps designed for the iPad that offer word processing, spreadsheet, and digital slide show presentation functionality. This app suite allows for Microsoft Word, Excel, and/or PowerPoint documents and files from other sources to be imported, viewed, edited, shared, and printed. Plus, documents and files created using Quickoffice Pro HD can easily be exported in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or PDF format.
Documents and files can be imported and exported into and out of the Quickoffice Pro HD apps using email or a cloud-based file sharing service, such as Evernote, Dropbox, Google Docs, Box, or a handful of others. It’s not, however, currently iCloud-compatible.
The user interface of the word processing module looks vastly different from what’s offered by Pages, but the Quickoffice Pro HD word processing module does feature the majority of Word features and functions you’ll need to create, format, print, and share text-based documents that include photos and/or graphic elements. Like virtually all of the other word processing apps for iPad, Quickoffice Pro HD supports external wireless keyboards and the navigational arrow keys that are built into them.
Documents To Go Premium - Office Suite
While Apple’s iWork for iOS suite utilizes three iOS apps (Pages, Numbers, and Keynote), which are sold separately, to give users access to Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents and files on their iPhone or iPad, Documents To Go Premium - Office Suite is a single app with multiple modules.
The word processing module allows you to create, edit, view, print, and share documents that are Word-compatible, but also export documents into PDF format for easy viewing on other computers or devices. As you’re creating a document, you’ll have access to a wide range of formatting features, allowing you to create bulleted lists, multiple columns, headers and footers, and text boxes, and incorporate photos, tables, charts, or graphics into your work. You can also utilize the Select All, Select, Copy, Cut, and Paste commands built into iOS 5.1 (or later).
Documents To Go Premium - Office Suite works on both the iPhone and iPad, and is compatible with a handful of cloud-based file sharing services, such as Dropbox, Google Docs, and Box.net. It also comes with its own utility for syncing files and documents between your iOS mobile device(s) and computer(s).
Open Word Processor Professional for iPad
Originally priced at $9.99 (but currently being offered from the App Store for just 99 cents), this stand-alone word processing app allows you to create and import Microsoft Word compatible documents. It also supports OpenOffice and LibreOffice Open text documents (.odt files), and allows for files to be transferred and synced using a wireless transfer process, USB Sync process, or a cloud-based file sharing service (such as Dropbox, Google Docs, and Box.com).
One feature that set this app apart from some others is that you can write on the iPad’s screen and embed handwritten notes and drawings within your documents. It also offers all of the text formatting tools you’d expect from a full-featured word processor.
iA Writer
What sets this word processor apart from its competition is its simplistic and intuitive user interface. The virtual keyboard is displayed at the bottom of the screen, and the document you’re creating, editing, or viewing utilizes the rest of your iOS device’s screen. A few command icons reveal menus displayed at the top of the screen, but otherwise the look of the app is simple and sleek.
Plus, built into the app is compatibility with a few new finger gestures that makes working with documents easier. For example, you can hold your index and middle fingers together and swipe then back and forth horizontally across the screen to Undo or Redo an action. iA Writer lacks some of the more advanced text formatting options found in other word processors for the iPhone or iPad, but it makes creating, editing, viewing, printing, and sharing text-based documents easy.
Anther useful feature of this app is that it’s iCloud-compatible. It also offers Dropbox integration, so transferring and syncing files with other computers and mobile devices is simple. The app also works with both the iPhone and iPad, and only needs to be purchased once, but can be used on both of your iOS mobile devices if they’re linked to the same iCloud account.
Docs2 HD
As a stand-alone word processor exclusively for the iPad, the Docs2 HD app is packed with features for formatting and working with text, graphics, tables, charts, photos, and other elements that you might want to include within your documents. The app also works seamlessly with a handful of cloud-based file sharing services, including Google Docs and Dropbox (but not iCloud).
The app allows Microsoft Word documents to be imported, or you can export documents in Microsoft Word (.doc) or PDF format. The app utilizes a handful of command icons and menus to access formatting and word processing features, however, the icons are intuitive, which makes learning how to use this app a simple process.
For example, if you want to utilize bold text while typing, simply tap on the ‘B’ icon that’s displayed along the top of the screen, just as you would when using Microsoft Word. You can also control font size, font color, typestyles, line spacing, paragraph alignment, and other formatting features with equal ease. Like its competition, the Docs2 HD app supports the use of the iPad’s virtual keyboard or a wireless external keyboard.
Byte2, the developer of the Docs2 HD app, also offers Sheet2 HD (compatible with Microsoft Excel), Slide2 HD (compatible with Microsoft PowerPoint) and Files2 HD (a file management application). Each are sold separately, or they are available bundled together as the Office2 HD app suite ($7.99).