Apps

Google buys Quickoffice, more improvements to mobile productivity apps on the way

posted by Scott H. / Jun 05, 2012, 12:18 PM

Google buys Quickoffice, more improvements to mobile productivity apps on the way

Quickoffice is a name that should be familiar to most of you – their mobile productivity suites are popular on both iOS and Android, and they have cut many deals to preload their software on handsets, so chances are if you own a high end Android handset you have Quickoffice installed even if it isn’t your main productivity suite of choice. Today Google announced that they have acquired Quickoffice, indicating they will incorporate its technology into future Google productivity offerings.

Google indicated that they "look forward to continuing to serve" current Quickoffice customers, so in the short term there is no need to panic if you are really attached to your Quickoffice apps. In the medium term we imagine that much of their technology will be used to improve Google Drive and Docs – both mobile and web-based. In particular we’d like to see Quickoffice’s excellent compatibility with Microsoft Office documents get integrated – Google Docs doesn’t always do the best job of importing PowerPoint presentations in our experience.

In the long term it’s not hard to imagine Quickoffice users eventually being migrated to a Google-branded version; all it takes is a name change to the app, and then subsequent updates could work towards feature parity with Drive/Docs. Quickoffice has a decent sized install base of mobile enterprise users that Google is probably interested in, and a carefully managed long term transition could probably bring them into the fold without alienating businesses.
Google complete statement is:

We're happy to announce that we have acquired Quickoffice, a leader in office productivity solutions.

Google + Quickoffice = get more done anytime, anywhere

Today, consumers, businesses and schools use Google Apps to get stuff done from anywhere, with anyone and on any device. Quickoffice has an established track record of enabling seamless interoperability with popular file formats, and we'll be working on bringing their powerful technology to our Apps product suite.

Quickoffice has a strong base of users, and we look forward to supporting them while we work on an even more seamless, intuitive and integrated experience.

We're excited to welcome the Quickoffice team and their users to Google.

source: Google via TechCrunch

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18 Comments

1. networkdood

Posts: 6330; Member since: Mar 31, 2010

Excellent news as it will be free on future phones...wonder if MS sues?

posted on Jun 05, 2012, 12:21 PM 7

5. Droid_X_Doug

Posts: 5993; Member since: Dec 22, 2010

I was wondering what would become of Quickoffice on the heels of MS Office for iOS and possibly Android. I wonder if Google continues to support Quickoffice for iOS? Net-net, I am glad that Quickoffice has a future in the Android world.

posted on Jun 05, 2012, 12:39 PM 2

9. JeffdaBeat unregistered

Man, if they offer it free...just...wow. That's a pretty sick smartphone where you don't have to pay to open, edit, and send docs. Maybe it'll force Apple to make iWork free...

posted on Jun 05, 2012, 1:14 PM 4

11. networkdood

i got mine free or for a pretty cheap price - free vs paid version has very little differences, though.

posted on Jun 05, 2012, 1:43 PM 2

16. Giggity

Posts: 147; Member since: Nov 17, 2011

True, the only perk of Pro version is letting you edit PPT and Excel. But for some reason, Quickoffice still have problem rendering .doc and .ppt's images.

posted on Jun 05, 2012, 3:18 PM 0

15. remixfa

Posts: 14605; Member since: Dec 19, 2008

i use the free version. I also use google docs as needed to which works well too. I have never had a need of the advanced features as I dont want to do spreadsheets on my phone/tablet. lol. you dont have good free word/exel software on iOS???? add that to another reason to stay on android. did not know that.

posted on Jun 05, 2012, 3:07 PM 3

17. BattleBrat

Posts: 1476; Member since: Oct 26, 2011

Dang it, I paid $20 a month ago for Quick Office HD (I pretty much own all the office suits for Android, phone and tablet, I only have iWork and Picsel Smart Office 2 for iOS)

posted on Jun 05, 2012, 4:51 PM 0

2. remixfa

cool. i use quick office on my tablet quite a bit. it already has some minor integration with google drive, so id love to see that broaden.

posted on Jun 05, 2012, 12:24 PM 3

18. cepcamba

Posts: 717; Member since: Feb 27, 2012

Can you create and save word docs using the free quick office? I'm using a paid app to type down sudden bursts of inspiration (I'm a part time writer). Word is the only thing I use though. I can't see how I can utilize excel efficiently without a hardware keyboard! :p

posted on Jun 05, 2012, 5:50 PM 0

3. plgladio

Posts: 314; Member since: Dec 05, 2011

I like it, though I'm a Google fan I see more and more small organizations are being acquired by big companies that doesn't sound good to me. Any ways best wishes for the QucikOffice Team :)

posted on Jun 05, 2012, 12:32 PM 1

10. JeffdaBeat unregistered

Oh this isn't just Google. A lot of large companies acquire smaller ones...we just don't usually hear about it. Or it just isn't a big deal. I'm still not a huge fan of the amount of information people give to Google and Facebook for that matter...but these kind of things happen all the time. Plus, I bet if Google lets any of the staff go, they will get an awesome severance package...

posted on Jun 05, 2012, 1:16 PM 4

4. ilia1986 unregistered

Awesome! That means that we might finally get a very very capable mobile office app for free!!

posted on Jun 05, 2012, 12:33 PM 2

6. jove39

Posts: 2149; Member since: Oct 18, 2011

Can understand why...windows8 RT has support for office so google need something similar to package inside 4.1...good to see google acting proactively...and if google manages to intgrate it with gdocs/gdrive...that'll be great

posted on Jun 05, 2012, 12:48 PM 0

7. VJo003

Posts: 365; Member since: Mar 11, 2012

Great !!! Looking forward to downloading Quick Office Pro from the Play store for free in the near future. :)

posted on Jun 05, 2012, 12:57 PM 0

8. eman99

Posts: 410; Member since: Aug 03, 2010

the green army will expand and rule

posted on Jun 05, 2012, 1:13 PM 0

12. hitechredneck

Posts: 103; Member since: Nov 21, 2011

Google buying everything aren't they including motorola mobility

posted on Jun 05, 2012, 2:14 PM 0

13. theoak

Posts: 324; Member since: Nov 16, 2011

This is an interesting move. With E3 featuring MS all over the place, Google has figured they need Office integration to help ensure Android connectivity. With this being an iOS app too, I wonder if Google will keep all features the same, or cripple iOS versions in the future?