10-01-2002, 12:54 AM
|
|
Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,060
|
|
It's Here! It's Here!...Kinda
http://www.softmaker.de/anywhere/anycepocket,en.htm
A lot of us have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of TextMaker, the Pocket Word replacement from Softmaker. Well, it's finally available for download...as a beta product.
There have already been a few reviews written about this beta version. You can read a couple of them on the Pocket PC Life and Compu2Go sites.
I've had a chance to use this for a few days, and I have to admit that it has LOADS of features that I like. This product doesn't include all of the functionality of desktop Word, but it does an incredible job of finally making the Pocket PC and desktop Word function as an integrated unit. The details of the features are too many to mention here, but you can see a pretty complete listing here. The final version can't be downloaded yet, but you can pre-order it using this same link...for $49.95. If you also want the desktop companion version, you'll have to pay $69.95. These prices might seem a little steep to some people, but if you really need to create and edit Word-compatible documents, you may just decide it's a very fair price.
|
| |
|
|
|
10-01-2002, 01:11 AM
|
|
Pupil
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 47
|
|
It's a great start but it still needs some work. The interface is pretty obviously a straight port from the HPC version. Too many double clicks and while it will read and write the handheld version of Pocket Word (.pwd) it won't read or write the PPC version of Pocket Word (.psw). Also it can read but not write desktop word (.doc) files. Performance is still a little slow as well, about 3 minutes to open a 3 page word docs (~50k) with no images. Formatting of several word docs is close but not quite as well. It breaks several of my tables in the middle for no apparent reason.
Still all in all that's why they call it a beta and it really has no peers on the Pocket PC. It certainly qualifies a full-featured. Hopefully the price becomes a bit more reasonable at some point though.
TJ
|
| |
|
|
|
10-01-2002, 01:37 AM
|
|
Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,060
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by tj21
...Performance is still a little slow as well, about 3 minutes to open a 3 page word docs (~50k) with no images...
|
Hmmm. In my limited use, I had some roundtripping issues, but I didn't think it was all that slow. The menus ARE pretty deep, but that's because there is so much functionality there, IMHO.
|
| |
|
|
|
10-01-2002, 02:34 AM
|
|
Magi
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,341
|
|
You are right Brad, the functionality is very deep. If they keep building apps like this for PPCs we won't need that big ugly box on our desks any more. 
My "roundtrip" definitely included a pee stop along the way. 8O If they don't find a way to for it to open faster this app may die a slow death....Here's hoping.
Dave
|
| |
|
|
|
10-01-2002, 02:41 AM
|
|
Thinker
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 390
|
|
How does the Hanheld version work? is it also slow as the PPC beta?
|
| |
|
|
|
10-01-2002, 03:07 AM
|
|
Ponderer
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 78
|
|
I only find it a little slow...but the feature I find very slow is when you tap and hold on the text area to get a menu.
DanInNJ
|
| |
|
|
|
10-01-2002, 03:09 AM
|
|
Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,060
|
|
I also had some trouble working with native Word97 files. I must have been doing something wrong, because it didn't want to recognize a .doc file. Anybody explain to me how this is supposed to work?
|
| |
|
|
|
10-01-2002, 03:42 AM
|
|
Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by tj21
while it will read and write the handheld version of Pocket Word (.pwd) it won't read or write the PPC version of Pocket Word (.psw). Also it can read but not write desktop word (.doc) files. Performance is still a little slow as well, about 3 minutes to open a 3 page word docs (~50k) with no images.
|
BINGO! I loaded this intending to do a serious revew (and still plan to) but I can't get past that this is a separate word processor and simply cannot function as a Word replacement.  Even if you do File|Save As and save as a Pocket Word file, if you make a change and hit OK, it wants to save again as a Textmaker format. :?
|
| |
|
|
|
10-01-2002, 03:50 AM
|
|
Magi
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,341
|
|
Ed
I think I read a review somewhere today that said this would change soon, possibly before it's actual release, if not very soon after.
Dave
|
| |
|
|
|
10-01-2002, 03:52 AM
|
|
Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Paragon
Ed
I think I read a review somewhere today that said this would change soon, possibly before it's actual release, if not very soon after.
Dave
|
Thanks. If it is in flux that much, I should wait to review it.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Linear Mode
