How to access Excel files, apps to use?

[grannie14]

I am a new Android user. Have been doing PCs since the 80s, so not illiterate until I get to Android. Don't have smart phones so have never used apps. Have spent hours on the Vizio Tablet forum (bought VTAB1008 about 3 weeks ago) and have gleaned a lot of info but still feel illiterate here.

I downloaded some files to my SD card that I want to be able to access, Excel files and Word.docs. I've been going through the owners manual (totally frustrating because it is pre-honeycomb) and didn't see anything about accessing data on the SD card. I called Vizio help and they said there was no way to access the files. Yet I see many apps that say they allow you to open and edit and save MS Office files. If I have one of those apps, will it know to find the files in the SD card like the music and photo apps do? I do not want to store this particular data in the clouds.

My next issue is about permissions required for apps. Maybe I'm skeptical, but when I read the lists of permissions on the apps, it seems that allowing someone you never heard of, access to so much of your information and giving them the ability to control your device is asking for trouble. There are cautions on the permissions page that tell you what a malicious person could accomplish and that really sounds scary! How do you protect yourself? Do the developers have trust certifications or ?????

Thanx in advance for your help.

 

[Tanzanite]

HI Grannie

I would recommend Document to Go for access to the MS Office Documnets. You can read more here: Frequently Asked Questions

All Apps have a long list of permissions that they need. As long as it is popular Apps (read Apps that has been download >100K times) I would not be really worried. If Windows gave you the same information the list would probably be even longer.

 

[J515OP]

I am a new Android user. Have been doing PCs since the 80s, so not illiterate until I get to Android. Don't have smart phones so have never used apps. Have spent hours on the Vizio Tablet forum (bought VTAB1008 about 3 weeks ago) and have gleaned a lot of info but still feel illiterate here.

Welcome. Glad you are finding useful info here

I downloaded some files to my SD card that I want to be able to access, Excel files and Word.docs. I've been going through the owners manual (totally frustrating because it is pre-honeycomb) and didn't see anything about accessing data on the SD card. I called Vizio help and they said there was no way to access the files. Yet I see many apps that say they allow you to open and edit and save MS Office files. If I have one of those apps, will it know to find the files in the SD card like the music and photo apps do? I do not want to store this particular data in the clouds.

Most apps will be able to access documents music, pictures, videos etc. on the SD card. In Gingerbread the apps themselves or their data (e.g. level progress or high scores) couldn't be placed on the SD card. If you are now running Honeycomb you have the option to fully use the SD card for apps and data. Files will still be accessible on the SD card even if you choose to leave the apps and data in internal memory.

My next issue is about permissions required for apps. Maybe I'm skeptical, but when I read the lists of permissions on the apps, it seems that allowing someone you never heard of, access to so much of your information and giving them the ability to control your device is asking for trouble. There are cautions on the permissions page that tell you what a malicious person could accomplish and that really sounds scary! How do you protect yourself? Do the developers have trust certifications or ?????

Thanx in advance for your help.

Unfortunately this is just the way the modern world works. More and more apps are tending towards getting all your data rather than only what they need access to. Google will pull malicious apps from the store periodically but not necessarily screen out data miners. You just need to make a choice if you feel that a flash light app needs access to your contacts for example. Fortunately there are usually many versions of the same apps and some might be more appropriate than others. You can also search for apps that help monitor your privacy or block other apps from certain actions. As Tanzanite said you can also check the reviews for a particular app and see if there are any red flags mentioned by the users.

So you can feel reasonably comfortable that if you stick to the main app stores you will have some protection though not necessarily privacy. It may still be a good idea to get an antivirus app just to be safe. All you can do other than that is to actually read the permissions the app is requesting and decide if it makes sense.

JP

 

[Stringrazor]

Hi Grannie,

I'm in the same boat as you, new to Android (only have the Vtab for a few days tho' I've been using a BB smartphone and apps for a few years) but am an IT pro since the late... well, let just say since a few decades ago. I found that with a free file manager app like ES File Explorer, I can read and write files on an SD card as well as a shared LAN drive. Made things a lot simpler for me. You just have to get used to where things are. See this thread for a discussion of mount points under Gingerbread and Honycomb.

 

[DCRocks]

My next issue is about permissions required for apps. Maybe I'm skeptical, but when I read the lists of permissions on the apps, it seems that allowing someone you never heard of, access to so much of your information and giving them the ability to control your device is asking for trouble. There are cautions on the permissions page that tell you what a malicious person could accomplish and that really sounds scary! How do you protect yourself? Do the developers have trust certifications or ?????

Thanx in advance for your help.

I use 2 apps to protect myself, but you need to eb rooted

1) Droid wall, it block external access for an app completely

2) LBE Privacy Guard - it allows you to revoke app permission on an app by app and permission by permission basic

As to the MS Documents....

Check out the Android app: OfficeSuite Pro 6 + (PDF & HD)

It is normally $15, but is on sale for .99 cents until 5/10

Play link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobisystems.editor.office_registered&hl=en

Details:

View, Edit, Print and Share your office documents on the go!
**** 0.99$ for 3 days only until May, 10th! ****
Create, view, edit, print and share Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files and attachments and view PDF files on your Android based phone with a single complete feature-rich mobile office solution. Now also on Android Honeycomb. The software utilizes the most commonly used desktop document formats and also includes a File Browser and integration with Google Docs, DropBox, Box and SugarSync to help you manage your local, remote files and email attachments. OfficeSuite Pro is an essential productivity application offering greater office efficiency than ever anywhere, anytime.
OfficeSuite 6 New Features
* Page view for Word and other text documents
* Headers and footers in Word documents
* Page numbering in text documents
* Editing in PowerPoint Slide View for even faster slide changing
* Objects manipulation in PowerPoint files – move, resize, rotate
* Filters in Excel so you can quickly and effectively handle your data
* Significantly increased number of functions in Excel – OfficeSuite now offers the richest choice of 240 unique functions
* Improved cell selection in spreadsheets
* SugarSync compatibility so you can now access your remote files in SugarSync
* Cursor adjustment in text documents
* WordArt support in text documents
* Optimized for Android 4.0
OfficeSuite 5 New Features
* Completely redesigned and improved user interface and experience
* Recent Files and My documents shortcuts in the File Browser allowing more efficient access to documents
* Filters in the file browser to help you quickly access files from selected format
* Intuitive toolbars added in the File Browser, the document and spreadsheet modules
* Two pane user interface on Android 3.0 Honeycomb devices
* Support for EML and RTF file formats
* Direct Save of text documents in Google Docs
* Email reader module allowing you to work with EML Outlook files
OfficeSuite is the selected office productivity application by a number of manufacturers and has been preloaded on over 20 million devices worldwide by manufacturers as Sony Ericsson, Alcatel, FoxConn, Pandigital, Olivetti and many others.
OfficeSuite consists of several software modules that share the same look and feel, and allow you to view, create and modify office document on the go:
* File browser
* Text document module
* Spreadsheet module
* Presentation module
* PDF Reader
* Email reader
File Formats
* Text formats - Microsoft Office 97 to 2010 text documents - DOC and DOCX, RTF, TXT, LOG
* Spreadsheets -Microsoft Office 97 to 2010 spreadsheets - XLS, XLSX and CSV
* Presentations - Microsoft Office 97 to 2010 presentations - PPT, PPTX, PPS and PPSX
* Other formats - PDF, EML, ZIP
View Attachments and Share Documents
* Easily open email attachments
* Work with Outlook EML files
* Upload documents in Google Docs
* Share documents via Email or Bluetooth
OfficeSuite is the only mobile office for Android that allows opening of password protected documents.
Language Support
English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese Traditional, Chinese Simplified, Swedish, Russian and Korean
The version for Google TV does not support PDF.
Compatible with Sony Ericsson LiveDock™ Multimedia station.
com.sonyericsson.extras.ATTACHED

 

[wlellis]

I ran across a free app named Onlive Desktop here:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/...=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5vbmxpdmUuZGVza3RvcCJd

It makes your tablet desktop look like a PC, and includes a bunch of applications which include many of the MS Office applications including Excel

 

[bclinger]

Office Suite Pro 6 is slow. The spreadsheet when saved as a XLSX cannot be read by DTGs spreadsheet and Excel 2010 errors with it on occasion. Saved as XLS and DTG will open it up.

I have noted no outstanding issues with the editor.

Very slow with Drip Box.

I have kept up with the updates and rarely use it. I cannot recommend it to anyone over Documents To Go.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

 

[bclinger]

Did more testing: there is a compatibility issue with Excel. Use of the spreadsheet is at your own risk.

Also, PDF rendering is noticeably slower than Documents To Go. Overall, there are better alternatives.

Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk

 

[J515OP]

For a $1 it is probably worth trying out though. Might be just enough for some people. Documents To Go is the other major alternative while Onlive is sort of a different thing altogether but will allow you to work with docs.

 

[Tom T]

My main use is word processing and this seems to be the only wysiwyg editor available. I've used DTG for years, starting with the Palm and it does have the highest level of file compatibility on the market. I've actually had to use it to open and save a file so that I could then open it in OfficeSuite Pro. Still, OfficeSuite Pro is my go to word processor on my Transformer.

 

[Sechriest]

Try Kingston Office. It's free and handles all Office files.

 

[bclinger]

Free, but compatibility. You get what you pay for.

Open Office and Libre Office are free. Use the spreadsheet functions with case, data lose happens with them. After a while I spent the money for Excel and no more problems.

Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk

 

[grannie14]

Thank you Tanzanite. Will try Documents to go. Like the idea of looking at # of downloads to assess.

 

[grannie14]

DCRocks, Thanks for all the infor. I made a list of all the suggestions and will be checking them all out. You mentioned I needed to root to use the Droid Wall and LBE Privacy Guard. I've already upgraded to HC and I thought I read somewhere that if I upgraded I wouldn't be able to root. I read about rooting before I upgraded and decided that I was not tech enough and probably didn't need to because I'm using the VTAB to be able to read Kindle books and to not have to take my laptop when only going on short trips. I read a couple of posts about how to root but I really never read why to root. Is there a thread?

 

[J515OP]

Hi gannnie, no way to root the VTab with Honeycomb at the moment. Root has it's advantages such as being able to use certain apps that require root, but since it isn't possible (maybe someday) there is no need to worry about it.

JP