Kingsoft Office for Android Review

The ability to view and edit your documents on the fly is a handy option to have. But if you were to buy the office app for your phone or tablet, then you will have to shell out anywhere between Rs. 300 to Rs. 1000 and up. While there are some free apps, most of them will allow you to only view documents. And if you want the editing ability, then you will have to purchase the pro version. And here’s where Kingsoft Office app will come to your rescue. The free app allows you to view as well as edit documents. And the best part is it does quite a good job of it as well.   

Interface and features
Kingsoft Office is a nifty app that will surprise you with its efficiency. It sports a simple, clean and user friendly UI. The layout and style is similar to Microsoft Word, which makes it easy to adapt to. The homescreen will show you the recent documents and you have the option to ‘star’ the ones you need frequently for easy access on the homescreen. The app supports over twenty file formats including the popular ones like DOC, DOCX, TXT, XLS, XLSX, PPT, PPTX and PDF. 

It has many useful features...

As mentioned, the app allows you to view, edit as well as create documents. You can create Word document, text, PPT and a spreadsheet. Working in any format isn’t difficult at all, as long as you are comfortable with typing in touch interface. All the options like save, edit, layout etc. are easily accessible from the toolbar at the top. Underneath it, you will find all the sub-options on a horizontal ribbon. While horizontal scrolling can be cumbersome, what comes to your rescue is that clicking on, say, the layout option on the toolbar will bring forth and highlight its sub-options. This saves you from scrolling.

It provides cloud support as well

When working on a document, a feature that will come in handy is long-press on any part of the text, which opens a pop-up window with options to cut, copy, select, share etc. Other options include the ability to add images, font size, header/footer, encrypt files, copy/paste support between apps, add comments etc. Working on spreadsheets is also quite a breeze; it supports formula as well as provides options like wrap text, freeze panes, sort, add charts, auto shapes etc. When it comes to PPT files, again, you won’t have difficulty in making presentations. It provides all the necessary options such as layouts, master slides, charts, objects, graphics, play, quick style, etc. that you will need for your PPT

Performance 
When it comes to performance, Kingsoft doesn’t disappoint as it can easily handle files of 100MB and more. We did not experience any lag as we viewed and edited several word documents, image heavy PDF, spreadsheet and even PPT. It includes a reader mode and an editing mode, so when you are simply viewing a document, select the reading mode as it will automatically go full screen and will lock auto-rotate. Additionally, for ease of reading, it allows you to change the background colour from white to grey and even a light blue. It also features a file manager, which provides easy access to all your files. But what makes the app all the more desirable is the cloud support for services like Google Drive, Dropbox, Box.net and others. It also provides mail integration, so you can modify a document that you have received via email and send it directly. It also supports external USB or Bluetooth keyboard.

Making PPTs is also quite easy

Verdict
When you look at the features on offer and its performance, it’s hard to believe that it’s a free app. However, having said that, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s great when it comes to basic editing on your portable device, but it definitely can’t replace the Office Suite. So if you are looking for an office app to view and edit documents while on the go, then look no further.

The app is available for Android and can be downloaded from here.