Review: Version 3 of Zoho Writer

It’s been a long time since my last post and as anyone who has spent anytime on my blog knows that I am a fan of online or “cloud” based software, and the software from Zoho.com has always been a favorite of mine. So I thought I would update the blog with this post where I look at Zoho Writer 3, which is a major overhaul of the venerable Word Processor from Zoho Corporation. So let’s see if it is good enough for all of your word processing needs.

The Interface:

Zoho Writer 3 is out and when I first opened Writer 3 I was presented with a dull gray page with a blank white area, which at first seems disappointing, but after using using Zoho Writer 3 for some time I found that  this was a wise choice as the background and toolbar colors make it is easy on the eyes and less distracting while working on your documents.

The Toolbar:

The next thing that I noticed was the toolbar has changed dramatically. While not quite the ribbon that was introduced in Microsoft Office 2007 and improved upon in Microsoft Office 2010, the new tabs and icons in Zoho Writer 3 are very intuitive, and the drop down arrows let you select commands from any tab without requiring you to have to change tabs.

Another toolbar that reminds me of Microsoft Office 2007 and Microsoft Office 2010 is the floating toolbar that appears when you select text inside of your document. This floating toolbar gives you easy access to some of the most commonly used tasks for formatting text, such as changing fonts, and lists.

Another interesting change to the interface is the two areas to the left of your document that offer access to the typical commands you would issue against the file, such as Save; Save As, Print, and Exports, and another area that offers features for undo; redo, cut, copy, and paste.

Document Information:

One of the many feature that I have always liked about Zoho Writer and continue in the new version is information about your document is right there and you do not have to search through menus for word count or page counts. For example if you want to know how many words are contained in your document just look to the bottom right. When was the document last saved? Look up at the top right and you will see the time the document was saved.

Speed:

The new Zoho Writer 3 seems to have been tweaked for speed, and it seems like even with all the features enabled, the document I was working on was as responsive as a document that was stored on my local hard disk. I also notice that long or complicated words now pop up as you type and allow for auto completion. This along with features that allow you to work on documents offline are a welcome addition.

Documentation:

One thing that frustrates me with all of these new “cloud” based services is the lack of quality reference books, and Zoho Corporation tools are no exception. A quick search of Amazon turned up three titles all of which were published in 2009 which is more than an eternity in the world of technology. Zoho Corporation compensates for some of this with their online documentation and one page that you should definitely look at is “Zoho Writer – Frequently Asked Questions” located on their website.

Storage Space:

One concern of mine is the disk space provided by Zoho Corporation. With the free account you get 1 GB, and I understand that you get what you pay for and since you are not paying, you get what you get. What I find disappointing is Zoho only offers two paid options and neither increases your disk space substantially.

Apps for Portable Devices:

This is one area that Zoho Corporation really lacks. True Zoho Corporation does off their CRM and Invoice applications, but the rest of the applications are left out in the cold. Zoho Writer 3 application only lets you view your documents, edits are not available.

Final Thoughts:

Zoho Writer 3 is one of the most feature rich word processors online, and with it’s other tools, Zoho Corporation is a major player in the online or “cloud” services sector. This article is in no way the final word, because there are so many features of Zoho Writer 3 that I am still learning. This update has brought me back to the Zoho Corporation family of products.