Press Room
DataViz's New Documents To Go 4.0 Software Brings Microsoft PowerPoint Files to Palm Handhelds
Mobile Professionals Also Can Create, View and Edit Microsoft Word and Excel Filesand Save Documents on Expansion Cards
SYDNEY 9 August, 2001 –– In a handheld industry first, DataViz(R), Inc. and Palm, Inc. today announced Documents To Go(R) Professional Edition Version 4.0, the only solution that enables Palm handheld users to create, view and edit Word and Excel documents and view PowerPoint presentations in one complete package. Mobile professionals now will have the ability to view PowerPoint files with a new application called Slideshow To Go(TM). The DataViz software provides a competitive advantage for Palm handheld users who want a true mobile office solution.
The new Professional Edition continues to support Word and Excel. Other improvements in Version 4.0 include the ability to create and edit Excel–compatible spreadsheets with Sheet To Go(TM), save and sync large documents directly to Secure Digital (SD) and MultiMediaCard media using Palm m500 series handhelds, and sync documents between multiple computers. DataViz's DocSync(TM) technology provides seamless synchronisation by giving users the freedom to make changes on their handhelds without losing the desktop document's original formatting after synchronisation.
"With Documents To Go 4.0, we have strived to make the Palm handheld a superior companion to Microsoft Office," said Dick Fontana, president and chief executive officer of DataViz, Inc. "We believe this latest version of Documents To Go will make using Word, Excel and now PowerPoint files on a Palm handheld as easy to use as the Palm OS(R) itself. "
Palm will bundle a version of Documents To Go 4.0 software free to buyers of the Palm m500 handheld series, giving Palm handheld users the most advanced Word, Excel and PowerPoint experience on any handheld platform. Customers who already have purchased Documents To Go 3.0 software or Palm m500 series handhelds can download Version 4.0 free of charge up to 30 days from their date of purchase (see details listed below under "Special Offer").
"Many people have the misperception that they can't use Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents on Palm handhelds," said Kevin Hell, senior vice president of product management, Solutions Group, Palm, Inc. "In fact, Palm handheld users with Documents To Go now will have the most comprehensive and efficient means of working with these Microsoft Office files while preserving the file format through DocSync technology. And they are able to instantly open documents without the frustrating wait for the hourglass to disappear."
New PowerPoint Capabilities
Similar to PowerPoint on the desktop, Slideshow To Go enables
mobile professionals to view PowerPoint files on their Palm
handhelds. Users can navigate through presentations in outline,
speaker notes, and slide views. For example, users can practice
PowerPoint presentations on their Palm handheld while riding
in a cab or on a plane without pulling out a bulky laptop.
They can also refer to their enhanced speaker notes while
giving the actual presentation. Slideshow To Go is available
for Windows only.
Improved Spreadsheet Functionality
Documents To Go 4.0 is the most comprehensive spreadsheet
application available for handhelds. Sheet To Go is compatible
with Excel, Lotus 1–2–3 and Quattro Pro. The handheld
spreadsheet supports more than 110 functions, including logical,
financial, statistical and informational functions. Users
can create and edit formulas, format cells, recalculate data,
and insert rows, columns and even new sheets on their handhelds.
Sheet To Go also features "instant open" on all
files, so people don't have to wait for files to load on the
handheld. The latest version of Sheet To Go complements the
already rich format support of Word To Go(tm), the word processing
application in Documents To Go.
Expansion Support and Add–On Kit
Documents, spreadsheets and presentations can be downloaded
onto SD and MultiMediaCard media during synchronisation, creating
a postage stamp–sized "floppy disk" that can
be removed or passed to a colleague. An Add–On Kit includes
DataViz Mail (Windows only), an email application to synchronise
Outlook and Lotus Notes email and attachments, as well as
PDF To Go to access PDF files. When Documents To Go Professional
Edition is purchased in retail or directly from DataViz, the
Add–On Kit is included free. Palm m500 series customers
can purchase it for only $US19.95.
Document Protection
Documents To Go is powered by DocSync technology (Windows
only), which gives users the freedom to make changes on their
handhelds without losing the formatting of the original Word
and Excel files after synchronisation. There is no need to
manage multiple versions of the original file because changes
made on the handheld are intelligently merged into the original
desktop file, as if the changes have been made on the desktop.
Features such as graphics, character and paragraph styles,
text boxes and even embedded objects are preserved in the
original file after syncing the changes back from the handheld.
Simple Synchronisation
The latest version of Documents To Go supports synchronisation
with multiple PCs and Macs. It allows users to quickly and
easily exchange data between two or more computers.
Pricing and Availability
Documents To Go Professional Edition 4.0 is $US69.95 and is
expected to be available for all Palm OS based devices by
the end of August from a number of retail outlets, including
Staples, Office Depot and CompUSA, as well as online resellers,
mail order catalogs and educational resellers. It is currently
available directly from the DataViz website ( http://www.dataviz.com ).
French, Italian, German and Spanish versions of Documents To Go Professional Edition 4.0 are expected to be available from international distributors and resellers later this month. For a complete list of Documents To Go International distributors and resellers, please visit ( http://www.dataviz.com/dlist )
A new version of the Documents To Go Standard Edition will soon be available for those who need to use only word processing documents and spreadsheets. It will include all of the functionality of Sheet To Go and Word To Go in Version 4.0, but will not have PowerPoint viewing or the bonus Add–On Kit. The Standard Edition will only be available in the United States and Canada, and will have an estimated street price of $US49.95.
Special Offer from DataViz
Customers who purchase Palm m500 series handhelds or Documents
To Go 3.0 software can download DataViz's Documents To Go
4.0 with support for Word, Excel and PowerPoint free of charge
up to 30 days from date of purchase. In addition, upgrades
will be available for users who have purchased Palm m500 series
handhelds or Documents To Go 3.0 software up to 90 days from
date of purchase and more than 90 days from date of purchase
for $US14.95 and $US29.95, respectively.
Software upgrades are available directly from the DataViz web site www.dataviz.com
About DataViz
DataViz addresses the important and complex need to exchange
files across a variety of applications and platforms, including
Palm OS, Macintosh and Windows. With more than 17 years of
experience in award–winning product design and development,
DataViz's efforts have resulted in compatibility software
with unparalleled functionality, ease of use and reliability.
In response to the changing landscape of technology, DataViz
continues to innovate software to meet OEM, enterprise and
consumer needs. Microsoft, Apple, IBM/Lotus, Palm and other
industry leaders use DataViz compatibility technology.
About Palm, Inc.
Palm, Inc. is a pioneer in the field of mobile and wireless
Internet solutions and a leading provider of handheld computers,
according to IDC (December 2000). Based on the Palm OS®
platform, Palm's handheld solutions allow people to carry
and access their most critical information with them wherever
they go. Palm(TM) handhelds address the needs of individuals,
enterprises and educational institutions through thousands
of application solutions.
The Palm OS platform is also the foundation for products from Palm's licensees and strategic partners, such as Franklin Covey, HandEra (formerly TRG), Handspring, IBM, Kyocera, Sony, and Symbol Technologies. Platform licensees also include Acer, Garmin, Nokia and Samsung. The Palm Economy is a growing global community of industry-leading licensees, world-class OEM customers, and more than 160,000 innovative developers and solution providers that have registered to develop solutions based on the Palm OS platform. Palm went public on March 2, 2000. Its stock is traded on the Nasdaq national market under the symbol PALM. More information is available at www.palm.com
Palm OS is a registered trademark, and Palm is a trademark of Palm, Inc. or its subsidiaries.
