Previously, I had talked about how today, with services like ZumoDrive and Dropbox, you can basically access your files from different devices. These services leverage the Internet as a common access point to store or sync your files.
Both ZumoDrive and Dropbox focus on the most common files that you want to sync between devices i.e. photos and music. ZumoCast also allows for video sharing. But that requires the computer containing the video to be powered on, running and connected.
For other kinds of files, like documents etc, there is no easy way to consume them. Sure, you can download them to the device you are using. However, this requires (1) you don’t mind leaving traces of those files on that device and (2) you have a software on the device that can handle those files.
In Dropbox’s video example, you could be trying to access your files at some random Internet cafe in Africa. Would you want to download your resume on the computer you’re using? Probably not.
Ideally, you want to be able to keep everything online with no residue on the device that you are physically using.
In the case of documents, there are a number of online services out there. Google Docs is one example. Microsoft Office Live is another, although I have not used it. I have used Zoho Docs a fair bit. It’s claim to fame is that it can handle Microsoft Office documents with pretty good accuracy.
So the ideal use case here, is that when you want to read a document that is in ZumoDrive/Dropbox, you click on it. Rather than asking you to download the document (as is the case for ZumoDrive today), your browser automatically uploads the document to Zoho and redirects to Zoho Docs so that you can view or edit the document. All this being done online, without actually downloading the document onto the local computer.
This can be done today as providers like Zoho feature APIs that other online services can use.
An example of how this can be implemented is the QuickWeb software that ships with HP’s consumer notebooks. When you are on webmail and want to view a Microsoft Office document attachment, the latter is uploaded to Zoho and you would view the document on Zoho Docs. In this QuickWeb example, the file is actually downloaded before being uploaded to Zoho. That is only because your average webmail provider is not integrated with Zoho in such a way that the document can be transmitted to Zoho directly from the mail server.
The above discussion assumes that we want to access our files from an insecure computer or device e.g. in an Internet cafe or on a computer that does not have the necessary software installed.
What about accessing these files from your own device?
On many Android devices today, you can find a copy of QuickOffice. This software allows you to read/edit Microsoft Office documents on your Android device. Versions are also available for other mobile devices.
On my MyTouch Slide Android phone, QuickOffice does not work with ZumoDrive or Dropbox. I have to first download the file I want to access, then launch QuickOffice. If I want to sync the file back for access from other devices, I will have to re-upload it.
On webOS 2.0, however, QuickOffice will be integrated with Dropbox, Google Docs, box.net and Mobile Me. As the screenshot (from Engadget) shows, you will be able to access your files that are stored on any of these online services.
This is a webOS 2.0 concept screenshot, so it is not clear if the files are sync-ed back online. It would ideal if that were the case. In this way, you can seamlessly access your documents from any device.
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Disclosure: I am a Senior Director, Program Management at DeviceVM and was responsible for delivering the QuickWeb product to HP. I am writing this article to express/share my own opinions and thoughts.