Word, excel, and PowerPoint can be downloaded for free from Amazon.com.

It is time to take a look at the Office applications that are available for the Nook and the Kindle Fire because they are both very popular on the mobile platform.

Matthew Miller is a writer for The Mobile Gadgeteer.

I updated my iPad Office app showdown article in 2011.With tablets like the Nook and the Kindle Fire dropping in price, more and more people are looking to do more with these devices.In this article, I detail my experiences with six applications that allow you to view, edit and/or create Office documents.

There are over 100 pictures from the six candidate applications.The summary tables on the last page show a quick comparison of all six apps, followed by my personal preference.

Since the form factor is going to be very popular with the Amazon Fire, Nook Tablet, and others with displays that make them usable for working with Office documents, I decided to test these out on myHTC Flyer 7 inch Android device.Most people use these apps as simply viewers on their phones, even though they work on smartphones.The larger the screen, the better Office work can be done on it and with a keyboard it can make a road warrior out of anyone.

Like the Documents To Go applications on other platforms, Dataviz focuses on maintaining original document formatting through their Intact Technology and thus you will not see a degradation in your Office document with this application.The application takes advantage of the full display on your device.

After selecting one of the storage locations for your files, you will see a row of icons up near the top that are used for the following.

You can find a gear icon in the lower right of the main page that gives you access to checking for updates, viewing advanced options, managing your desktops, and more.

There is a pop-up in the specific file storage area where you can create a new Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file if you tap the + symbol on the lower left.You will launch into a blank document, spreadsheet, or slideshow after selecting one of these options.

After you select a cell to edit, tap the menu button again to see a new lower toolbar with options for enter, cancel, select from one of the available functions, and more.Landscape is a better orientation for working with spreadsheets and these modules work just fine in either orientation.

You can tap and hold on the options.Green arrows show where you can select multiple columns and rows.The freezing of panes feature in Documents To Go is not supported in other apps.

This is not the application for you if you want to create advanced presentations because the new slideshows only have titles and bullets options.It's great for reviewing and editing presentations where you can duplicate existing slides.

The application works well for recovering your work if the application unexpectedly closes on you, and this has saved me a few times.

The application support page states that the application doesn't support the Tab.I would like to see support for more cloud storage services in future updates, such as Box.net, SugarSync, etc.The option to print from within Documents To Go is something I would like to see.

When you launch Kingsoft Office, you will be taken to an opening page with a welcome document.Up at the top you will find icons for toggling the main navigation toolbar, open, create, share, remove, and view that also serve to highlight sections of the toolbar.If you press the menu button on your device, the top toolbar appears.If you want to see all the functions that are included, you need to pan your finger across the toolbar.

You cannot create PowerPoint slideshows because you cannot view and edit files in these formats.In the Documents To Go section, I stated that I don't think many people care about PowerPoint creation on a phone or tablets.

The alignment options are what you would expect in a Word document.You can drag margin arrows in a cool way with page setup options.

You can tap and hold on the display to see the options.I didn't see a way to quickly create lists or paste in tables.

I couldn't find a way to select formulas or work in cells.To open the cell editing area up at the top of the page, you have to double tap on a cell, and then manually enter anything you need to.Some basic cell functions were not supported so this module is more for viewing and minor editing than a full blown creation package.

Similar to most of these Office applications, OfficeSuite Pro launches into a file browser page to start.There is a list of specific files on the right side of the file location.All of the major players are covered by the application because it supports remote cloud storage.

New, find, settings, updates, and help can be found when you tap the menu button in the main file explorer page.Designating your default document folder is included in the settings.

The options here are similar to what we saw with Documents To Go.Don't forget to tap and hold on the document since you will find quick formatting tools and a way toggling the keyboard.The More menu option allows you to insert pictures, tables, hyperlinks, bookmarks, breaks, comments, and more.

Password protect your spreadsheet.In documents to go, columnn freezing is supported.If advance spreadsheet work and charting are on your list of needs, then this is the application for you.

After selecting a template, you can just change the title and subtitles on the slides so you won't include a lot of artwork or other design elements in your presentation.You can add notes to your slide if you grab your presentation and practice it on your phone.

You can choose the files you want to send or even zip them up in the main file selector page.I would like to see support for wireless printing.

When you launch Polaris Office, you will be taken to a file browser where you can open the file.You have the option to create new Word 97-2003 documents.

Email is one of the share options.Due to the fact that this is an application installed out of the box with manufacturer printer support, we finally see print options here.The nice thing about this app is that you can use other apps to create a document and then pull it in here to print it out.

There are no advanced or basic editing options.Basic text edits are the only things this application is good for.

When you launch Quickoffice Pro, you will be taken to a start screen that will let you quickly jump into the Quickword, Quicksheet, and Quickpoint modules, as well as browse your device for files and setup a cloud remote account.Quickoffice Pro has the best remote account support of any application.

You can access the file manager through the browse option on the start screen if you set these up with your credentials.There are icons on the bottom that can be used to update the application, view the support page or explore other apps.

The options at the bottom of the display are small.These include creating new files or folders, sharing the file with others, copying, cutting, rename, deletion, zip files in a zip archive, and reordering the files.

You can turn on text to speech and have your document read to you.

Selecting text, selecting your input method, paste, and speak are some of the tap and hold options.

You can enter functions by tapping the green function button.It's easy to pick multiple cells with the draggable selector.

You can use the tabs at the bottom of the display to manage multiple sheets.

Drag and drop images on your slideshow.In addition to these editing tools, you can also modify paragraphs and shape details.The small pencil icon in the upper right corner of the slide can be used to view and edit notes.It was easy to drag and drop slides in the slide sorter view.

The table compares the six apps and some more advanced options in word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations.Most of the apps perform the same basic functions, with some having more advanced editing features and functions.

I thought Quickoffice or Documents To Go would take the crown, but OfficeSuite Pro put up a fight with password protection and charting capabilities being two unique features that may have you selecting this as your top application.My top three would be Quickoffice Pro, OfficeSuite Pro and Documents To Go.Kingsoft Office is good for 99 cents, but lacks advanced features.

If you have a question or want to see another column added to my chart, please let me know.

Matthew Miller is a writer for The Mobile Gadgeteer.

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