<div><strong>G Power</strong></div><div>If you’re the ecstatic owner of an iPhone, make sure you upgrade everything Google on your device.<br /> <br />After Apple threw out Google Maps, created its own messed up version, got egg on its face and, all embarrassed, it decided to let Google services back in, now Google Maps is back, better than ever before. You have turn-by-turn directions — by voice if you like — and you have the choice of getting directions on transport as well. The one word people use to describe the end of the whole maps fiasco is ‘relief’ because the dependence on Google Maps is so high that many users actually avoided upgrading to the iOS6 as that would have meant losing access to maps. In the end, users have less reason to give up on Apple as they now have all they need, so I’m not sure who won this round.</div><table width="100" border="0" align="right" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5"><tbody><tr><td><img src="/image/image_gallery?uuid=85de9599-a5c8-4e32-a923-18c275e7d39f&groupId=222922&t=1356791428751" width="165" height="116" vspace="4" hspace="4" alt="" /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /> <br />Another essential that was refreshed is Gmail. If you’ve been staying clear of the app on your iDevices, check out the free revamped version. Now Gmail has support for up to five accounts, integration with Google+ and a better swipey and clean interface. If you’re not addicted to the mail app, you might like to check it out.<br /> </div><div>Another Google casualty on iOS devices was YouTube and that too is back, slicker and more powerful.<br /> <br />Seeing as Indians are particularly fond of watch-listening to music on YouTube and of course getting at all the videos, you should think of giving the new YouTube app a whirl instead of hunting for what you want via browsers. The new app looks good and lets you easily manage the channels you are fond of and make playlists. You can’t upload your videos from here though. For that, try Capture.<br /> </div><div><strong>Free and full</strong></div><div>Kingsoft Office is nothing short of shocking. It’s a full-fledged office suite — and it’s free. Available on Android and just perfect for all those using phablets and large smartphones. I mean it when I say this is a complete office suite. You get in and, after you’ve connected with whatever cloud storage you use, start a new document.<br /> <br />This could be a word processor, spreadsheet or presentation. It’s not easy to input content into a smaller device when you’re used to doing this on a computer, but for quick bursts of work, it’s just fine. I’ve managed to write an article or two into the word processor, but that’s made easier than ever because I’m using the stylus on the Note II. If you travel a lot and want to do light work using this suite, invest in a stylus and see if that makes life any easier. Kingsoft is not a handwriting recognition program though, and you’d need to add it via an app like WritePad. You can also make input easy if you use SwiftKey. And once you upgrade to Jelly Bean 4.2, the keyboard has a predictive action. Getting into any of the three types of document creation modes, you’ll be amazed at the familiar features from Microsoft Office. For word processing, you have everything from text styles and footnotes, revision and paragraph settings to reading mode and web layout. That’s more than you get with most app-based editing apps. However, it’s less than what you’ll get on your computer, with Microsoft Office or Libre. <br /> </div><div>Kingsoft supports some 25 formats including doc, docx, xls and ppt. You store files within the app or on Dropbox and other cloud services. It’s so intuitive that you don’t need to learn anything to use this app-suite.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 07-01-2013)</span></div>
BW Reporters
Mala Bhargava has been writing on technology well before the advent of internet in Indians and before CDs made their way into computers. Mala writes on technology, social media, startups and fitness. A trained psychologist, she claims that her understanding of psychology helps her understand the human side of technology.