Google Docs Rocks!

Introduction

First trial of the Google Docs . Seems to be working perfectly. Only if they allowed a document to be edited in the print layout format. That would allow more control over the formatting and see exactly what the final print would look like, right when you are working on the document.

Points I like about it:

1. Clean and neat interface, no cluttered tool bar
2. Ability to export as PDF
3. All MS Word short cuts work as they should
4. Collaboration option
5. Inserting comments, symbols and tables
6. Of course, the Google tag 🙂
   

Points I dislike about it:

1. Cannot be used on a slow Internet connection (like the one I have at home)
2. No print layout 😦
3. No options of inserting tables

Overall I think that the product is a sure shot winner. I am very pleased with the final product. Google, keep rocking guys!! Oh, by the way, this post was composed directly from within Google Docs and from my home. One oddity however, when I posted it from Google Docs (Writely) it was posted on my blog with a time stamp of tomorrow (Jan 08) and after 4 hours of posting it.

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Google’s Patent Search

The inevitable has happened. Google has finally launched a patent search engine. You can check it out at http://www.google.com/patents

For long I had wished that Google gives a better patent search option, and it has finally happened. Complete with advanced search options including assignee, inventor, IPC classes, and date limitations it is gonna be one heck of a tool for prior art search. I hope it does normal language search more effectively than concept search on PatentCafe.

Though the jurisdiction coverage is currently limited to granted US patents only, I am sure it would not be long before it adds other major Patent Offices like EPO and WIPO to it and published applications/pre-grant publications.

I sure see some competition for us in the future and also for IP service providers like Thomson Scientific.

What I now want to see is a mashup which combines Google Patent Search and Google Spreadsheets & Docs. That would be so much fun!!

PS: The official post is at http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/12/now-you-can-search-for-us-patents.html.