Behind Your Business

Blackberry-maker Research In Motion has acquired the assets of DataViz for an undisclosed sum. The firm's most popular app, known as Documents To Go, comes pre-loaded on some BlackBerry models, but RIM has not disclosed the fate of the app for other platforms.

Documents To Go is an all-in-one application with support for Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents, as well as Adobe PDF, Apple iWork and other files and attachments. Documents To Go also offers a desktop application that makes possible two-way file synchronization, and a version that supports Google Docs, Box.net, Dropbox, iDisk and SugarSync.

"RIM has acquired some of the assets of DataViz and hired the majority of its employees to focus on supporting the BlackBerry platform," RIM said in a published statement. Documents To Go is available on the BlackBerry, iPhone, iPod and iPad, as well Windows Mobile and the Android platforms.

A Boon for QuickOffice?

Michael Disabato, managing vice president of Network and Telecom at Gartner, is not clear on RIM's motives for acquiring DataViz. As he sees it, Documents To Go works well on the Palm and the iPhone, but BlackBerry screens are so small that using standard desktop apps can be a "painful experience."

"I don't understand how the app is going to work on a screen that small. You need something about the size of an iPhone to make this work," Disabato said. "If I put on my paranoid stifle-the-competition hat, RIM could possibly be taking an application that's very popular away from the iPhone and the iPad."

Of course, Documents To Go isn't the only app of its type on the market. QuickOffice is competing for the same user base. QuickOffice Connect Mobile Suite integrates access to remote cloud services within a full Microsoft Office suite. As with Documents To Go, users can view and edit...

Blackberry-maker Research In Motion has acquired the assets of DataViz for an undisclosed sum. The firm's most popular app, known as Documents To Go, comes pre-loaded on some BlackBerry models, but RIM has not disclosed the fate of the app for other platforms.

Documents To Go is an all-in-one application with support for Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents, as well as Adobe PDF, Apple iWork and other files and attachments. Documents To Go also offers a desktop application that makes possible two-way file synchronization, and a version that supports Google Docs, Box.net, Dropbox, iDisk and SugarSync.

"RIM has acquired some of the assets of DataViz and hired the majority of its employees to focus on supporting the BlackBerry platform," RIM said in a published statement. Documents To Go is available on the BlackBerry, iPhone, iPod and iPad, as well Windows Mobile and the Android platforms.

A Boon for QuickOffice?

Michael Disabato, managing vice president of Network and Telecom at Gartner, is not clear on RIM's motives for acquiring DataViz. As he sees it, Documents To Go works well on the Palm and the iPhone, but BlackBerry screens are so small that using standard desktop apps can be a "painful experience."

"I don't understand how the app is going to work on a screen that small. You need something about the size of an iPhone to make this work," Disabato said. "If I put on my paranoid stifle-the-competition hat, RIM could possibly be taking an application that's very popular away from the iPhone and the iPad."

Of course, Documents To Go isn't the only app of its type on the market. QuickOffice is competing for the same user base. QuickOffice Connect Mobile Suite integrates access to remote cloud services within a full Microsoft Office suite. As with Documents To Go, users can view and edit...