Online tools for mobile working

In a previous article, we looked at the hardware that can be used to gain greater freedom from our desks and allow mobile working out of the office. What we didn’t touch on were the online tools that could do away with the need to lug any expensive devices around with us at all.

Imagine, then, with a bit of forward planning, being able to leave the office with just a mobile phone and having access to all the necessary documents we need from any internet connected computer. For the purposes of this example we are assuming the following about the user:

• they know in advance exactly which documents they may need to consult out of the office
• they are guaranteed access to an internet connected computer at their final destination
• anything they upload is not highly sensitive or contains details subject to the Data Protection Act

Suitably unencumbered by hardware or any of the worries above, what’s on offer when travelling light, an option that is becoming increasingly attractive in the wake of heightened air travel security and loss or theft risks associated with laptops and other mobile devices?

Just need a few reference notes for your own use? Whack them up on a StikiPad.

StikiPad.com is a quick and easy way to store online the kind of details you always need to look up or can never remember at crucial times. A StikiPad is a virtual notepad cum PostIt. The basic StikiPad is free but functionality can be extended. For $4.95 (£2.60) per month users get 150MB of storage space, a gig of bandwidth and an unlimited number of pages to play around in. Take a sneaky peek at this example StikiPad. There are no editing rights, for obvious reasons, but it will provide an idea of what can be done.

In theory, you could create a separate FTP login and document folder on your own web space to download and upload documents to for free. But the likelihood of being able to access FTP client software on a borrowed or publicly accessible computer is remote, pardon the pun. In any case, the documents downloaded would subsequently have to be deleted and there could well be software problems when trying to open them. Accessing and editing via a bog standard web browser is much less complicated all round, with only a user name and password to remember.

(Actually, it is possible to login into an FTP server via a browser, but this is an insecure method as it requires the user name and password to be entered and sent via the address bar.)

Depending on individual circumstances maybe a word processor and a spreadsheet is all you need. If so, head to Google Docs and Spreadsheets. Register for a free Google account to login and create online versions of most popular file formats, including DOC, XLS, ODF, ODS, RTF, CSV, etc. These documents can then be edited and accessed by you from any internet connected computer. You can also email invitations to others to either edit or view your document or spreadsheet.

Significantly, there is the ability for multiple users to view and edit documents together in real time. There's an on-screen chat window for spreadsheets, and document revisions show you exactly who changed what, and when. Documents can also be saved to your hard drive, or published as a web page or to a blog.

Of course, anyone who has worked out of the office for any length of time will appreciate an online calendar for knowing where and when they are supposed to be at any given time. Again, Google has this covered with a shareable Google Calendar to keep track of schedules, diary appointments and organising events.

You can create invitations, send reminders and keep track of RSVPs. And other key functions include setting up automatic event reminders, including mobile phone notifications, and viewing your own and other calendars your are authorised to see side-by-side.

If words, not numbers, are your thing, check out  Writeboard as an alternative to the all singing, all dancing ‘office’-type suites. Writeboards are collaborative web-based text documents with which you can save, edit, roll back and compare changes.

Created with wordsmiths in mind,  Writeboards simplify the process of joint writing of copy, proposals, memos etc. RSS enables subscribers to be instantly notified of changes and compare different versions of a document.

The makers of Writeboard, 37Signals, are also the brains behind Basecamp, a collaborative project management tool that has won many plaudits for its ease of use and functionality. A web-based application; there’s no software to install, Basecamp makes it easy to create a focal point to manage a project along with clients, contractors and co-workers. Among its functions are to do lists and tasks, message and comment boards, scheduling file sharing, time tracking and milestone marking.

By now you are probably thinking, “What about PowerPoints though?”

No problem. Go to Thumbstacks.com, a new site for making and sharing presentations on the web. With Thumbstacks.com, you can make presentations - like slideshows, or outlines – within your web browser. When you're done, you can share your presentations with anyone, anywhere, just by sending them a link. See it in action by viewing the Thumbstacks.com presentation.

Cool or what? No more lugging round laptops or worrying about the technology on the day. Just send the link and your audience can view your presentation at their leisure. Either that, or you can simply walk them through your slideshow from the comfort of their desk.

Yet another option is Zoho Virtual Office, free downloadable software that enables webmail, calendaring, web documents and sharing, tasks and reports, contacts, notes and bookmarks, CRM, groupspace, Instant Messaging, WAP access and announcements. Pretty much everything you need except a toothbrush.

The hosted service is free for single individuals, the enterprise version is also free for the first 10 users but must run off the company’s own web space. However, if the suite appears to be overkill, individual modules can be picked and mixed instead.

Another interesting development is the Mozilla Firefox browser-based suite of online tools being created by Ajax13, a small San Diego company that was set up earlier this year. Their individual web tools include not only the usual word processor and spreadsheet viewer, but also a graphics editor, video editor and a music player.

Who needs to lug around a laptop now?