Millions of professionals and students use their iPad for much more than a round of Angry Birds or a Netflix fix.

The App Store also houses tens of thousands of productivity and business-based apps, many of which can help you get your work done on your tablet.

In case you missed the free giveaway a few weeks ago, Picsel’s Smart Office 2 is a $10 software suite for iOS that lets you view, create, edit and share Microsoft Office files (all versions since 1997), as well as support for PDFs.

It’s half the cost of QuickOffice HD Pro, doesn’t require an Internet connection like CloudOn (though there is some cloud support) and there’s no monthly fee, as is the case with OnLive Desktop. The app is also more versatile than Apple’s own standalone apps for word processing (Pages), spreadsheets (Numbers) and presentations (Keynote).

While there were a couple of random issues with the app, this handy productivity tool works very well for the most part.

Launch Smart Office 2 and you’ll see two main ways to look at your documents:

• The Explore tab opens up any files stored on your tablet (in the default My Documents folder) or one of two cloud services at this time (Google Docs and Dropbox). Once you’re looking at your documents stored on or off the tablet, you can choose to see the files alphabetically, by date, file size or by type of document (segregated by .doc, .xls, .ppt and .pdf). The app also supports newer .docx, .xlsx and .pptx files.

• The Timeline tab is a visually appealing look at the last few documents you worked on, in chronological order. But instead of the files listed by file name and type, you see a thumbnail view of your recent work for easy access. Simply tap the image to bring it up full-screen, for editing, printing or sharing.

Smart Office 2 lets you create a Microsoft Office-compatible document from scratch or view and edit an existing one brought onto your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. Along with cloud support, you can also open up attachments in an email (“Open In”) or drag and drop files over when connected to a PC or Mac (from within iTunes).

Along with support for Adobe PDF, the app also lets you view image files, plain text and other files. You can share your documents via cloud service, email in original format (or export as PDF) or wirelessly print your work with built-in support for thousands of wireless printers from 34 manufacturers, says Picsel.

Whether you’re working on a .doc, .xls or .ppt file, the interface is clean and effective – in portrait or landscape view. When you need to pull up some tools, simply tap near the top of the screen for a list of options. Tapping on a word brings up additional options, such as highlighted desired text, formatting and colour options, adding (or taking) photos to the document, and more. Press and hold on the screen to zoom in or out on the text, copy and paste text from other apps or take advantage of the “Undo” button for mistakes.

Curiously, I couldn’t find a spell-checker when in a word processing document, and animated transition effects didn’t appear to be working in an imported PowerPoint presentation -- but these seemed to be the only main shortcomings.

Smart Office 2 also provides a number of document templates – whether you’re writing a professional letter or creating an attractive presentation. There’s also a slideshow mode if you want to use your iPad to view or control your presentation – and even an option to view your slideshow (or regular documents) in stereoscopic 3D for those wearing supported glasses.

Despite a few minor issues, which could be remedied in a future update, this comprehensive suite of Microsoft Office-supported programs is worth the price of admission.

It's official: Microsoft's next-generation smartphones will debut sometime before the holidays.

Specifically, four different Windows Phone 7 models will be available in Canada this year, including two from Telus: the LG Optimus 7 with a 3.8-inch touchscreen and the HTC 7 Surround with 3.6-inch touchscreen and slide-out Yamaha speaker and kickstand.

In this week's column, we discuss what Windows Phone 7 brings to the (crowded) table, Microsoft's approach to application development and distribution and how small businesses can benefit from these smarter smartphones.

Hot features

In case you haven't been following the news, these Windows Phone 7 smartphones offer a number of features not found in current smartphones, dominated by the likes of BlackBerry, iPhone or Android devices.

Instead of static icons on the home screen, Windows Phone 7 devices use large "live tiles" to show you relevant information at a glance, such as how many emails or voicemails you have waiting, status updates from friends' social networks, a photo slideshow, and more. Secondly, the clever People hub houses info and images on all the people who matter to you -- not only with full contact info (such as phone numbers, email addresses and such) but it also folds in your friends' (or colleagues') social networking status, photos and other updates – all on one page per contact.

Because Microsoft likely created the operating system you use on your computer every day, you'll also find many familiar programs and features on Windows Phone 7 smartphones, too. This includes a Start button and pocket editions of Outlook (email), PowerPoint (presentations), Word (word processing), Excel (spreadsheet), Internet Explorer (web browser) and OneNote (note taking, sharing).

Another advantage to Windows Phone 7 is the fact Microsoft has partnered with multiple phone makers – such as Samsung, LG and HTC -- to create different kinds of handsets. That is, while there is some consistency between devices (all must have a touchscreen, a dedicated Bing search button, and so on), consumers can pick a design (and carrier) of their choice. One person might want a large touchscreen only while someone else might want a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, too.

App is up

But how will Windows Phone 7 fare in the application department? Its competitors can already boast popular app stores for its customers to download many thousands of inexpensive programs -- and thus customize their smartphone to their liking.

"Microsoft realizes it won't gain traction in the app market unless it gets developers onboard," says Carmi Levy, an independent technology analyst based in London, Ontario. "It released easy-to-use development tools to reduce development time -- a key metric for developers who build their business models on creating sellable titles in a reasonable amount of time."

"The company has also made it much easier to support in-app advertising, which will allow developers to make money not only from selling their software in the first place, but through ongoing ad sales once the apps are installed on end-users' Windows Phone 7 devices," Levy adds. "While Apple has made similar moves on its iPhone, Microsoft's implementation is cleaner and more direct."

Full-circle approach

From a developer perspective, Windows Phone 7 delivers an "end-to-end" solution, says Gladstone Grant, vice president of developer and platform group for Microsoft Canada. "This includes comprehensive educational materials, vibrant community support, productive and uniform developer tools, and an open, transparent and reliable marketplace program and an underlying application platform which fosters the accelerated development of tightly integrated applications and games."

Further, applications developed for Windows Phone 7 are also created to emulate the phone's "glance and go" feel, explains Grant. "They are aesthetically appeasing and look more modern than existing applications on other mobile operating systems." "With Windows Phone 7, it’s all about the information -- the subtle interface is very unobtrusive, which lets the application really shine," adds Grant.

Microsoft's App Marketplace will also support carrier billing, which will arrive "sometime after launch," assures Grant. "In the meantime, the payment mechanism will be via credit card until carrier billing is available in Canada."

Windows Phone 7 for SMBs

Small-to-midsized businesses can benefit from these phones because it provides "direct access to the largest ecosystem offering provided by Microsoft," says Grant.

"From Windows Live, previously known as Hotmail, now offering wireless email and calendar synchronization to secure remote access to offerings such as Exchange and SharePoint via hosted services, Windows Phone 7 is that 'window' that lets SMB organizations effectively compete with major organizations without the need of third party applications."

"Access to pertinent information, easier and faster, will help smaller businesses grow," he concludes.

Marc Saltzman is one of North America's most recognized and trusted technology experts. Based in Toronto, Marc currently contributes to nearly 50 publications, has authored 14 books and is the host of CTV News Channel's "Tech Talk," CNN's "Tech Time" and Cineplex's "Gear Guide" (seen in movie theatres across Canada).