Google Docs goes mobile

Google Docs has been made available for smartphone owners, meaning users can edit documents in their mobile browser.

The English-language version will be rolled out for users around the world in the next few days, although it will be limited to Android 2.2 and Apple's iOS 3.0 and above.

This means iPad owners will be able to edit documents while on the move as well, while support for other languages will be added soon.

"With Google Docs, we're always trying to make you more productive - and part of that means making it possible for you to get things done from anywhere, at anytime," said Andrew Grieve, Google software engineer, in a blog.

"It's easy to get started: visit docs.google.com in a browser on a supported device, and select the document you want to edit. Then, when you're viewing it, press the Edit button to switch to the mobile editor."

Edits on Google Docs appear in near real-time, meaning amendments made by other users on the same document will appear almost instantaneously.

Other features include bullet holing, table editing and, if using Android, the ability to add words using voice.

Google Docs is going head to head with Windows Phone 7 Office, which already offers the same capability of mobile document editing.