One of the biggest drawbacks to working with Webtop productivity applications such as Google Docs or Buzzword is that they force you to work simultaneously in two different worlds: the online world and the desktop world. You can upload your desktop documents one at a time to these services, and they convert them for you into a Web-based document, but there is no easy way to bulk upload your docs. And syncing between the two worlds is more trouble than it is worth.
A new service called DocSyncer hopes to fix all that. DocSyncer is going to launch an invite-only beta in a few weeks (TechCrunch readers can sign up here to get first dibs). It uploads all of your Microsoft Office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) from your desktop to Google Docs and then keeps them in sync. Whenever you make a change on your desktop, the change is automatically reflected in the corresponding file on Google Docs, and on DocSyncer.com. The service will require a small software download, which at first will only work on Windows computers (a Mac version is coming). But you will be able to sync from more than one computer—up to Google Doc’s current limit of 5,000 documents.
“DocSyncer is always sitting in the background,” explains founder Cliff Shaw, “watching for new documents. When something is added, it’s immediately synced up to our online viewer and Google Docs.” Shaw is also the CEO of ProtectMyPhotos, which synchronizes your desktop photos with an online storage service and with Flickr. DocSyncer, which is currently seeking angel funding, is based on the same technology. If you go to DocSyncer.com after downloading the app, you will see icons for all the documents in your computer organized in the same folder structure as on your desktop:
When you click on a document icon, a second browser window instantly opens it up in Google Docs. Through the browser interface, DocSyncer is trying to replicate the desktop experience. “The goal,” says Shaw, “s to build seamless desktop integration of Google Docs so the advantages of using Microsoft Office begin to fall away.” That’s a huge ambition, but DocSyncer could offer a small step in that direction. For instance, Shaw wants to get the load time from clicking on a browser icon to launching the Google Doc faster than launching a Word doc that is installed locally. He is not quite there yet. It took me about 7 to 10 seconds to launch a document in a demo account I was given access to, versus about 3 seconds to open up a Word doc (with Microsoft Word already fired up). But it does seriously close the gap compared to always hitting the back button inside Google Docs itself.
DocSyncer could be used in many ways—for remote access to all your desktop documents or a secure off-site backup. Each document is individually encrypted and sent to Google over Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). Shaw’s hope is to make it a key migration tool for the next wave of people who are curious about Webtop productivity apps, but don’t want to give up their desktop documents (and why should they?). Google Docs needs a bulk-uploading and synchronizing feature. And all it would take would be a few tweaks to the Google Docs API to make that synchronization two-way so that any change in Google Docs would also be reflected in the original docs on your desktop. But I’m not sure this is a standalone company—ultimately either Google becomes DocSyncer’s angel buyer, or it builds this itself.
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I hope Google will buy it. Otherwise, good luck!
Can you say Grand Slam!!!!
This is a no brainer. Allow me to make the introduction. It goes something like this.
Dear Google Corp Dev team meet DocSyncer. DocSyncer allows EVERYONE using Microsoft desktop apps to MIRROR their work to Google Apps. Thus, having instant no brainer adoption of Google Apps.
Google Teams Says:
Now how much do you want for your company? Will you take cash or check?
DocSyncer Founders Say:
But, wait Mr. Google do you realize this offering will one day be bundled with all new PC and Notebook sales.
Mr. Microsoft Says:
Do you know who I am. I will crush you if you don’t sleep with me… well, make that, give me you secret sauce and let me freeze you out of the market.
Mr Google says:
Was that $50M or $60M you wanted?
Mr. Microsoft says:
Shit. Take all the chairs out of Steve Ballmer’s office before he starts winging them around like a cowboy.
…..conclusion: DocSyncer Founders buy and Island and live happily ever after.
The End!
After playing on DOS and Commodores etc, I started properly working on Macs in 1987, made my first website in 1995, (been making them constantly ever since) had to move onto PCs in 1998, got back to Mac in 2007 - have a MacBook Pro as my main computer, a Dell desktop with an attached LACIE as home fileservers, and a work Toshiba with WinXP, and an HP iPAQ 6915 with WinMobile 5 as my mobile phone. Oh god the synchronisation problems!!! Missing Sync for Windows Mobile on my Mac has duplicated most of my calendar appointments, and deleted the rest. Managing to keep documents I am working on on the MacBook, the Toshiba, and wanting to keep on the fileserver, synchronised, whether through iDisk or the iPAQ or some other means - it’s all been a bloody nightmare. Any smart ideas or simple solutions would be welcome. I am profoundly cross-platform, and have been for two decades (as you can see) and want a sync solution that caters for this! HELP!!!
oh, I forgot one more. I don’t want people to think I was discriminating.
Between Microsoft saying ….”do you know who I am…..” and Google saying …”was that $50M or $60M…”
There is Mr. Yahoo saying:
Hey, what about me. Do you think we’ve got a chance?
DocSyncer Says:
Who you with again?
I’ve been using ProtectMyphotos for a long while and am quite happy with it. DocSyncer obviously leverages the existing technology - even the screenshots are similar.
This is really smart: I don’t know about ProtectMyphotos revenues, but the sync app could surely be sold to Google for a little pocket change (unless they are already working on their own solution). There certainly is demand for it, and it certainly is not an independent business in the long run.
One of the primary reasons early adopters of Google Docs & Spreadsheets use these tools is to avoid using Microsoft Office in the first place. Either to avoid having to buy Office, or to avoid not having the document handy when they want to edit it. In addition, the dead-simple sharing/collab/publishing abilities in Google D&S are truly ‘killer functionality.’
This tool seems to render Google D&S as essentially just another place to store your docs online to make them accessible. The idea that this tool would help displace MS Office after a while seems like a fake feature. After all, you are still using MS Office to generate the documents, and since there doesn’t appear to be syncing in the other direction, it actually discourages you from editing the documents on Google.
I use both MS Office and Google D&S. But if I have a choice, and am not needing some whiz-bang MS Office feature (which is almost never), I’d rather stick to Google D&S and avoid the hassle entirely.
(As an aside, being able to publish spreadsheets from Google D&S in a way where I can embed cells or ranges of cells into other web documents is un-fucking-believably cool.)
MGZ
Google docs… google dooocsss….mmmm Nope… don’t know it… I’ve heard of Buzzword though!!!
How long will google Docs last before they realize they need to compete with Buzzword on a use of a new technology.
It’s interesting to see how many companies launch these days to build their business on top of business activities of other companies. I wonder if this will be the winning formula in the future? The ability to attract companies to build new business on your platform that enables both audience, value and flexibility.
Not sure if there is a large market for this, because it only works with Google Docs.
I made my own sync solution using the iMacros web browser macros. The macros sync my Excel data with several online services.
nice program, really thanks
What about Office 2007 file format support? I hope I can upload/open my docx, xlsx, pptx files
This would be nice if it worked with legit MS office docs not this Gaggle crap which we are going to sue the pants off of these wannabes over!
And on the one article where a Fake Steve Ballmer comment might be hilarious, he doesn’t show.
I’m still anticipating a Google release for Google Docs that uses nothing more than Google Gears in your web browser, online or offline.
I would assume Google is building something similar using their Google desktop widgets framework.
Wouldnt be very difficult to build, just a simple bi-directional update check and download/upload capability.
@Cliff Shaw,
Dude, you’re totally missing 2 platforms, namely, mac and Linux. Let beerco software corporation port your app to these massive platforms. OR, or you can lose customers and mocked on digg.com for insubordination to the “cool” platforms.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8606487@N03/
The inotify event can be used to monitor docs on Linux and we can use file system notifications for Mac as well. Google Desktop Search on Linux does that. It’s no problem and we can get it done on time and with 2 coders. One to create and maintain the mac and one for the Linux GTK version. All the code will be written and unit tested in BLAZING fast gcc/g++ compiled C++.
flickr.com/photos/8606487@N03/1507113327/
flickr.com/photos/8606487@N03/1507113317/
Don’t let your VC money evaporate before hiring us to port this genius of an application to Mac and Linux. As in hire us before that happens.
That’s supposed to read “be mocked on digg.com for insubordination to the “cool” platforms.”
We’ll support this app on Mac and Linux for years to come for you, with no payroll and low development costs.
If you’ve already got MS Office, try using FolderShare. Works on Macs and PCs. Let’s you sync any type of file between your own computers or between friends’. Microsoft acquired this company 2 years ago. http://www.foldershare.com
Ryan, I am using Foldershare, but it’s a totally different animal
@Ryan
Foldershare is great, but it doesn’t solve the problem of having my documents automatically synced with an always accessible web location. If I could auto-sync a folder with my Box.net account I’d be in heaven.
This is a pretty good idea, though we really need a complete, affordable storage solution rather than all these disparate individual solutions. Google needs to step up to the plate and offer 25-50 GB free storage.
Am I the only one that finds this scary? What I don’t want is me making a change on Google Docs and then finding that the formatting is well and truly messed up in the original! I would think it would have to copy text only or perhaps create revisions of original .docs, otherwise I could find my entire document library messed up.
How about privacy? I would never give a third party company my Google account details…
@Jonathan, it’s only 1 way from the PC up to the web, not the other way. The same way CuteFTP, dreamweaver or Komodo synchronizes local changes with ftp, except it does it with file system notifications on document types.
They REALLY need to consider getting a Mac and Linux version done, and we can do that for them for about ~120k per year with long term support.
It’s easier to just abandon your desktop and get a wireless card and a laptop.
This would be great for me, … if they synced Open Office docs.
@EJL
I’m sure it just scans your hard drive for files that match MS Office formats. It should work fine for Open Office if you use MS Office supported formats.
I wonder if it searches for native Open Office file formats?
I still think ThinkFree has the best choice. Desktop and web syncing without using MS Office.
It’s easier to just abandon your desktop and get a wireless card and a laptop.
This would be great for me, … if they synced Open Office docs.
lazer epilasyon
thanks for contribution. very nice and useful article..