Google Docs

Google Docs is one of the best services around when you want access to the services a word processor offers but don't want to be tethered to a local machine. While Microsoft Office was once far and away the prime contender for an office suite, Google's suite of cloud-based tools rose up quickly and provided some much needed competition to the well-worn Microsoft suite. Despite fundamentally working in much the same way as Microsoft Word, the cloud functionality of Google Docs was a game changer. It allowed users to access their documents wherever they happen to be, to better organize everything on file, and to create a more collaborative environment where sharing documents or giving others editing rights was as simple as sharing a link. But Google couldn't expect to stay ahead with that one simple but clever innovation alone. Microsoft has since brought in similar integration with the implementation of their Microsoft 360 platform. Fortunately, this has created something of an arms race and Google has been solid in making new additions and changes to Docs. The Docs of today is well worth trying, and not just because it's completely free to use.

That said, the financial advantage is enormous. A Google account gives you access to your Docs profile wherever you happen to be, and it integrates neatly with a number of other Google services like Slides (their answer to Powerpoint), Gmail (their answer to web-based email platforms like Live), and Calendar. For users looking to ditch their software-based professional ecosystem and move entirely to the digital space, Google Suites certainly offers one of the most tantalizing opportunities to do so. Google Docs folds easily into Google Drive, the all-encompassing only storage account that Google offers to their users free of charge.

The collaboration features are the biggest selling point of Google Docs. Where more traditional word processing platforms typically require you to share a document as an attachment and then keeping swapping it back and forth for editing, Google Docs allows you to give reading or editing control to people on a case by case basis, and there are a number of tools to make sure everything stays orderly. A comprehensive list of revisions lets you keep track of what was changed and when, and the ability to leave notes on your document's sidebar allows each person to justify the why of these edits just as well. You can even revert your document back to the way it was on a given day or time.

But perhaps the biggest game changer in Google Docs is the Explore button. This syncs up nicely with the Google search engine, asking you questions, and providing analysis of your data. It generally serves as personal assistant, and while it's functionality can vary depending on what you're doing, it's a feature that will likely only grow over time.