Alfresco launches iPad app with round-trip QuickOffice editing

Last week, Alfresco released a new iPad app that provides the unique ability to open a document stored in the Alfesco content management system in QuickOffice, then enables the user to edit or update the document, and finally return the document to Alfresco in the background without explicitly having to save it there--all using the iPad.

This could be interesting because as Alfresco pointed out in its announcement, QuickOffice is the top grossing iPad business app. That means that you can presume that lots of people are using it and the round-tripping capability between the word processor and Alfresco could be intriguing.

According to Alfresco CEO, John Powell, this solves a long-standing issue for Enterprise IT departments when it comes to deploying mobile content apps. "Businesses have long been searching for a real solution that properly equips mobile devices for enterprise-grade content creation, and not just consumption," Powell said. He believes this ability to open, edit and return the document to the repository solves this problem.

In addition, Alfresco continues its commitment to being open source by also announcing that they worked with partner, Zia, to create an open source version of the Alfresco mobile app that could allow companies to create customized mobile applications based on Alfresco's, giving IT the ability to enhance the product for an individual company's unique needs.

The app is available for download now on the Alfresco website or the Apple App Store. The source code for the open source mobile app is available at Bitbucket.

For more information:
- see the Alfresco press release

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