Put the finishing touches on your PowerPoint presentation while you are on the plane. Edit that Word document in the cab on the way to the hotel. Wrangle Excel spreadsheets from the comfort of your room. The iPad makes the perfect platform for on-the-road document editing. Here are seven applications which will help you create Office compatible documents.

1. Office2HD [$7.99] – Move files effortlessly from Google Docs to your iPad. Office 2 HD brings the functions of the Microsoft Office suite to the mobile platform. Open your Word, Excel, PDF and TXT files. Retain the original formatting of those files. Correct your mistakes easily with up to 100 undo levels. There is a spell checking feature. Create tables, delete or create folders, and transfer your files locally. Export your documents as PDFs.
2. Numbers [$9.99] – Import your CSV files and Excel files into Numbers, Apple’s spreadsheet program. Format your data into one of sixteen templates. You have over 250 spreadsheet functions at your disposal, including many of the same features of Excel. Mail your documents or export them as PDFs. Easily move between spreadsheets. Use the intelligent keyboard to enter dates and numbers.
3. QuickOffice Connect Mobile Suite [$9.99] – With QuickOffice, you have the full capabilities of the office suite at your fingertips. Open and edit your Excel, PowerPoint and Word files. The Quickword document processing application features advanced formatting, bulleted lists and smart page viewing. Quicksheet supports advanced Excel features, dynamically updates columns and rows, and allows you to easily build formulas. The Multi-Edit Toolbox places several commonly used editing tools within reach so you don’t have to sort through countless windows.
4. Keynote [$9.99] – Delight your audience with charts, tables and vivid presentations using the Keynote application. The app allows you to easily move components around the slide. Create professional quality animations and transitions to tantalize your audiences from the breakroom to the boardroom. Connect your iPad to a projector to display those seamless presentations. Save your files as PDFs that can be sent anywhere on the planet.
5. Documents Free [Free] – Your Documents Free documents and spreadsheets can be opened in every major office suite, including Microsoft Word and OpenOffice. You can import your CSVs and input new data. You have basic document formatting at your disposal. Upload or download your files using Google Docs. You can use your iPad in either portrait or landscape mode.
6. Pages [$9.99] – Pages is Apple’s word processing application. Use your iPad to open Word files from your office. Save your files in Microsoft Word, PDF or Pages format. Easily wrap your text around images. Use the media browser to add videos and photos. You can move your files from your iPad to your MobileMe iDisk or the iTunes file sharing service.
7. Documents To Go Premium – Office Suite [$16.99] – Documents To Go allows you to open Word, Excel and PowerPoint files on your iPad. The Word function supports bullets, find and replace, and word count. The app retains all of the formatting from the original files. You can add and remove columns, perform extensive cell formatting, and open multiple worksheets using Excel. If you use PowerPoint, you can change the order of your slides, find and replace text and edit your notes. This application delivers with its mail functions and enhanced PDF viewing. You can also open Google Docs files.

With the iPad, you can be productive at the beach or your local coffee shop. You can crunch numbers, design delightful presentations, and fashion your next marketing plan using simple applications. Your iPad gives you the freedom to roam.

This article was posted by James Adams, a UK based writer currently working at Office Kitten who are specialists in office supplies for businesses and companies.