Google Docs has undergone some nice changes in the past year. However, none of those changes compare to what Google seems to have in store for its cloud-based office suite. Google Operating System, a website dedicated to uncovering the latest and greatest Google news, has found something interesting in the Google Docs source code.
"Coming soon: Third party applications, cloud printers, and sync devices."
The benefits of third party apps and the ability to sync between devices and the cloud are obvious wins for Google Docs users. The ability to infinitely expand the feature set of Docs, as well as keep all sorts of files synced, will allow for a worry-free environment that just works. But why is cloud printing such a big deal?
When someone prints from a Windows, Linux, or Mac machine, local drivers are required to properly translate and process a print job. This leaves a heavy burdon on the OS and hardware makers. The more platforms out there, the more drivers that need to be created, and the more drivers that need to be stored locally in case of need. Cloud printing removed this issue. Instead of having local drivers, Google is going to house all the drivers on their servers, and your device will simply contact them to make the printing happen. This will also allow users to print to any printer, anywhere. Without too much of a complex setup, printing a document to your friends house could be just a few clicks away. As far as we know, this feature is going to be integrated into Chrome OS.
If rumors are true, and a Chrome OS device is set for release by the end of this month, then it's possible we'll see these new features rolled out within the next few weeks. In order to compete with Microsoft's latest cloud based Office product, Google really needs to step up its game. If the above features are really coming to Google Docs, we can safely say that Big G is on the right track.
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