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Cortado Workplace - Take the office with you
Tested version: 1.0.131.1
Latest version: 3.3.933.1
Requires Android: from 1.6
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Summary
Anytime, anywhere—I have everything I need on me at all times. It’s not a bad idea to save data locally when you’re dealing with a single system operation. However, if you’ve got several computers (and you need them all, wherever you are) synchronizing them makes sense. And if you add your Android phone to the equation it takes a real tour de force to keep on top of everything. Saving data to a cloud is an ideal solution for these types of situations; it really makes it possible to have everything with you at all times.
Not only does Cortado Workplace provide with a gigabyte worth of free storage space, it comes with quite a few other useful services that will make you forget your office. Sending documents via Bluetooth or W-Lan to a compatible printer is one of said services—not bad!
Read today’s review and find out if Cortado Workplace can really replace your office.
Features & Use
Test device: HTC Desire
Version: Android 2.2
Saving everything to clouds is not just the in thing to do, it’s also very smart. It brings about the automatic synchronization of all of your devices, and you don’t have to lift a finger. One gigabyte is plenty of space for lots of docs and PDFs.
The app’s special feature is the printing function. It allows you to send documents to a compatible printer using W-Lan or Bluetooth. According to the app’s information there are now about 6000 printers available, which means that it’s quite likely that your mobile or W-Lan home-printer is supported. Your Android phone and your printer have to be within the same network; it worked well when I tested it using an HP W-Lan printer, although you do have to enter the IP address manually. Thus it’s even simpler to print with Bluetooth: connect and print—that’s all there is to it.
Cortado Workplace is a good data manager for your files. The second tab shows you which files are on your SD card. Seeing as the app can perform simple tasks such as copying, deleting, and renaming Cortado could even replace your own data manager. That being said, it isn’t as functional as apps such as ES Data Explorer; basic functions such as a multiple choice of files are missing.
Another negative aspect is the way in which the Settings menu is set up, which is hardly intuitive or functional—it’s just plain wrong. The options Standard Settings leads you to believe that it will let you adjust the program settings, but what actually happens when you hit the button is that the alarm clock setting is set back. The confirmation popup that asks you if “you’re sure” isn’t indicative of the fact that you’re dealing with the alarm clock, either.
What it boils down to is that you have to reset Cortado from the top. And if you think you haven’t been led astray enough yet just wait till you hit Cortado Options—you may think this will lead you to the settings, but you wind up on the Cortado website instead. A disclaimer lets you know that more premium services will soon be available.
Advantages
• 1 Gigabyte free space for docs and files
• Access files from your computer via web interface
• Printing function for W-Lan and Bluetooth printers
• Good support forum for questions or incompatibilities
• Extra services such as fax number or email address can be set up with exchange support
Drawbacks
• Confusing menu
Bottom line:
Cortado Workplace has to measure up to a lot of cloud apps which are currently available for Android. Dropbox seems to be the forerunner, but Cortado provides the great option to print your Docs and PDFs. Printing via Android phone isn’t yet a standard function, and other apps have failed at the attempt. Cortado shows them how it can be down.
Nowadays one gigabyte of free storage space isn’t an excessive amount, but it is perfectly sufficient if what you want is to make sure to always have a few documents on you.
Cortado Workplace wears a lot of hats - data manager, cloud provider, printer, and mailer - and it doesn’t succeed in all areas, but on the whole Cortado is a good service, especially for users who know exactly what it is they need. No wonder the app has so many fans with a business background.
Screen & Controls
Cortado Workplace has quite a lot to offer on the design front. The icons are well thought out and facilitate an intuitive usage. Only the Mail option is not clear from the beginning, and reading the description doesn’t exactly help. A bit of investigation shows that Cortado allows a connection to an exchange server and that this can also be brought to your phone.
The menus are well structured and easy to understand. The first tab tells you what functions that other tabs provide you with.
Speed & Stability
Cortado Workplace’s performance is very good.
Price/Performance Ratio
Cortado Workplace can be downloaded for free from the App Center or the Android Market.
Developer
Germany
Top App:
Cortado Workplace offers a free cloud desktop with 2 GB of online storage, mobile (...)
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This app works great and is quite useful. I tried it with several HP-printer, it works simply and as described.