Excel Tip:  Excel on the Road
reprinted with permission from the HP Small Business Center

We all know Excel is a powerful application. But what about Excel Mobile? Does Excel's functionality translate to the spreadsheet's mobile version for use on your smartphone?

The answer is yes and no. Excel Mobile can only offer a subset of Excel's features. This is, however, enough for viewing and editing spreadsheets so that you can stay productive on the road, even with a non-touch screen phone.

Not to be overlooked is also the fact that, in its portable form, Excel takes on versatile new roles. It's not just a spreadsheet application any more, it's also a sophisticated calculator, an electronic to-do list, a portable data manager – you get the idea.

Here we share some tips and tricks to help you get the most out of Excel Mobile for Windows Mobile 6 Standard. After finding your way around Excel Mobile, you may just discover that it's indispensable.

Different viewing modes
When you open an Excel file on your device, you will see the spreadsheet in Full Screen view. In this default view, menus and scrollbars are removed in order to maximize your viewing space. The two main menus can be seen by pressing the soft keys: the right one for Menu and the left one for the View menu.

In the View menu, you have the option to switch between Full Screen and Cell Text views. In Cell Text view, you'll see the contents of a particular cell and the cell name (A13, B9 etc.) in an enlarged, highlighted, easy-to-read format. Another view option is Overview, which zooms out to give you a thumbnail shot of the entire sheet, allowing you to navigate around the spreadsheet to quickly find the parts you want to view or edit.

How to edit
To add or edit content, go to Menu > Edit to enter edit mode. Highlighting and selecting a cell will open the text box at the top of the screen. When you are done editing, click on Done. You can select multiple cells for editing with the Select option in the Menu. Many of the standard Excel menu options, such as File, Edit, Insert and Tools can also be found in the edit Menu. For example, under Insert you'll find Function just like in Excel. Some things have been shuffled around: for example, Find is located under Tools. When you click on Menu > Close File you will be prompted to name and save your file.

Beyond view and edit
Excel Mobile for Windows Mobile 6 Standard does not allow you to create a new spreadsheet. However, there's a way to get around this.  Simply create a new worksheet in Excel and save it with a generic name like "New worksheet" or "Blank sheet" and mark it as read-only. Then open it with Excel Mobile on your device, save it with a new name, and you have basically created a new worksheet that you can "edit" as you need.

While creating a new data-heavy spreadsheet on your mobile phone might be painful and not to be recommended, it is, however, perfect for creating simple spreadsheets to keep track of information throughout your day. For example, you could use it to keep track of your gas usage and mileage or your business travel expenses. There are many ways to use Excel Mobile, and with some exploration, you might just find your own specific use for it.

Need a calculator that's more advanced than the basic one built into your phone? Don't forget that with Excel Mobile you can create formulas and functions to calculate a simple to complex string of values.

Those who need to do intensive data entry while on the go may find the extended functionality available for Excel Mobile with Windows Mobile 6 Professional and a touchscreen display even more useful.

Microsoft and Excel are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.