Q&A: Editing Microsoft Word Files on an Android Tablet

Q. I don’t have a subscription to the Office 365 site, so what’s the easiest way to read and edit Microsoft Word documents on an Android tablet?

A. The Google Play store has several apps for working with Microsoft Word files. When shopping for an app, check the feature list carefully, as some free programs allow you only to view files on your Android device, not edit them.

Apps that offer document editing include the $15 full versions of Documents To Go or OfficeSuite Pro 7, the free Kingsoft Office or the free Olive Office Premium. Features and user reviews vary by app, so study up before downloading to make sure you get everything you want.

Quickoffice, another popular app for working with Word files, was recently withdrawn from the Google Play store, but for a reason. Last year, Google bought the company behind the software, and last month it made Quickoffice free for Android and iOS users. The new Quickoffice app requires a free Google account and stores files online with Google Drive. The new version does not support online syncing and storage to other services like Dropbox, as previous versions did.

Using Folders in the Safari Bookmarks Bar

Q. How do I make a drop-down menu of related bookmarks on my Safari toolbar in Mac OS X 10.8?

A. Safari, Apple’s browser for the Mac, can store folders of favorites (as well as links to single sites) in the “bookmarks bar” below the address/search box. When you have a folder in the bookmarks bar, clicking a folder name reveals a vertical menu with all the bookmarks stored in that folder.

If you have bookmarked sites in Safari that you want to add to the bookmarks bar, start by making a folder. Right-click (or hold down the Mac’s Control key and click) in an empty spot on Safari’s bookmarks bar area and choose New Folder. You can enter a name for the new folder right there.

Next, right-click or Control-click the new folder and choose Edit Contents. This opens the Bookmarks window in Safari, with the Bookmarks Bar icon selected and a list of the program’s bookmarks underneath it in the left pane of the window. From here, you can drag the bookmarks you want to add from the left pane into your new folder in the center of the screen. (If you turn on the Auto-Click checkbox in the Bookmarks window, all the bookmarks stored in that folder will open in separate browser tabs when you click the folder’s name in the Safari window.)

As an alternative method, you can also create a new folder and open up the Bookmarks window all at once — just go to the Bookmarks menu in Safari and choose Add Bookmark Folder. When the Bookmarks window opens, name your untitled folder in the left pane, drag in the desired bookmarks and then drag the new folder onto the Bookmarks Bar icon at the top of the column.

Once you close the Bookmarks window (click the small book icon in the Safari toolbar, or go to the Bookmarks menu and choose Hide All Bookmarks), your new folder should be waiting for you in the bookmarks bar. Click it and select the site you want to visit from the menu.