Permanent, a new concept of spreadsheet management on the iPad

While we are still waiting for Microsoft to launch Office for iOS (it also remains to be seen what the business model of this suite will be like and the available functionalities) we can work with spreadsheets thanks to the countless applications of this type available in the App Store. However, almost all of them have the same shortcomings: limited functionality (especially if we compare them with computer applications), complex interface and we would even say “boring”, etc.

now comes permanent, a new application already available in the App Store that presents a totally different concept from what we have seen so far (at least on the iPad), with an intuitive interface and a great speed of information processing. Permanent works based on column-oriented tables. Once the data is entered in these tables, the application takes care of presenting it in the form of a spreadsheet.

Permanent, a new concept of spreadsheet management on the iPad

Another of the fundamental advantages of Permanent is the use of scripts, something very rare to see in applications of this type for iPad. Scripts are written using the language Moon and with them we can exploit and update the data in our tables, create variables, etc.

On the other hand, we can also use some of the formulas most common (add, count, take square roots) or apply logical operators such as AND or IF. In addition, the developer company is already working on expanding the list of available operations.

And one last feature to highlight: the possibility of undo the last operations carried out. Permanent constantly saves the actions applied to the data, so that we can go back at any time, even after closing and reopening the application. In addition, this process is carried out with a graphical interface that shows in a timeline the changes that have been applied.

Among the features that the developer company hopes to add to Permanent, some of the most important are: the use of script files, graphics management, file import and export (CSV, Excel, XML), project grouping, applying styles to cells, integration with external storage services (iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive and SkyDrive), etc.

If you need to use spreadsheets on the iPad without the usual limitations of other applications of this style, Permanent is a more than interesting option. In addition, to promote its launch, the application has a 50% off about its final price.

Permanent for iPad is available from the App Store (iTunes link) at the price of €8.99 as an introductory offer.