I used word processors all the time. I currently use a Mac and Pages or Nisus Express, but I've also used practically every version of Word from 2.0 onwards, and have also used OpenOffice and played around with Abiword.

Here are my thoughts on what would be the perfect word processor on the 770/800.

First, we need to acknowledge the functions a word processor has to serve on the 770/800. It has to be both a document viewer (ie it must open Word docs, and possibly .odf files), and also an actual word processor (not a text editor; the difference is arbitrary nowadays but text editors tend to save only in .txt format).

Compatibility with other file formats needn't be complex. As long as it can open the file and show the text inside, that's all that's arguably needed. Preserving formatting is a must, but showing complicated layout is impractical and unnecessary, especially considering the 770/800 don't have the usual Windows fonts so will always be limited. In other words, we need to acknowledge the limitations of the 770/800, and work with them, rather than try to ignore them.

In terms of functionality for the word processor, again, we need to acknowledge what the thing will actually be used for. It will probably never be used as the sole editor. It will most likely be used in concert with a desktop editor, or possibly as a tool to generate documents that will eventually be merged into a larger doc on the desktop. I also think that few people in their right mind are going to attempt complicated layout on the 770/800, because it's just impractical with the stylus and small screen. So the toolset available to the user should be simple and centred largely around text entry.

Here are the functions I'd love to see:

* Text formatting including bold, itals, underline, and the ability to choose point size
* Text justification
* The ability to show either document or draft modes, and the ability to set the zoom level in both
* Live spellchecking with the usual range of international dictionaries, and the ability to create custom.dic
* Autocorrection for mistypes like teh (the), and things like smart quotes
* A floating palette with cursor keys on, maybe optimised for thumbs/fingers, to allow quick shuffling through the text without the aid of the keyboard or the scroll bar
* The ability to create indents, bullets and numbered lists
* I'd suggest the default doc format is rtf, which is sophisticated enough for advanced layout and compatible with almost every word processor ever. Of course, the user should also be able to export to Word, HTML and PDF formats.

.... and that's all. Missing from that list is the ability to create tables or insert pictures, which both fall into the category of advanced layout which is impractical on the 770/800 (think about it honestly -- is it realistic? And even if you think it is, will you ever actually do it while editing on the fly in a coffee shop?). Also missing is the ability to insert footnotes but, again, this is advanced stuff better handled by a full desktop word processor.

The interface should be kept very clean with just a toolbar along the bottom, like Notes. More complicated stuff can be dealt with via the program menus or a right-click.