AutoCAD WS Meets Android

Looks like Autodesk is acknowledging that Apple isn’t the only game in town when it comes to mobile devices. The 3-D design tool leader just announced a version of its AutoCAD WS mobile collaboration tool for the Android platform. Like its iPhone and iPad predecessor, Autodesk WS for Android leverages cloud computing technology to let engineering users, designers and architects view, edit and share designs through web browsers and mobile devices. AutoCAD WS lets users open drawings from email attachments, sync files from the web or upload drawings directly from AutoCAD software through the integrated online tab. Drawings can also be saved locally for use in the field when an Internet connection is unavailable.

There are a number of features new to this release and some specific to the Android version. For instance, AutoCAD WS for Android, which will be available for download on the Android Market starting April 20, offers a text annotation tools that supports integrated voice commands on devices running Android 2.2 (dubbed Froyo) or above. This capability lets Android users insert comments and notations on a drawing by speaking the commands rather than typing them into a text edit box.

Other capabilities surfacing in this latest AutoCAD WS release: