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Google Spreadsheets finally gets charts

We've been kvetching about Google's lack of charting in its spreadsheet application for a while, so we're happy to see this addition. Even if it is barebones.

Rafe Needleman Former Editor at Large
Rafe Needleman reviews mobile apps and products for fun, and picks startups apart when he gets bored. He has evaluated thousands of new companies, most of which have since gone out of business.
Rafe Needleman

Setting up a basic pie chart in Google Spreadsheets CNET Networks

Last week, Google quietly upgraded its online spreadsheet application, Docs and Spreadsheets with a charting function. Like almost everything else about Google's online apps suite, the charting tool is barebones yet useful, and benefits from being part of a suite in which collaboration is easy.

Creating a chart is easy. Just select a range of data, click on the little chart icon, and choose your chart type and a few options. You can't change colors or typefaces, or modify most of things people take for granted in a typical spreadsheet like Excel.

The new charting function is useful to help you visualize basic data, and it's a necessary precursor to Google's upcoming presentation app. But people looking to go beyond the basic representation of data--those wanting to fine-tune their visuals a bit--will find the feature lacking.

With this update to its spreadsheet app, Google made some other enhancements, which are covered in this official Google blog post.