Smartsheet has gone and improved on something that was already good; they have opened up a new Beta version. Though it is still in development, it promises to be better than the original. Earlier this year, I started using SmartSheet as a way to keep track of projects on which I was working. I found myself impressed with all the collaboration features built into the service, as well as the ease of learning. If you can use a spreadsheet, you can use SmartSheet. Right now is a good time to try it out as they have it free for BETA users.
The main improvement that Smartsheet has made to their service is visual. The new interface has a much simpler, but equally powerful layout. Just like the first time you opened up a spreadsheet, the classic version of Smartsheet has a variety of menus and buttons on the screen that may seem overwhelming. The new Smartsheet BETA version keeps most of this to a minimum. The new layout simplifies the menus and buttons by making them right-click and drop-down accessible for use only when you need them. In fact, when you first look at Smartsheet BETA, you might get the impression that this is a stripped-down version of the previous version.
The reality is that almost every feature that was available in the classic version of Smartsheet is available in the new Smartsheet BETA; to be fair, it’s in BETA, so there are some things that are still in the pipeline. One feature really stuck out for me in this new version, the creation of new columns. When you create a new column, you won’t get a listing of several pre-made columns. In fact, you have a reduced set of column types you can create. I don’t know if this simplification is deliberate or a result of the additional types of columns still being under development. Whatever the case, I like it. Smartsheet’s strengths will certainly be ease of use and ease of collaboration. I most definitely recommend that you give the new Smartsheet BETA a try.
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