In the enhanced WordPad with Windows 7 applications, files are read and edited not only in Open Document format (.odt) but also and also in Microsoft’s Open XML format (.docx). This file format is used by default in Microsoft Word 2007 and 2010. This format is suitable for reading or editing those documents on a computer which does not have Microsoft Office installed on it.
Few changes have been made to Font and Paragraph settings. Now, besides font, size and color, spacing and alignment can be changed. Features like subscript and superscript, bulleted and numbered lists, and a highlighter has been added. A basic find and replace function has been introduced which is advantageous for editing documents.
Windows 7 wordpad allows you to insert a Paint drawing. Date and time can also be easily inserted. Embed pictures, other documents and PDFs can also be inserted into a document.
Unluckily, the new Wordpad still cannot work with Word 97-2003 (.doc) files. Installation of Word viewer is still required to view these files, and Word or a Word-compatible word processor is required to edit them. Probably the only other problem with Windows 7 Wordpad is that it still does not include spellcheck.
Note: The new Wordpad is surely a solid upgrade in Windows 7 over its previous versions. The new updated features are a reason to make users happy. But, it still cannot compete with Word processor and still has a long way to go.
