Microsoft appears to be spreading the reach of Office on mobile devices.The Office Mobile app for Android was announced today,
Wednesday.While this app will certainly be welcomed to the Google Play store, there`s a slight catch: the app is free to download but will only work for subscribers to Microsoft`s Office 365 Home Premium and ProPlus service.
Microsoft senior product manager Guy Gilbert wrote in a blog post:
"The release of this app shows that we`re committed to keep providing additional value for Office 365 subscribers."
Office Mobile for Android aims at helping Office users make quick fixes to existing work, and share those files, rather than creating new documents on the platform.The files, like all Office 365 documents, will sync with Microsoft`s SkyDrive Web storage service.Office 365 costs $100 a year and offers subscribers the ability to install Office apps on up to five devices such as PCs, Macs, and smartphones. There is still no support for Android tablets or Apple iPads.
Microsoft has tried to leverage the widely used Office, which is pre-installed on mobile phones running its Windows Phone operating system. Given the widespread popularity of Android based devices and smartphones, it is no surprise Microsoft decided to release this new app to its rival platform, Android. The MS-Office Android app comes on the heels of Microsoft also bringing Office to iOS.
As the focus of technology shifts day by day to portable devices and smartphones, the expansion that Microsoft attempts with the release of its Android app, seems like a smart move, even if it strengthens even more its rival platform and Google in general.
