Microsoft Office Mobile has finally made its way to the Google Android platform. Microsoft released its suite of office tools for iPhone users earlier this summer and promised a “soon to be released” Android companion.
Office 365 subscribers can now download and run Office Mobile for Android.
The new Google Android version of MS Office is only available for smartphone at this time. Just like iPad owners, anyone with an Android tablet will have to rely on Office web apps. In fact, the Microsoft Office app isn’t even a choice via the Google Play Store for tablet users.
While the app is free to download, it does require an Office 365 subscription to run the programs.
Office 365 subscribers can run Office on up to five mobile devices, which do not count against the users already in place five PCs or Macs. Windows RT and Windows Phone devices also do not count against the 5 PC allotment rule.
iPhone users can buy an Office 365 subscription right form the app. Android users must go to the web and make their purchase before they proceed.
Buyers receive access to Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, which have been optimized for small screen real estate.
Google Android users can save their documents directly to a SkyDrive account, and the application is said to work almost exactly the same way as it does for iOS users. SkyDrive makes sense since Office 365 subscribers receive 20GB worth of storage space with their account.
While the new MS Office addition is a nice feature for Google Android users, it still lacks the Windows Phone capability open copy-protected files and links to SharePoint and Lync.
At this time, Office is only available for Android users located in the United States. Other countries are expected to receive the new platform in several weeks.
Will you be downloading Microsoft Office Mobile for Google Android?