Microsoft
A file photo showing Microsoft logo REUTERS/Pichi Chuang

Increasing the hype is the official news that most of the Office apps are free on mobile, which include tools for document creation and editing. Office for mobile is getting much attention nowadays.

According to PCWorld's review, the Office for Android preview pretty much resembles that of the Office for iPad. The previews are similar except for two notable differences on the one for Android: the ability of users to print directly from each Office app through Google Cloud Print and users are given the choice to save directly to Microsoft's OneDrive or to DropBox (the partnership was made official a week ago).

The preview, however, was made only to tablets that have 7 to 10.1 inches screens. Basically that covers almost the majority of tablets except those devices with larger screens like the Samsung Galaxy Pro Note. Another constraint is that Microsoft has released the preview via Google Play Store, which means that owners of the Kindle Fire and other Amazon tablets will not be able to download the apps without rooting their devices.

The experience with Word, Excel and Powerpoint was said to be outstanding. Thus, it is safe to say that all three of the Office Preview apps are sure must-haves.

Word for Android

Word for Android offers 20 templates, which range from simple letters to resumes to catalogues, or users can start with the basic blank document one at a time. After the user has chosen the template, he will have the choice to lock the keyboard in place or he can use Microsoft's Universal Mobile Keyboard. However, when working in landscape mode, it is necessary to use an actual keyboard. Aside from the challenge with the landscape mode, Word for Android in general is a real joy to use with its simplified menus, which has specialized references and mailing functions reserved for the desktop version of Word.

Excel for Android

On the other hand, Excel can probably "stress" the tablet hardware the most by executing more complex tasks like calculating and other processes. A notable miss on Excel for Android is that it doesn't allow users to create a pivot table that comes in handy when updating summaries of sales totals. Though in the preview, users can edit the style and layout of existing pivot tables but will not be able to create a new content.

Template options are also limited to a basic time sheet, a template showing simple computations and a video game tracker. Users won't be able to get from outside data sources unlike in Excel for Windows. But the beauty of the Excel for Android is that when inside the spreadsheet, it enables users to go into deep formulas and algorithmically recommended charts.

Powerpoint for Android

Microsoft offers 24 beautiful templates and within each slide the text, entry is similar to that in Word. Basically, Powerpoint is based on text formatting, selecting the right image and choosing the two best effects.

To illustrate how the app works on mobile when navigating through the slides, users have the option to keep a visual index column to the left with the slides in miniature. The body is located in the middle and notes can be added to the right. As its main purpose, users can tap to presentation mode and breeze through the slides.

According to Tech Republic, Microsoft is definitely extending the Office across different platforms and offering the apps for free. This move seems a very good strategy to lure more and more users to the company. With all the fine services from the free apps, users who enjoy will have the tendency to be enticed to subscribe to Office 365 to get the full range of its features and benefits.