Category: Microsoft

A couple of weeks ago I did a quick overview of Microsoft’s preview of Word for Android Phone. Since that overview, Microsoft has already released another update to the preview, giving it more stability and improving some of the functionality.  Now it is time to look at PowerPoint for Android Phone. Like Word (and Excel), it is also in Preview (or as it use to be called, beta) so if you decide to download these apps you may run into the odd behavior or bug.

PowerPoint for Android Phone is impressive.  In my “day job” I use PowerPoint on a daily basis and regardless of platform – Windows Phone, Android or iOS – I have found Office for Mobile (the old Microsoft Office app for phones) to be very limiting and in some cases, useless. That is not the case with the new breed of Office apps and PowerPoint for Android phone is a prime example. It is feature rich and easy to navigate, a far cry from it’s predecessor.  In fact, if you were stuck with only your Android Phone and had to create a presentation, this app is more than powerful enough to allow you to do it including things like slide transitions and photo inserts.  It is as close to desktop PowerPoint as you can get on a phone and unless you have some very specific need, PowerPoint for Android Phone will do 99% of what the average user needs.

Leveraging the personal assistant Cortana, Microsoft has announced on the Windows Blog that Windows 10 will be coming to a Windows PC or tablet near you on July 29th.  The announcement comes days after another significant build was released to Windows Insiders, a build that feels far more stable and complete than previous builds.  It is clear that Microsoft is making major steps forward in the Windows 10 development and they in large part thank the Windows Insiders (all 4 million of them) for the rapid development cycle.  Still, with the release now 59 days away, there is a lot for the company to do to get things ready.

Earlier today, Microsoft released the preview for Office for Android phone apps.  The separate Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps are now individual apps and brings in line while the company is doing around the Office apps across all platforms – Windows Phone, Android and iOS.  The goal of course is to have a consistent user experience regardless of the device that you are using.  Today, if you use Office for Android tablet, it is a far different (and superior) experience to the Office Mobile app on Android Phone.  That now has changed with this preview.

To get the Office for Android phone apps, you will have to join the preview program.  After the break I’ve outlined what you need to do in order to get into the program and to download the apps.  Once they are installed, you will be able to update them via the normal update process in the Google Play Store.

Microsoft has released a big update to Outlook for Android, bringing substantially improved email composition capability to the app.  The update, version 1.2.8 for those keeping score at home, also bring improved performance and other minor update to give a better user experience with the app.  The biggest edition though is the improved email composition where you can now attach files and send users your availability or create an invitation from the app while in email.  These updates will make the app far easier to use especially those who use corporate Exchange accounts.

Outlook for Android – Free – Download Now

Microsoft has released another update to Outlook for Android today, bringing improved navigation and several bug fixes to the app.  The update, version 1.2.5 for those keeping score at home, is available now and is highly recommended for those who are using the email app.  While the improve navigation elements actually were release last week in version 1.2, they have been smoothed out a good bit in this update.  You shouldn’t see the hesitation many users were experiencing when moving between accounts or from mail to calendar or people for example.

Microsoft Outlook for Android – Free – Download Now

Today Microsoft has released a new update to their suite of Office for Android apps.  The update applies to the tablet versions of these apps (remember, you have to use Office Mobile for your sub-7″ devices) and impacts Word, Excel and PowerPoint.  There are a lot of things that have been improved but the biggest news is support for Android Lollipop 5.x, the latest flavor of Android.  The updates are version 16.0.3930.1010 for those keeping score at home and that version number applies to all three apps.

Excel for Android Tablet – Free – Download Now

PowerPoint for Android Tablet – Free – Download Now

Word for Android Tablet – Free – Download Now