Microsoft Office for Android is Here (Kinda); SkyDrive Rebranding
We weren’t particularly impressed with Microsoft’s attempt at Office for iPhones. Well, let's be honest: we didn't actually try Microsoft for iOS.
We know, we know.
It wasn't out of laziness, however. It was because Microsoft (a) only released it for iPhones and (b) required an expensive $100 per year Office 365 subscription to use the app. We have neither.
Today, Microsoft half-fixed the problem, bringing Microsoft Office to Android. However, you'll still need the Office 365 subscription and, according to The Verge, the download is restricted to phones only. For tablets, the company recommends using their Office Web Apps (which we actually had mostly positive feelings towards) instead.
As for the quality of the app, the iOS and Android versions are apparently nearly identical, and according to The Verge, are pretty much only good for quick edits. If you have Office 365 and feel like trying out the iPhone or Android apps, please, tweet us your impressions.
It really is hard to figure out what Microsoft hopes to accomplish here. Their strategy seemed to have been to hope that by keeping Office off of competing mobile operating systems, and making it available for their own phones and failing Windows RT devices, that people would flock to Microsoft's mobile products.
They haven't.
Now, in the last few months, they've released half-functional apps for phones only, with no known plans for tablet versions, and which require an annual subscription. Meanwhile, you have a number of Office alternatives available for each platform, including my personal favorite, OfficeSuite Pro.
Good luck with that. And good luck with finding a new SkyDrive moniker.
The company settled its copyright dispute with British Sky Broadcasting, and as a result, they will not appeal the British court's ruling that Microsoft infringed on the broadcaster's trademark. The SkyDrive name will remain in use in the near future while Microsoft plans a rebranding, reports Ars Technica.
Hopefully, a rose by another name will smell as sweet.
Related Resources:
- Big Changes for Windows 8? Plus, XP Starts Death March (FindLaw's Technologist Blog)
- Meet Google Helpouts: Your New Virtual Law Office Platform? (FindLaw's Technologist Blog)
- Bitcasa is a Brilliant Encrypted Unlimited Cloud Storage Option (FindLaw's Technologist Blog)