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Office 2016 will hit desktops later this year
At its Windows 10 event yesterday, Microsoft spent some time showing off how its universal apps would provide a similar experience across devices. Office was certainly part of that conversation, and today, the folks in Redmond revealed that this year's installment of the desktop apps would arrive before the end of 2015. The update for mobile, labeled Office for Windows 10, will come pre-installed on phones and tablets running Windows 10 free of charge, with touch-enabled Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook all included. While we'll certainly keep our eyes peeled for an exact date, Microsoft says we can expect Office 2016 to arrive during the second half of this year. Who knows, maybe it'll rollout in time to lend a hand when school starts back up in the fall.
Dropbox snaps up CloudOn to help you work online
Dropbox has already done quite a bit to help you get work done in the cloud, but it's increasingly clear that the company isn't done expanding beyond its storage-focused roots. The firm just acquired CloudOn, giving it a team that got its chops building a hefty, internet-based document editing suite. The companies aren't saying what they plan to do together, but it's reasonable to expect beefier internet productivity tools from Dropbox before long. If you're a CloudOn user, though, you'll have to switch to another editing suite sooner than that. CloudOn has already stopped taking new customers, and it'll shut down its service on March 15th.
Facebook at Work tackles office communication with familiar tools
We heard rumblings about Facebook's plans to tackle communication in the office back in November, and now the app is starting its rollout. Facebook at Work allows you to chat with colleagues with the social network's tools rather than email with either a website or dedicated mobile app. The apps haven't popped up in iTunes of Google Play just yet, but The Wall Street Journal reports that only a limited number of companies will be able to employ it at first. Those that do can expect a similar design to the regular Facebook experience, except there aren't any ads and Zuckerberg and Co. won't track and hold data from the project.
Microsoft's Office preview for Android tablets is now available to everyone
If you've wanted to try the preview of Office for Android tablets during its brief history, you've had to request to join a Google+ group. That's not the hardest thing to do, but do you really want to participate in a special club (and in some cases, sign up for Google+) just to try some productivity apps a little early? As of now, you don't have to. Microsoft has posted the previews of Excel, PowerPoint and Word on Google Play, so you can download them like you would any other app. The only major requirements are that your slate runs at least Android 4.4 KitKat and that you're comfortable with less-than-polished software. You may not want to finish an important report with these releases, then, but it's now easy to experiment with the new Office suite before it's completely ready.
You can now chat on Skype inside Office Online apps
Want to get advice while you're plugging away at that big report in Office Online? You won't have to fire up a separate app (or website) any longer. As hinted at by recent leaks, Skype chat is now built into the web productivity suite's versions of PowerPoint and Word. If you want to share ideas with a colleague, you can keep the conversation running alongside your docs without having to juggle windows or browser tabs. Yes, Google Drive has had a similar option for a while, but this collaboration upgrade is definitely handy if you frequently work in Microsoft's world.
Dropbox makes it easy for workmates to edit Office files
In November, Dropbox users gained the ability to edit Office files from within inside the app, thanks to a partnership with Microsoft. Now, the company has launched its first set of Project Harmony tools so that groups of workmates can take advantage of that feature -- but only if they're Business users part of Dropbox's early access program. These features, which were first previewed when the company started letting users link their business and personal accounts, can make team projects, well, more bearable than usual.
Google Drive now converts Office files inside Gmail
Google sprinkled in the ability to edit Microsoft Office files in Drive a while back, but the folks in Mountain View are always looking to help improve that workflow. When a colleague sends a non-Google file as an attachment, you're now able to convert those to Drive-friendly files right inside Gmail. Need to send back the proper .docx? No worries. Installing a Chrome extension enables you to edit the file without making the switch. What's more, over a dozen more Office formats have been added to the productivity feature.
Microsoft is adding Google Drive-style chat to Office Online apps
If you enjoy the handy chat feature inside shared docs on Google Drive, it appears Microsoft is adding the feature to its web-based productivity suite as well. According WinSuperSite, Office Online is getting those sidebar convos in the coming weeks, as a new feature called document chat will offer the collaborative boost. For now, it looks like Word and PowerPoint will be the only apps to get the new tool, complete with notifications that'll alert you to respond as needed. This means you can inquire about the real-time changes you see, rather than guess why your colleagued swapped around your sentence structure or wait for them to reply to a comment.
Microsoft adds free editing, iPhone version, and Dropbox to iOS Office apps
The universe of productivity apps on iOS expanded considerably when Microsoft announced its iPad versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint back in March 2014. Without an Office 365 subscription, however, users were limited to read-only file access; not terribly productive. Even with the addition of a monthly subscription option in September, many of the millions of people who downloaded Office apps on iPad couldn't do much in the way of content creation. Today the landscape shifts again as Microsoft has enabled basic editing and file creation in the free Office apps, no Office 365 subscription required -- although "advanced" editing features and PowerPoint's presenter view remain reserved to those with an active Office 365 Home or Business subscription. Otherwise, anyone with a free Microsoft login can use the apps at will. Those apps now also have a new home on iPhone, with optimized UI for the smaller screen devices. The same free/subscribed split applies to the iPhone versions, but basic copy editing and modification are accessible to all. Microsoft has also expanded the cloud storage options for Office iOS by adding Dropbox support -- see the partnership announcement from earlier this week -- alongside MS's OneDrive (which itself got a big boost for paying users with the rollout of unlimited storage). There's also a preview Android release of Office, and a logical commitment to Windows 10 Touch versions down the road. There's always the risk of some user confusion when freemium apps are feature-limited, and that's especially true of productivity apps; there may be a takeaway of "the iPhone version of Office can't do X" when in fact it can, if you choose to subscribe to Office 365. With some careful UX work and a clear message about what is and isn't enabled for free users, Microsoft may be able to avoid this trap and deliver a great tool for many iOS aficionados. Update: word from the Office team is that if users try to use the advanced features and go beyond the free core editing/viewing/printing documents and basic PowerPoint presentation tools, they will hit a paywall. When that happens, they will get notified that what they want to do requires an upgrade to an Office 365 subscription -- which they can purchase immediately in-app.
The new Office for iPhone is everything it should have been on day one
I remember when Microsoft first came out with Office for iPhone. It was actually kind of exciting. Here was this thing that for years had only existed in the form of rumors and leaked documents. And there it was, at last: the killer iPhone app, ready to download. Or so I thought. Maybe I was expecting too much, but I came away feeling underwhelmed. That first version of Office Mobile was a watered-down gimp of a program, with pitifully few editing tools and an occasionally confusing layout (imagine having no way of knowing what size font you were using). Compared to some apps, like Google Drive, it wasn't that bad, but it still wasn't as feature-rich as Apple's own iWork suite. Worst of all, the software has received few feature updates in the 17 months since it debuted. Is this what we waited so long for? At last, however, Microsoft seems to have come to its senses. The company is getting rid of Office Mobile and replacing it with three standalone iPhone apps for Word, Excel and PowerPoint, just like on the iPad. In fact, because these apps share code with the iPad version, they arrive with the same robust feature set, along with a couple tricks designed specifically for the iPhone. In short, then, the new apps are everything the original Office for iPhone should have been.
Microsoft makes Office for iPad free to use, starts testing Android tablet version
Considering how popular Office has been on the desktop, you'd assume it'd be the go-to productivity suite on mobile too. In fact, though, the company has made a few missteps: The iPhone app is watered down, and as nice as the iPad version is, you need an Office subscription to do any sort of editing. Fortunately, though, Microsoft is changing course: The company just announced that it will offer basic editing as a standard feature on the iPad, the same way it already does on Android and the iPhone. Keep in mind that you'll still need an Office 365 subscription to unlock certain advanced editing tools, but most of those are probably better-suited to business users anyway. Additionally, the company is beginning public beta testing on its first-ever Android tablet app, which will see a wide release early next year. The software, which includes standalone Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps, is still in development, but what we've seen so far suggests the apps have feature parity with the iPad suite. Also like the iPad app, it will include basic editing tools for free. You can sign up for the preview today, but it may take a while before you get a turn: Microsoft says it plans to add users gradually, with an eye toward testing a wide variety of devices.
Microsoft Office will soon tap into your Dropbox
Microsoft would just love it if you used OneDrive for all your document storage needs, but let's face it: loyalties to rival cloud services run deep. That's why, in the spirit of compromise (or acknowledging user demand), the folks in Redmond have inked a curious deal with Dropbox. Over the coming weeks, you'll be able to access your Dropbox files from your Microsoft Office apps, and edit those Office documents from within the Dropbox mobile app. That's just the tip of the iceberg, too, as Dropbox is working on connecting its website to Microsoft's Office Online tools and prepping a Dropbox Windows Phone app for a launch within the next few months. It might seem a little odd for Microsoft to so openly embrace an apparent rival, but the company can't deny the facts. Dropbox currently has over 200 million users dumping their files into accounts all the time, and Microsoft isn't trying to beat them over their heads with word of OneDrive's superiority this time. No, it's meeting people on their cloud-based doorsteps with a terribly useful feature, and it just might win some new fans because of it.
Microsoft's Sway lets you share ideas on the web without any design skills
Sharing ideas on the web is tricky. You probably want something more persuasive than a social network update, but it's usually overkill to design a whole web page just to get your point across. Microsoft may have reached a happy balance between the two with Sway, a new part of the Office portfolio that lets you publish content in a slick, web-native format without knowing a thing about code or design. All you do is write and pull in content, whether it comes from your device or internet sources like Facebook, OneDrive and YouTube; Sway automatically organizes it all into polished web layouts that adapt to any screen size. You can switch layouts to fine-tune your work and update projects over time. Think of this as a Medium-like authoring tool that handles much more than just articles -- it's possible to publish daily photo diaries, non-linear presentations and other pieces that would typically require a dedicated web editor or a specialized app.
Office for iPad update brings a slew of top-requested features
When Office finally launched on the iPad four months ago it was a blessing for iOS converts with loyalties to Microsoft. Still, like every launch title, the app suite wasn't perfect. Today Microsoft has released an update that they hope will help fill in some of Office for iPad's biggest deficiencies. Up first is the addition of Presenter view for PowerPoint. Now when giving a presentation in PowerPoint on another screen your iPad will show your notes, what slide is coming up next, and other presentation details. In addition users can now embed videos and sound recordings directly from PowerPoint for iPad, or insert video from their Camera Roll. Microsoft has also added a new eraser and pen function to allow for on the go annotations while making presentations. Excel has been enhanced with PivotTables, easier grid navigation, and keyboard short cuts. Thanks to the new update users can now sort, filter, expand or collapse, refresh, and show details of PivotTable data contacted within a workbook. These new PivotTable features also include customization options for visual style and layout. Grid navigation has been simplified with a new flick feature that allows you to grab a selection handle and then flick up or downwards. Your flick will select everything from your selection until the next blank cell, making it easier to manipulate large chunks of data between books quickly. Finally Excel is getting keyboard support complete with Excel's existing keyboard shortcuts. They've even added a new one, CTRL+2, to allow users to quickly switch between modes. There are also additions that have been made across the suite. Export to PDF has now been added to the sharing menu of all Office apps, and is available for everyone to use; even if you don't have a 365 subscription. Image editing within Office apps has also been improved. Now when you tap on an image you are presented with Crop and Reset options, allowing you to quickly scale images or undo your scaling with ease. Finally Office now supports third party fonts, including AnyFont. Simply install the font of your dreams to your iPad and get to writing. You can find Microsoft Office for iPad right now in the App Store.
Office for iPad updated with PDF export, third-party fonts and video playback support
Microsoft's iPad version of Office is pretty sleek, but it isn't perfect: it has limited print and export functions and just isn't as robust as its desktop counterpart. Slowly but surely, Redmond is changing that -- today the company announced a few notable updates to the tablet-based office suite, including PDF exports, wider font capability and a small collection of advanced Excel features.
China investigates Microsoft over monopoly worries
Microsoft just can't catch a break from China these days. The country's State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) has raided Microsoft offices in four cities over concerns that the company may be violating anti-monopoly laws. While the government isn't going into great detail about the raids, it's linking the investigation back to companies' complaints about "compatibility issues" with Windows and Office -- shades of Microsoft's EU antitrust woes, anyone?
Volunteer to test a tablet-friendly version of Office for Android
Well looks like a version of Microsoft's Office specifically tailored for Android tablets is on the way. While we still wait for a touch-friendly version of the productivity suite for Windows, word on the street is users will soon be able to beta test a build for Google's tablet OS. According to the Verge's sources both companies and individuals should be able to sign up for access to pre-release versions of Office soon. Obviously we're still waiting for a lot of details, but it's expected that a finger-friendly interface (similar to that found on the iPad) is going to hit Android later this year. But Windows will have to wait until early 2015. While it's slightly surprising to see Microsoft's bread and butter productivity hit a competitors OS first, it highlights Satya Nadella's decision to build Redmond's future on the cloud and cross-platform accessibility. Rather than focusing solely on Windows.
Outlook Web App finally debuts on Android, but only for 'small' devices
Been looking forward to a native Outlook Web App for your Android device? You just might have to wait a little longer: the freshly launched OWA Android app is only available on 'select devices.' Microsoft says this pre-release version can do everything its iOS counterpart can and automatically update its address book whenever the user makes a chance to their device contacts, but it's not ready for a full roll-out. Still, if you're sporting a device with Android 4.4 KitKat and Google's OS standards categorize your phone as "small" or "normal," the app's inaugural releases is yours for the taking. Have something else? Check out OWA's support page: Microsoft is taking suggestions on what devices to support next.
Touch-enabled Office apps could be headed to Android ahead of Windows
Microsoft has been quite overt with its mobile-minded strategy, and now it seems a touch-friendly version of Office is headed to Android next -- before it arrives on Windows 8. ZDNet reports the productivity suite will outfit Google's OS ahead of Microsoft's own devices, the latter of which is now said to be pushed to early 2015. When speaking at the Code Conference last week, CEO Satya Nadella disclosed that touch-enabled Office apps hit the iPad first due to its massive lead in market share. That being said, with the bulk of mobile users on iOS and Android, it seems Microsoft is truly taking aim at bringing its popular software to as many users as possible, even if they aren't using its OSes on the daily.
A very Apple office
"I looked around my office and realized I have a few 'books from Apple," reads Christian M. M. Brady's photo caption for the snapshot above. "A few" is an understatement, and bonus points for the trio of retro Apple desktop bookends on the shelves. [Photo credit: Christian M. M. Brady]
