The release of Office on mobile devices allows users to view and edit their files while on the go. Office Mobile 2013, the latest version of the mobile suite was recently updated for the Android platform. However, prior to the update a subscription to Office 365 was needed in order to use it. This is no longer the case and you can now use Office on your Android device for free.
Free You Say? Is It Time To Ditch Office 365?
Not so fast! If you are a business owner, it’s not advisable to ditch your Office 365 subscription. This is because the Office app is free for home use, but if you have an Office 365 business account, you need to have a paid Office 365 Business subscription to edit and save documents.
The Benefits Of Using Office On Your Android
The Microsoft Office Mobile suite is a collection of mobile versions of the popular Microsoft Office. Since it’s now available for free, you may want to take advantage of what the programs have to offer.
One of the benefits of having Office on your device is that you can access or create files while on the go. Even if you’re not in front of your computer, you can still be productive as you work on important files anytime, anywhere. It is integrated with OneDrive so your files are synced, allowing you to continue working on your computer after working on your mobile device.
Office on your Android supports popular Word, Excel, and PowerPoint formats so you won’t have problems opening and editing files. Office Mobile is also optimized for tablets and phones, making it convenient to use even on a small screen.
Office Mobile Core Applications
Office Mobile is a stripped down version of the Office Suite. Limited applications and features are available to make it work smoothly on mobile devices. Word Mobile, Excel Mobile and PowerPoint Mobile are the three programs that come with it.
Word Mobile
Word Mobile can be generally used like its desktop counterpart. While the desktop version supports more file formats, the mobile version is still be able to open a Word file that has an unsupported format without editing options. To enable editing, you must first save the file as a .DocX file which is supported by the mobile version.
Images, tables and lists can be added to a Word Mobile document. Other features that you can use include: find and replace, word count, and spell checker, though some fonts are not supported. For example, page breaks, footers, headers, endnotes, and footnotes cannot be used, though these will be kept if the original file contains them.
PowerPoint Mobile
PowerPoint Mobile was the last application to join the Office Mobile suite. On the Android version you can open, as well as edit presentations using PowerPoint, whether from the desktop or Web version. When it comes to authoring, it is only possible to edit text and add notes.
Excel Mobile
This application is compatible with its desktop counterpart. The Android version lets you open, save, edit, and create spreadsheets in ‘.xlsx’ format. Files saved in ‘.xls’ can also be viewed but not edited or saved. Using Excel Mobile, you can create graphs and charts, format cells and use formulas for simple calculations. Split panes and full screen mode are also supported.
Mobile Office is a fantastic addition to your Android apps, especially now that it comes for free for home users, and for business users with paid Office 365 subscriptions. You can now have the flexibility of accessing documents or working on important files anytime, using your mobile device.
If you have questions about Mobile Office connect with us and we will help you find productivity boosting solutions.
Published on 28th February 2014 by Jeanne DeWitt.
