After debuting it on iOS, Microsoft's pulled the wraps off Office for Mobile on Android. However, they've withheld tablet compatibility, which should limit the app's usability.
After introducing it for iOS, Microsoft has debuted Office Mobile for Android smartphones. Now before you get all excited, the app is only compatible with Android phones (not tablets) and is currently only available in the US Play Store, though that should change soon.
The app, just like its iOS counterpart, is free to download, but requires the user to have a valid Office 365 subscription to work. This, is unlike the app’s Windows Phone counterpart, which is a fully functioning suite in of itself. This distinction is probably what Microsoft considers a unique selling point for the Windows Phone 8 devices. Regardless, the Office for Mobile app on Android includes the usual MS Word and MS Excel, which can be used to create, edit and review documents and excel sheets, while PowerPoint can only be used to review presentations. Incidentally, the PowerPoint in Office for Mobile does not allow one to create presentations from scratch.
While having the ability to edit and create documents on the phone is great, it is not the most convenient of methods to do so. A tablet compatible version of the app would significantly benefit the consumers by giving them a much more streamlined and convenient. An iPad version of Office was once rumoured, but there has been no official word on it so far. If you are dying to get the Office experience on a tablet form-factor, you could pick up a Windows 8 Pro or Windows 8 RT tablet. We’ve got a few recommendations right here. If you just want to download Office for Mobile, you can go here for the Android version and here for the iOS version.
