Microsoft has long told Windows phone users that the company would make Windows phone more of a work tool, and now Microsoft is making good on that promise.
Today, the company has unveiled a number of Office-friendly apps that allow users to do things like work with PowerPoint, Excel, and Word documents from a Windows phone.
Touch and Go
The main reason that Windows phone users want access to the Office programs via phone is to make transferring these files simpler. Now, users can transfer files from a phone to another device with the help of touch commands. Using these commands, users can easily transfer files between devices in addition to working on those files directly from a Windows phone.
Right now, trial versions or test versions of the apps are available for download. At the end of this month, full versions will be available for download. These apps are something that Windows users have been waiting for for a long time now. Oddly, Windows has already released Office-friendly apps for iOS devices, but has taken a longer time introducing the apps for Windows phones. Office apps for Google devices also exist.
Explanations
Microsoft has told Windows phone users that the reason the company introduced Office apps for Google and Apple devices first is that there are more Google and Apple users in need of the apps. Now, the apps are finally available for Windows phone users. As far as what you’ll get with the free download of any of these apps, there are some restrictions.
With the free version of the Office friendly apps, users will get limited access to the apps. This access includes the basic functions needed to perform basic tasks. With the full version of the Office apps, users will get advanced editing features. If you want to use the apps for business purposes, the advanced editing features are probably worth your while. To get those features, you will have to pay a yearly fee to Office 365. What that fee will be is still unknown, but it has to be worthwhile for most users.
New Updates are Coming
To go along with the new apps, Microsoft will be releasing a new Office desktop version and a new version of Windows later this year. The apps will work with both the new Office and Windows options. If you are one of the many Windows phone users that purchased a Windows phone in order to use Office apps, the news that Microsoft has finally released those apps will be welcomed news.
Some would-be users, though, have already moved to another platform in order to use Office apps that did not exist on Windows phones. It might be hard for Microsoft to get some of those users back now, and the company might have been better off focusing on what Windows phone users wanted from the start instead of focusing on Apple and Google devices. But late is better than never in this case, and Microsoft might still be able to maintain some of those users. Time will tell.