Microsoft Outlook, Office On iOS & Android: First Look
Microsoft has released Office for Android tablets and Outlook capabilities for iOS and Android devices. Here's a closer look.
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Earlier this week, Microsoft unveiled a number of updates to its mobile productivity apps. The new version of Office for Android tablets exited its three-month preview period on Jan. 29, the same day that Outlook apps for iOS and Android were released in full and preview versions, respectively.
Its latest announcements indicate that Microsoft is dedicating extensive effort towards boosting productivity before, during and after typical workday hours. Rather than sorting through emails during their commute and leaving the more complicated tasks to their PCs, professionals can schedule meetings and attach files on the go.
Both Android and iOS users had the opportunity to download a new version of Outlook. The app was released in full for iPhone and iPad. A preview is available to Android users, presumably because it still needs to undergo further testing.
The new Outlook is designed with new features that allow users to easily prioritize, delete and respond to emails. The updated calendar simplifies the process of finding time to coordinate meetings, interacting with hosts and attendees, and sending RSVP messages.
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Jan. 29 was an especially exciting day for mobile Android users, who were able to download the complete version of Microsoft Office to their tablet devices. After testing the beta version of the app since November 2014, users can finally download the complete versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint on the Google Play store.
The new app coordinates with OneDrive and Dropbox to provide users access to documents, spreadsheets and presentations that they create through apps available on the Office suite. Its Android-compatible apps are similar to their iOS counterparts; both are created from the same code base. With this release, Microsoft has officially made its Office suite available on all major mobile platforms.
Microsoft's new productivity apps sound like they're worth downloading, but when it comes to describing their many new features, words can only do so much. Click through to learn more about what's in store for the new Office and Outlook apps before trying them on your own device.
There are few things more overwhelming than starting the workday with fifty unread emails. Fortunately, prioritizing messages just got a bit easier. Outlook now allows users to sort emails into "focused" and "other" columns so that important notices rise to the surface, while secondary messages are placed to the side. Over time, the app learns more about the user, based on what's sorted into the focused pile, and after that tailors the inbox according to those preferences. The above image shows this feature on an Android smartphone.
Speeding through emails has become a one-touch experience. Microsoft is aiming to boost productivity by allowing users to swipe left or right in order to archive, move, delete, or flag messages, or mark them read or unread. Users can also reschedule emails that they would prefer delivered at a later time. The above image shows this feature on an iPhone.
Sending attachments is a bit easier with direct access to the cloud. Outlook users can easily grab files from OneDrive, Dropbox, or other popular services and insert them in an email. Recipients are automatically granted access to view the files.
The app also makes it easy to locate documents that were recently viewed, so you don't have to go digging through your inbox to find that file you need to send. It can search through cloud storage and email attachments at the same time. The quick filters feature allows for easy sorting by file type. The above image shows this feature on iPhone.
Outlook's calendars are located within the app to facilitate direct interaction with emailed meeting messages, event details, invitee information, and attendance status. The quick RSVP feature enables users to respond to invitations with accept, tentative, or decline from the inbox, without having to open the message. The above image shows this feature on an iPad.
The latest version of Outlook contains a "send availability" feature, so it's easy to find and share available meeting times within email accounts to meeting participants. Alternatively, it's possible to highlight free time on the calendar then insert a list of time and date options into the body of an email. The above image shows this feature on an iPhone.
Outlook is designed for both phones and tablets across iOS and Android. Larger devices on both platforms will benefit from additional capabilities like a two-paneled email list, the ability to preview files, and a week-in-view calendar. The above image shows this last feature on an Android tablet.
Seasoned Office users will feel comfortable using the suite on Android tablets. The app contains familiar features like the Office ribbon, but also features larger touch points for easy navigation. The above image depicts Microsoft Word for Android tablets.
Existing documents in all portions of the Office suite are accessible across Windows devices through a roaming list of recently used files.
In order to download Office, Android devices must measure at least 7 inches, with an ARM-based processor and at least 1GB of RAM. Devices measuring more than 10.1 inches will require an Office 365 subscription to create and edit projects.
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