Android Tablets to Get Doc-Editing Features from Microsoft

To be clear, Microsoft did not this week announce what many people have wanted for a long time: native Office apps for new android tablet and/or iOS tablets.

Now that that's out of the way, here’s what Microsoft did announce: Intentions to bring Office Web App file-editing capabilities to Android tablets via the Chrome browser. Unfortunately, the announcement, which came in a May 7 blog post, didn’t say exactly when Android tablets will get the same "lightweight" (Microsoft’s term) Office Web Apps editing tools that iPad and Windows 8 tablet users already have.

Android tablet users should be able to access files in their SkyDrive accounts, create files or perform light edits on those files. The service is free; you don’t need to be an Office 365 subscriber or buy a third-party Office-compatible app. Office Web Apps also maintain the formatting in your Office documents, which isn’t always the case when you use third-party Office apps.

When will the native Office apps for newest android tablet and iOS devices be available? A recent PC World article says late 2014. Until then, third-party Office Word Apps might meet your mobile Office needs—as long as those needs are "lightweight." Some alternatives I’ve used and recommend (with caveats) include CloudOn (free), for delivering a virtual Office environment to Android and iOS devices; Office² HD ($8) for iPads; and Quickoffice Pro HD ($20) for Android tablets. sfdD3Ssjh

Consumers are going crazy for tablet devices these days. It started with Apple's iPad, which is still the best selling tablet line out there, and continues with the influx of low-cost Android slates from name-brand vendors like Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, Asus, and so forth. Tablets have become so popular that Microsoft went and re-imagined Windows for touch input on-the-go. It seems unlikely these mobile devices are going anywhere, or does it? "You're going to see a shift I think. While tablets are good you're still restricted when it comes to content creation; there's always going to be a need for notebooks," Muscat told T3. "I think it's moving a lot more towards taking latest android tablet technology and effectively turning it into notebook technology."

Muscat gives the tablet form factor another two to three years before it yields to hybrid laptops. Is he crazy in thinking that? You'd have a hard time convincing BlackBerry CEO Thornsten Heins of that. At the end of last month, Heins made a similar prediction, stating in an interview with Bloomberg that five years from now, there won't be a reason to own a tablet.