Microsoft Office apps like Excel, PowerPoint and Word now available for Android smartphones

Last month, Microsoft launched the preview of its Office apps for the Android handsets and now the computing giant has made those apps available on the Google Play Store for the Android devices. Earlier, the Office apps like Word, Excel and PowerPoint were only available of Android tablets but now even smartphone running the Android 4.4 KitKat and above can load them.

All these three apps are available absolutely free for download and come in in-app purchases for those who need more advanced features of the Microsoft Office on their handsets.

According to Microsoft, during the preview period of the Office on the Android phones, these apps were installed on “1,900 different Android phone models in 83 countries”. Later, based on the user feedbacks, the apps have been improved and have been designed for the use of general public. The promo video has been embedded below.

sources: Google Play (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Office Blog

Microsoft Office apps like Excel, PowerPoint and Word now available for Android smartphones

Nokia set to produce Android smartphones in 2016, to shift R&D to China

There have been several rumors and speculations suggesting that Nokia was planning to re-enter the smartphone market as soon as its contract with Microsoft allows it to do so. Well, those rumors are proving to be true and the company is indeed planning to return but it will join the Android bandwagon and not return to the Windows platform.

According to the non-compete clause in the agreement between Microsoft and Nokia, the Finnish company could not produce any smartphones under its own brand name up to 31 December 2015 and feature phones up to a decade. Nokia has already started working on Android smartphones which it will launch in 2016 after the non-compete clause ends.

According to a report in the Chinese website politics.scdaily.cn, this has been confirmed by Nokia China’s president Mike Wang himself. Wang has revealed that the company will be manufacturing the Android-powered smartphones in its Sichuan facility in China. He also mentioned that the company’s global R&D center will be shifted to Sichuan, China.

In China, Nokia will get the opportunity to enter the Chinese smartphone market and compete with the likes of Lenovo, Xiaomi, ZTE and Oppo.

Nokia has already launched its powerful Nokia N1 tablet powered by Android Lollipop. The tablet has been designed by Nokia and produced under brand licensing agreement by Foxconn who will also take care of its marketing and distribution.

So, are you looking forward to Nokia’s re-entry into the smartphone market?

Nokia set to produce Android smartphones in 2016, to shift R&D to China

Mocrosoft’s Torque Voice Search now available for Android Smartphones

Google voice search “ok Google” has got competition. Microsoft Corporation’s Torque app is now available for Android smartphones. The Torque Voice Search App that is available on Google Play Store will now support Android phones.

Torque is a voice search like Google’s, but here you don’t have to wake up the app by saying “Ok Google”. Instead, you just need to shake your phone and the Bing voice search will be initiated. The Torque app was developed by the Microsoft Garage group as a voice activated Bing search for smartwatches powered by Android Wear and was released by Microsoft in October this year. Bing voice search can be activated in an Android Wear smartwatch by the flick of a wrist.

The Torque app for Android wear smartwatches has got a very good response and has been downloaded about 10,000 times, and so Microsoft might have decided to expand its scope to include the Android smartphones too. Now even Android phone users can get immediate answers to their queries about things like weather, sports, flights, local restaurants, currency rates, stock prices and much more, just by shaking their Android phone and asking, and get an immediate verbal answer powered by Bing in return.

Torque Voice Search (English) Version 2.0 has been released on Google Play and includes a few more search categories such as status reports on flights and information on local events. It is available for free download and works on Android phones running Android 4.3 or more.

Source TechCrunch

Mocrosoft’s Torque Voice Search now available for Android Smartphones