Microsoft brings Office app to Android

Owners of smartphones running Google's Android operating system may finally get a taste of Microsoft's Office productivity app, after the software giant rolled out a version for Android.

However, Android users will have to subscribe to Microsoft's Office 365 to use the app, according to a report on news site Mashable.

"The Android version of Office only works on phones. Owners of Android tablets, just like iPad users, will have to settle for Office web apps since they won't be able to download the official app from Google Play (side-loading, of course, is always an option)," Mashable reported.

It added Android phones must be running version 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" or later.

Users of Apple's iPhone had been the first to get a Microsoft Office app.

Still, Mashable said the new app is a free download, with subscribers allowed to run Office on up to five mobile devices.

The site however said that one difference on Android from iPhone is that users cannot buy a subscription to Office.

"[O]therwise, you get the same Word, Excel and PowerPoint, optimized for the smaller real estate on a smartphone screen. Once you start editing in Word, for example, the 'chrome' of the app disappears, letting you focus on the document," it said.

Also, Microsoft's SkyDrive will be the default place to save documents. Office subscribers also get an extra 20GB of storage.

Mashable also noted Office Mobile for Windows Phone still has a home-field advantage over Android, including the ability to open copy-protected files and hookups to SharePoint and Lync. - AMD, GMA News