Microsoft prepping Office suite for Android tablets

Almost a year ago when Microsoft announced a basic Office app for Android smartphones, there was a lot of excitement. Office apps being the most commonly used all over, it was clearly good news for Android users. For all those who felt that Microsoft could add more power to the Office app, here comes the better news.

Microsoft is finally working on an Office suite, especially designed for Android tablets. This will be the second major tablet-focused release by the company after its Office for iPad.

On condition of anonymity, sources told The Verge that Microsoft is prepping up a private beta test of Office for the Android version. And it plans to do so by means of a unique pre-release program. It is inviting companies as well as individuals to register and show interest in testing pre-release versions of Office over at Microsoft’s SharePoint site.

While not much is known about the final product, we expect that Office for Android tablets will include a touch-optimized interface like its iPad version. This is slated to release in early 2015. Microsoft made a huge u-turn from its previous stand, under Steve Ballmer, where the company was obsessed with its own operating system. Under Satya Nadella the company is working more or less like Google, trying to bring its services to as many users possible irrespective of which OS they use.