Microsoft really likes it when people use Office. So much so, it recently inked deals with dozens of OEMs so fresh copies of Office will now be pre-installed on legions of newly minted Android tablets. Are these deals a canny business move, a sign of desperation, or an effective strategy transplanted from the world of desktops? Bloggers tell us what they think about Microsoft's latest tablet apps gambit.
In IT Blogwatch, bloggers find it easy to open a new office.
Today's humble blogwatcher is .
Blair Hanley Frank travels around the world to install software:
Microsoft apps will soon come pre-installed on more Android devices thanks to 20 new partnerships the company has forged with tablet makers around the world. MORE
In some circles, Paul Thurrot is known as Chief Keeper of Original Agreements:
You can read about the original agreement in Microsoft Apps Will Be Preinstalled on Many New Android Devices, which dates back to March. At that time, Microsoft said that Samsung, Dell and others would preinstall a wide range of its apps...on new devices coming to market in the near future. MORE
Mary Jo Foley signs deals until she is blue Cyanogen in the face:
Microsoft also signed a deal with Android operating system vendor Cyanogen in April, via which the two will integrate certain Microsoft apps and services with Cyanogen's Open OS Platform, due out later this year. MORE
Nick Parker tells us Microsoft gets excited when it embraces new partners:
We are excited that each of these partners will make our services available on their Android tablets, and we look forward to extending agreements to even more partners in the future. New device partners who will offer Microsoft services on Android tablets include: ... MORE
Rod Trent might know if unmarked helicopters can also run Office:
There's been some discussion, mainly in conspiracy circles, that these Android partnerships are actually the result of deals OEMs have made to limit licensing fees for pieces of the Android OS for which Microsoft holds patents. MORE
Meanwhile, Brad Linder finds Office kind of funny:
Buy a Windows laptop or desktop computer from most companies, and odds are it comes with a little bloatware.
…
One place where you can buy Windows laptops with no bloatware? The Microsoft Store.
…
So it's kind of funny that Microsoft is signing deals with Android tablet makers to load its own bloatware on their hardware. MORE
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