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The new mobile software is part of an overall Office 2010 release that includes new versions of Office 2010, SharePoint Server 2010, Project 2010, Visio 2010, and Office Web Apps. The products are touted as delivering "the best productivity experience across the PC, phone and browser." (For more information on the desktop versions, follow the eWEEK link at the end of our story.)Office Mobile 2010 was first released in beta form last November via Microsoft's Windows Marketplace for Mobile. It provides Windows Mobile 6.5 users with the ability to edit Microsoft Office documents while preserving formatting, automatically sync documents to a SharePoint server, and control PowerPoint presentations via a Bluetooth phone, the company said at the time.
The Office Mobile 2010 beta required Windows Mobile 6.5 devices -- we didn't see any word about whether they had to be touchscreen-equipped, though this seemed likely -- and Microsoft's Windows Marketplace for Mobile. Downloading the application from the Marketplace (below left) automatically installed the software onto a phone (below right), as pictured below.
Unfortunately, the beta expired early last month, leaving users unable to launch the software and access their documents. Apologizing via its Office 2010 Engineering blog, Microsoft suggested that users whose phones came with Office Mobile 6.1 simply uninstall the beta, reverting their devices to the previous version.
Now, rewarding users' patience, Microsoft is offering the final version of Office Mobile 2010 for free, again via Windows Marketplace for Mobile. The freebie will only install if devices already have Office Mobile 6.1 (a $30 purchase for those whose phones didn't come with it), the company explains.
More details
According to Microsoft, Office Mobile 2010 (below) includes mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and the new SharePoint Workspace Mobile 2010. The software is claimed to allow transfer of documents to and from desktop PCs while preserving rich formatting, such as tables, charts, font styles, and SmartArt graphics. Excel Mobile 2010 now provides more than 140 formulas, several previously only found in desktop Excel, the company adds.
In addition, the company says, SharePoint Workspace Mobile 2010 lets smartphone users browse document libraries on an enterprise's SharePoint server, open files for viewing or editing, and save them back to the server if desired. It's said the software can also automatically sync documents -- when a file is modified on the server, a copy on the smartphone will be updated without user intervention.
Microsoft says PowerPoint Mobile 2010 allows a Bluetooth-equipped smartphone to be used as a presentation aid. When a PC and smartphone are connected, the PC's screen will display PowerPoint slides, while the phone displays any associated notes, according to the company. The phone can even be used to advance slides, the company adds.
Designed for Windows Mobile 6.5, Office Mobile 2010 is a separate offering from the Office functionality planned for Microsoft's Windows Phone 7, pictured below. Windows Phone 7, scheduled for release later this year, will not run Windows Mobile applications.
For further information about Microsoft's Office 2010, see Microsoft's website, here, and coverage by our sister site eWEEK.com, here and here.
