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Daily download: What's going on in the world of Microsoft for Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Today in the news you need to know: Android users now have their very own Office preview; Microsoft wants to change how you do email (yes, again); and maybe HoloLens isn't just for assembling Ikea furniture.

Lisa Schmeiser

May 19, 2015

3 Min Read

Microsoft News Service

FROM ANDROID TO OFFICE

Android users can now test-drive Microsoft Office apps on their phones, specifically, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

To do so, the Office 365 Team says, follow these directions:

1. Join the Office for Android community.
2. Once you join the community, Become a tester by clicking the links to the Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
3. Wait for Google Play to replicate permissions (this may take ~up to four hours), click the above mentioned links and then follow the download links to install apps using Google play store.

The big deal about these apps is that they're standalone, touch-first mobile apps aimed at users who are likely doing some minor creation, but mostly tweaking of content.

BUT WHAT ABOUT OUTLOOK?

Microsoft's announced that an Outlook app is coming this quarter. Why care? Quoth Microsoft:

When the Outlooks apps are updated this quarter, they will integrate with the conditional access and mobile application management (MAM) capabilities of EMS. This will allow you to set policies to do things like:
Manage the sharing of data from Outlook via cut/copy/paste.
Manage where file can be saved to.
Designate that e-mail should only be sent to devices that are managed and compliant with IT policies.

But the great news -- for both workers and the IT departments that support them -- is that Microsoft's added multi-identity support, meaning people can now use one app to manage both home and work email, and when a user's in their business account, the data leakage and security policies set by the company are the ones in place.

In other Outlook news: Microsoft appears to be developing an app called "Flow" that works in tandem with Outlook as a sort of messaging app.

THE PATH TO WINDOWS 10

Over at partner site Windows Supersite, Richard Hay unearthed the roadmap to Windows upgrades for existing Windows customers. Here's the interesting bit:

It appears the Windows 10 update will be provided to properly licensed versions of Windows 7/8.1 through Windows Update instead of the Windows Store. This is exactly how Microsoft initially pushed the Windows 10 Technical Preview to Insiders on Windows 7 and 8.1 so the system has been well tested.

Also, Microsoft's confirmed that Windows 10 will be free upgrade for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 users, just for the first year.

FROM OUR SITE/ FROM OUR SISTER SITES:

Surface Pro Series Firmware Rolling Out Today, Here's What's in It

SQL Server 2014 Service (Revised) Pack 1 Now Available

New Android-heavy Microsoft Intune Features Rolling Out Starting Today

Patch Tuesday: Microsoft Confirms KB3020369 the Culprit for Stuck Installations

Public Preview of Office apps now available for Android users

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Q. Does DPM perform encryption/compression on the data it stores?

Q. I want to create a VM in Azure with multiple vmNICs. Can I mix them with VMs with single vmNICs?

FUN STUFF

The latest in the "speculation with patents" department: a new patent filed by Microsoft and listing one of the inventors as HoloLens honcho Alex Kipman outlines a technology that triggers the display of specific scenes or characters depending on how a person moves their head or lips while reading. The practical upshot is in augmenting the experience of reading. In other words, kids reading about Harry Potter's first trip to Diagon Alley might be able to see the sights while sounding out words like "Ollivander's Wands."