How well MS Office works on Windows smartphones

Screenshot: Youtube channel from Nokia

A "real" Microsoft Office for smartphones? Can it work? Our editor used the Nokia Lumia 620 to test what the popular office software can do on the move.

Until now, third-party apps were usually required to display Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents. With MS Office for Windows 8, this task is taken over by the inventor himself. So if you receive a corresponding file, you can open it with the corresponding original app from Microsoft. And if you log in to an Office app with your Office 365 account, you also have your collected documents at hand on the go.

The format and layout remain largely the same as the original. However, the new file formats (.DOCX, .XLSX and .PPTX.) are important. This is because the older ones (.DOC, .XLS, .PPT) either cannot be opened or cannot be saved. Editing is possible, although not to the same extent as on a PC.

But what is actually possible with the mobile versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint? Our test with a Nokia Lumia 620 from Yourfone.co.uk gives it away.

Mobile Word

Admittedly: Professional word processing on a smartphone is impossible, all attempts are silly. However, anyone who finds themselves in the position of having to edit a text at the last minute will appreciate the functions.

Everything works smoothly on the Lumia 620 - apart from typing. New documents can be created and existing ones can be customized. Much more important, however, are the reading and commenting functions, which work well under the circumstances: Texts can be scrolled through quickly and comments can be added easily.

And of course the user can also format the text. However, there are no different fonts to choose from. Finally, the mobile Word version even has a spell checker.

Mobile Excel

Mobile Excel can be used to create and edit tables, charts and workbooks. Excel actually works a little better than Word, mainly because you don't have to type as much.

Of course, the full range of functions is not available here either, but important functions such as auto-total, sorting and comment functions are on board. Charts are also created quickly, in this case the charts appear in a second folder.

Mobile PowerPoint

Microsoft has slimmed down Powerpoint the most. In principle, it is not much more than a display program with limited editing functions. In principle, the app is only suitable for reviewing a presentation for a meeting. At least it is possible to edit the text and add notes.

Conclusion: MS Office is this mobile

The apps do not have the same range of functions as the "big" PC Office, but they still do a good job. The compatibility is impressive, and the most important features for "quickly" checking or commenting on a text or table are included.

Article above: Screenshot from the Youtube channel from "Nokia"