Microsoft unveils touch-friendly Office apps for Windows phones

Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) has unveiled a long-awaited suite of touch-friendly Office apps that allow Windows phone users to work on Word, PowerPoint and Excel documents on their phones with touch commands and to transfer them easily between devices.

Test versions of what Microsoft is calling its Office Universal apps are available to download immediately and full versions will be available by the end of the month, Microsoft said.

Many Office users have waited months for Microsoft to introduce the apps, which adapt their look and commands to the device being used, whether Windows Phone or tablet.

Microsoft announces end of Internet Explorer

So we hope you can join us for a minute’s silence, after Microsoft announced that they’ll soon be doing away with the iconic browser in favour of a newer version, which is currently codenamed Project Spartan.

Frustrated users have previously slammed the browser for being slow and bug-prone, and Microsoft once talked of changing the name of the browser to address “negative perceptions that no longer reflect reality.”