Microsoft India on Wednesday announced the launch of the Office 2016 apps, which are the latest addition to Microsoft’s cloud-based subscription service ‘Office 365’.

The updated versions of word-processing, spreadsheet and email programs aim at increased collaboration via tools to help share information and work together online.

Karan Bajwa, Managing Director, Microsoft India, said: “With the launch of Office 2016, we endeavour to provide our users with a connected set of apps and services designed for modern working and collaboration which they can access easily and across devices.”

The new apps include features such as ‘Tell Me’ to find the right Office command quickly and ‘Smart Lookup’ to get insights from the web.

“Excel 2016 now includes integrated publishing to Power BI and new modern chart-types to help you make the most of your data,” the statement said.

There are features aimed to enhance collaboration — co-authoring in Word, PowerPoint and OneNote desktop software, including real-time typing in Word that lets one see others’ edits real time, the statement said. By integrating the telephony service Skype, users can also have video or audio conversations during collaboration on documents.

Digital assistant Cortana connects with Office 365 to help with tasks such as meeting preparation, with further integration with Outlook coming in November. Office 365 subscribers can choose to download the new Office 2016 apps as part of their subscription, the company said, adding that automatic updates will begin rolling out to consumer and small-business subscribers next month, and to commercial customers early next year. 

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