Microsoft Tailors OneNote For Android Tablets, Updates OneNote For Windows

Fresh out this morning is a tablet optimized version of OneNote for Android, and several new features to OneNote for Windows.

OneNote for Android tablets — you can snag it here — contains what Microsoft calls “handwriting support,” more formatting options, and interface tweaks to better suit larger tablet screens. In keeping with Microsoft’s cross-platform strategy, tablet support for a rival company’s devices isn’t surprising. The release is a continuance of the company’s current ‘platforms and productivity’ bent.

On the Windows side of things, Microsoft has added highlighting, printing support and the ability to insert PDFs into notes on the Metro build of OneNote.

The larger context to the above is that the Android work is a simple prelude to the touch-focused build of Office for tablets running the Google-built operating system. OneNote came to iPad before Office. And now OneNote is coming to Android tablets before Office.

Office for Android is widely expected to be released before a touch build of Office for Windows tablets, and the Windows 8.1 RT operating system. That software irony aside, if you were looking for a taste of what the coming Android tablet build of Office will look like, here’s what is likely a teaser:

Screen Shot 2014-08-19 at 9.33.51 AM

IMAGE BY FLICKR USER KENNETH LU UNDER CC BY 2.0 LICENSE (IMAGE HAS BEEN MODIFIED)