Mobile Office, Continuum, and laptop replacement

[oboboy14]

I am a law student that uses a 17.3" 2.5 year old Toshiba laptop. I use my computer to take notes, take tests, browse the internet, do email, manage music/pictures, etc. I do have to use legal search engines that I'm not sure if they will work on a mobile browser, but, it should with edge on Windows 10 mobile right?

I was considering either picking up a Surface Pro 3 or 4, and a Lumia 950 to replace my 635, but the more I was thinking about it, with all that I do on a laptop, continuum on a 950 XL might be more budget-friendly and serve all my needs. But I really need full office, I use track changes all the time on Word, footnotes, all that jazz. Excel and powerpoint I don't use much now, but I'd like to not have to upgrade my phone for the next 3 or 4 years if possible.

I haven't used Office on Windows 10 mobile, but for those out there that have, are all these features available? Is it really "full office?" I just have a hard time believing that Microsoft would just doll out software that normally costs over $100.00. Additionally, would my 950 XL be able to be used that constantly, and at least last 2 years? I'll definitely wait to see more hands on reviews (and I already asked Dan a similar question on twitter), but I can't wait anymore, I want to hear your guys' thoughts.

 

[Fallen Cpt Jack]

It's going to be a little hard to say, since very few people have tried Continuum on a phone. What I can say is that the phone uses the universal version of Word, and I have it running on both my SP3 and 1520, and it's very powerful. The phone doesn't have room on the screen for all the options available in Word (that's what Continuum will be for), but on the PC, it does support change tracking, comments and footnotes. It's probably not going to do things like macros and other advanced features, but it's still very usable for what I need, and maybe what you need.

The best thing to do would be to try it out for yourself, the best you can right now - and that's using Windows 10 for PC. If you install Windows 10 (either on your laptop, another laptop, or just go into a Microsoft store and use one of theirs) and try your usual tasks on Edge and Word (the one from the Store, not the desktop app), you should have a pretty good approximation of what you'll be able to do on the phone.

One point I'll mention is that you're correct - they don't generally hand out Office for free. It checks to see that you have an Office 365 subscription before it allows you to edit docs. The good news is that as a student, you can probably get it for free anyway (https://forums.windowscentral.com/e...Fstudent%2Foffice-in-education&token=2toCvLXt).

 

[Citizen X]

The CEO of the company said it is the full office experience. He said it on video in front of a large room full of reporters.

It's probably not going to do things like macros and other advanced features, but it's still very usable for what I need, and maybe what you need.

That's pure speculation.

One point I'll mention is that you're correct - they don't generally hand out Office for free. It checks to see that you have an Office 365 subscription before it allows you to edit docs.

Not true. Currently Office is free on all phones. Office is free on RT. Office was free on the Dell Venue 8 Pro. They give it out free all the time. All three of those are different versions but the Dell Venue 8 Pro is full Office.

 

[oboboy14]

It's going to be a little hard to say, since very few people have tried Continuum on a phone. What I can say is that the phone uses the universal version of Word, and I have it running on both my SP3 and 1520, and it's very powerful. The phone doesn't have room on the screen for all the options available in Word (that's what Continuum will be for), but on the PC, it does support change tracking, comments and footnotes. It's probably not going to do things like macros and other advanced features, but it's still very usable for what I need, and maybe what you need.

The best thing to do would be to try it out for yourself, the best you can right now - and that's using Windows 10 for PC. If you install Windows 10 (either on your laptop, another laptop, or just go into a Microsoft store and use one of theirs) and try your usual tasks on Edge and Word (the one from the Store, not the desktop app), you should have a pretty good approximation of what you'll be able to do on the phone.

One point I'll mention is that you're correct - they don't generally hand out Office for free. It checks to see that you have an Office 365 subscription before it allows you to edit docs. The good news is that as a student, you can probably get it for free anyway (https://forums.windowscentral.com/e...Fstudent%2Foffice-in-education&token=ArHBhorZ).

Thanks for the reply. I imagine that's what I'll have to do, go in to a store and try it out myself, and also talk to my university and see if taking finals on a phone-computer isn't against their policy. I just don't want to wait that long, I've been waiting long enough as is!

 

[Fallen Cpt Jack]

That's pure speculation.

It's not. I have office 2016 on my Surface. I also have the W10 version of office on my Windows 10 Surface and Windows 10 phone. They are very different. They can always update them, but at the current time, there's still a large feature gap between the versions. It's not one I care much about, but it's there.

Not true. Currently Office is free on all phones. Office is free on RT. Office was free on the Dell Venue 8 Pro. They give it out free all the time. All three of those are different versions but the Dell Venue 8 Pro is full Office.

Office is free on all phones, but not for editing, only for viewing. For editing, an Office 365 subscription is required. It says so right in the store description. I have to log in to my Office 365 account before editing is enabled. I've tested this personally.

The phone cannot run the x86 ("Full") version of Office that they often give out for free - it can only run the version provided in the Store (the Universal Windows Platform). The DVP is a full x86 Windows device, not a phone, and does not run the same version of the OS. This comparison is misleading at best, and not really related to the original question.