The company offered a preview of PowerPoint in Windows 8 Metro

Apr 2, 2014 17:08 GMT  ·  By

BUILD 2014 brought us the first public preview of Office Touch for Windows 8, with Microsoft offering a quick glimpse at the PowerPoint app working right in the Modern UI.

At the first look, the PowerPoint app for Windows 8 is much more advanced than the version launched recently on iPad, with Redmond saying that it can provide an “unmistakable Office experience.”

The traditional Office elements are still there, including a ribbon at the top of the screen to navigate using your finger. It provides a great touch-first experience and it’s really optimized for tablets. No learning curve is necessary, Microsoft said.

Office Touch for Windows 8 will be blazingly fast and will come with touch points on the ribbon that’s now big and easy to use, featuring galleries for effects, colors, and other text customization options.

All changes are automatically saved in the cloud, so you can always undo your last operation. This is also great for collaboration, the company said.

At the same time, Office Touch for Windows 8, part of the Gemini project, will allow users to navigation through presentation mode with the finger, while also offering gesture and inking support. Collaboration on the go is now possible, the company said.

Office Touch for Windows 8 will launch later this year, but no specifics have been provided.

Microsoft says that a touch-optimized version of Office will debut sometime this year
Microsoft says that a touch-optimized version of Office will debut sometime this year

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PowerPoint Touch in action
Microsoft says that a touch-optimized version of Office will debut sometime this year
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