Google Quickoffice buy takes aim at Windows 8

Google Tuesday announced it has acquired Quickoffice, whose software could bolster Google Apps on tablets and smartphones. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

Google's second buyout in two days (yesterday it announced the acquisition of social/advertising company Meebo) gives the company more ammunition in its fight for the mobile office versus Microsoft, which is steaming ahead with Windows 8 and its Office apps.

Microsoft traditionally has eschewed iOS and Android for its Office products.

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Google Engineering Director Alan Warren announced the buyout in a blog post: "Today, consumers, businesses and schools use Google Apps to get stuff done from anywhere, with anyone and on any device. Quickoffice has an established track record of enabling seamless interoperability with popular file formats, and we'll be working on bringing their powerful technology to our Apps product suite."

Alan Masarek, Quickoffice's co-founder and CEO, wrote: "By combining the magic of Google's intuitive solutions with Quickoffice's powerful products, our shared vision for anytime, anywhere productivity can only grow."

Quickoffice offers apps for Android and Apple iOS tablets and smartphones, but it's unclear what will become of the iOS ones under Google's domain. Though some industry watchers are intrigued: Forrester Research's T J Keitt tweeted: "Adding iOS apps 2 Google portfolio important" and Aberdeen Group's Andrew Borg tweeted that the buyout was a "Brilliant move for Google Docs."

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More about: Aberdeen Group, Alpha, Andrew, Apple, Facebook, Forrester Research, Google, Microsoft, Quickoffice, Symbian, UTS
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