Skype comes to Office Online and Office comes to Chrome

Microsoft is promoting Skype more than ever before. Not content with desktop and mobile apps, now the company is bringing the voice and video messaging tool to its office suite. Starting with Office Online integration Skype messaging is now available in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote Online, as well as Outlook.com.

This is a continuation of Microsoft's increased focus on the cloud, and a recognition of the importance of communication for collaborative projects. There are times when simply being able to work on the same document with colleagues is not going to be enough, and this is where Skype integration comes into play.

Microsoft says that the addition of voice and video chat to Office Online brings "a natural, collaborative experience in which you can co-author and have a conversation using instant messaging or video calling right from within a document". Just as Google has done with Chrome, this is the latest move in Microsoft's plan to turn the web browser into the ultimate destination. Skype arrives for people with a Microsoft account in November.

The company is not obsessed with its own Microsoft Edge browser, however. A new Chrome extension makes it easier than ever to create, view, and edit Office documents in Google's browser. Microsoft also announces that the footprint of Office for Android has been reduced by 40 percent, and Office apps are now ready for enterprise use with Android M support for Enterprise, and Android for Work compliance.