Cyanogen has announced plans to pre-install a selection of Microsoft apps on an upcoming version of its operating system.
The Android-modding company confirmed the roster of apps will include Skype, OneDrive, OneNote, Outlook, Bing, and Microsoft Office.
The companies are describing the move as a ‘strategic partnership’, although it’s not clear whether the corporate buddy-up goes any deeper than app sharing.
Microsoft did, however, reveal that it would be creating ‘native integrations’ on Cyanogen OS, which means the apps should work seamlessly with each other and the OS.
Peggy Johnson, Executive VP of Microsoft, said: “We aspire to have our tools within arm’s reach of everyone, to empower them in all aspects of their lives. This partnership represents another important step towards that ambition.”
“We’ll continue to deliver world-class experiences across productivity and communications on Windows, and we’re delighted that Cyanogen users will soon be able to take advantage of those same powerful services.”
Microsoft was recently tipped to have purchased a minority stake in Cyanogen, so this new partnership isn’t hugely surprising.
It’s a sizeable boon for Cyanogen too, as the company is currently going to lengths to create a more professional image, as noted with its recent re-branding and Qualcomm partnership.
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Kirt McMaster, Cyanogen Inc.’s CEO, said: “People around the world use Cyanogen’s operating system and popular Microsoft services to engage with what matters most to them on their mobile devices.”
“This exciting partnership with Microsoft will enable us to bring new kinds of integrated services to mobile users in markets around the world.”
CyanogenMod gained much of its fame for being the default operating system on the OnePlus One smartphone.
Neither company has confirmed whether the One will be getting access to the Microsoft apps.
It’s also not yet clear which exact versions of CyanogenMod will be shipping with the new Microsoft goodies, but we’ll keep you posted.
