Asus signs deal with Microsoft, agrees to preload Office apps on its Android phones and tablets

In an attempt to popularize its rather newly-available Office apps for Android, Microsoft appears to be willing to forgo or reduce patent licensing costs in exchange of getting its productivity-minded app suite in the hands of as many smartphone users as possible.

Microsoft and ASUS have recently announced a new licensing deal involving ASUS-made Android devices. In exchange of getting access to Microsoft's patented technologies related to Android devices, ASUS will preload Microsoft's productivity services on its Android-based smartphones and tablets.

Note that ASUS is not the first Android device manufacturer to agree with preloading Microsoft's mobile Office suite on its smartphones and tablets. At the moment, some 30 manufacturers from across the world have agreed to a similar deal with Microsoft. Most notably, Samsung struck a deal with Microsoft earlier this year, and has since preloading the mobile Office apps on a range of high-end handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy S6, the Galaxy S6 edge, or the Galaxy Note5.

The announcement of this deal comes just a single day after Google and Microsoft publicly declared that they've decided to stop their ongoing patent war.