After a long wait, and a lot of hide-and-seek, it’s finally here. The long awaited official Microsoft Office Suite for Android. While there are a plethora of apps which allow handling of native MS Office file formats, notable ones being Polaris Office, Quick Office and Docs to Go, we must admit that there’s nothing like the real deal!

While Microsoft, as always, continues to remain tight-lipped about its plans for the largest mobile platform on the planet, The Verge has learned through its sources that the Redmond-based giant is planning to release an Office suite version for Android in early 2013. Office Mobile programs like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote would be released as free apps for Android, and will allow users to view native MS Office documents on the go. Users would need an active Windows Live Account to be able to use these apps and documents would most likely be stored on and synced with Microsoft Skydrive.

Editing of documents however, is likely to require an Office 365 subscription, but will allow full control over creation of new documents and editing of existing ones. The Android version is expected to drop somewhere in the first half of 2013.  When asked for comments, a Microsoft spokesman stated that “Office will work across Windows Phone, iOS and Android.” without letting up on any other details.

Whether full-fledged adoption on Android will be a success, is something that only time will tell, but for now, it’s encouraging to see that the giants have started to take note, and more importantly, take necessary steps to initiate integration with what is fast becoming the most popular mobile platform this side of the galaxy.