Office Mobile 6.1 priced at $50

Microsoft finally released an updated version of Office Mobile with support for Office 2007 documents yesterday. That means Windows Mobile 5.0/6 users can finally open and edit DOCX, PPTX, and XLSX files. Office Mobile 6.1 is a free upgrade for some users, but others will have to fork out some cash if they want the latest and greatest. This is the first time Microsoft has sold a version of Office Mobile directly to consumers.

Up until now it was unclear how much Microsoft would be charging. But now that you can pick up a copy of Office Mobile 6.1 at Handango, we finally know the price: $50. And we’re a bit ambivalent. On the one hand, this is a bargain basement price compared to Office 2007 for the desktop. On the other hand, nobody would ever mistakes Office Mobile for Office 2007. It’s a stripped down version of the application meant for working on the go.

So how do you know if you need to pay for Office Mobile 6.1 or if it’s a free upgrade?

• If you have a version of Windows Mobile 6 that includes Office Mobile, you can upgrade for free.
• If you have a version of Windows Mobile 6 that did not ship with Office Mobile, say goodbye to $50.
• If you have a version of Windows Mobile 5.0 that came with Office Mobile, you may be able to upgrade for free, but some users with older devices have reported that they are unable to install the upgrade.
• If you have a version of Windows Mobile 5.0 that does not include Office Mobile, you’re out of luck.
• If you’re using Windows Mobile 2003SE or earlier, Microsoft would prefer to think you don’t exist recommend upgrading to a newer unit.

[via Jason Langridge]