Xiaomi bought 1,500 Microsoft patents and has agreed to load Office on its phones

China's Xiaomi is beefing up its patent portfolio, acquiring 1,500 patents from Microsoft. Xiaomi has also become the latest Android phone maker to sign a deal with Microsoft to preload Office and Skype on its devices.

It's part of Microsoft's revised mobile strategy which focuses on getting its software and services onto iOS and Android devices rather than trying to sway people to Windows-based phones. Microsoft already has deals in place with Samsung, Acer, LG and others.

Xiaomi, meanwhile, has been seen as needing to beef up its patent position, especially if it wants to sell devices in the U.S. The company this month announced plans to sell a set-top box in the U.S. and said it wants to eventually sell phones here. A Xiaomi representative said the patents it bought relate to wireless communications, video, cloud and multimedia.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

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