It's no secret that Xiaomi plans to go global, and its execs are hoping that the company's expanding partnership with Microsoft could help them reach that goal. The Chinese manufacturer has announced that starting in September, its Android devices will come pre-installed with Skype and Microsoft Office apps (Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook). Further, it has revealed that it agreed to purchase 1,500 patents from Microsoft, including ones on cloud computing and voice communication. Xiaomi Senior VP Wang Xiang told Reuters that acquiring those patents is "an important step forward to support [the company's] expansion internationally."