OnLive Desktop - Simple PC App Access from Anywhere. OnLive Desktop: Full MS Office on iPad 2, no Windows required (review) I am on record as one of those tablet users who gets the most out of any tablet I use, and that includes the iPad 2.
I have detailed how I use the iPad 2 with a keyboard to do serious writing work, and now with OnLive Desktop for the iPad that includes working with Microsoft Office documents natively. The service and app debuted at the CES 2012. The principle behind OnLive Desktop is simple: you sign up for a free account with them and download the free iPad app, after which you can access a Windows 7 virtual machine on your iPad. This environment is full Windows 7, although it is structured primarily to allow you to run three full Microsoft Office apps to work on documents.
Firing up OnLive Desktop on the iPad 2 presents a full-screen Windows 7 desktop, with access to Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. My Bluetooth keyboard is fully supported by OnLive, so working in Office on the iPad is just like working on a Windows laptop. See also: OnLive can turn your iPad into a remote desktop with live-streamed MS Office apps and more. Delivering on one of the big promises of its cloud-streaming technology, OnLive is announcing today that its OnLive Desktop app will give iPad users full access to desktop applications such as Microsoft Word using high-speed streaming technology.
The cloud service is potentially disruptive to a number of different parties in the documents ecosystem. That means that Windows desktop applications that are stored and executed in OnLive’s cloud — web-connected data centers — can operate as quickly and responsively as if they were stored on the user’s own computer. OnLive is taking the same network that it built for streaming high-end games to low-end computers and is using it to stream productivity apps to both consumers and enterprise users. OnLive will also deliver lightning fast web browsing. If it takes off, it could create a whole new revenue stream for Palo Alto, Calif. The streamed apps aren’t stripped-down Office apps or clones of Microsoft’s software. Working In Word, Excel, PowerPoint On an iPad. Documents To Go for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Work From Anywhere On your iPhone®, iPad® or iPod touch® View, edit, create, & manage Microsoft® Office files on iOS.
Also view Adobe® PDF, Apple® iWork, & other files & attachments. Use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe PDF files on your iOS device with the original and #1 selling mobile Office suite of all time. Docs To Go Premium 5.0 contains best-in-class document viewing & editing, including save & synchronization options directly to your iOS device, desktop & laptop via Wi-Fi, and to various cloud services* (iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, and more). Universal app - one purchase includes the iPad and iPhone versions. Documents To Go Premium enables MS Office app use on iPad. Erik Eckel has found greater business functionality on his iPad with the Premium app, Documents to Go, which allows you to get the most out of your Microsoft Office files on the iPad.
Here's what it will do for you. Truth be told, I bought an Apple iPad simply because I was asked to write about it. Secret behind Microsoft iPad apps. Microsoft has tongues wagging over its rapid pace of releasing apps for the iPad.
There are those who believe the folks from Redmond should only develop app versions for its own platforms, namely Windows and Windows Phone. Others believe Microsoft is simply being competitive by having apps on competing platforms in addition to its own. Microsoft is a software company, after all, and is just releasing as many versions of its products as possible. I believe the truth is a little more obscure, that Microsoft fears that the more consumers get exposed to alternative products on other platforms, the more they will desert the company's flagship products. I have no insider information behind my theory, but I believe this insecurity is also behind Microsoft's insistence in making Windows 8 both the next desktop platform and the new tablet OS. Don't misunderstand me, Microsoft Windows and Office will continue to be standards for the near future.
Image credit: Flickr user worak Related:
Microsoft Office on the iPad? Office² HD.