Last week, we wrote about new tech tips for the iPhone and iPad, a timely post for the many Waytek customers who received new gadgets for the holidays. Our customers are also increasingly using smartphones and iPads for work. This week, we are focusing on the new possibilities for using Microsoft Office on the iPad.
Last week’s post looked at Walter Mossberg’s Wall Street Journal column that mentioned improvements in using Office for the iPad. Quickoffice Pro and Apple’s own iWork were discussed as not-so-perfect solutions, but this week’s announcement of a new app from Onlive Inc., offers a new and better solution that should be available as early as today.
In today’s WSJ, Mossberg writes that this new app is a full Windows version of the key components of Office, including Word, Excel and Power Point. You can create, edit or revise these Office programs. It is a cloud-based app, so nothing is stored on the iPad, and it connects with a Windows 7-based remote server. A Wi-Fi or 3G Internet connection is required, and this first version is free, offering 2 GB of cloud storage. For around $10 a month, you can choose the Pro Account, which offers 50 GB of storage in the cloud.
Since Windows was basically created for use with a mouse and keyboard, Mossberg recommends using an add-on wireless keyboard for the iPad when using this app, a fact that might not thrill many iPad fans. In addition, since the app is in the cloud, you cannot use this app to open Office documents you receive in emails. Still, it is a huge technological advancement that brings the two worlds of the iPad and Microsoft Office together. Let us know your thoughts and stay tuned for more on this topic, as it will surely become even more relevant to our Waytek Managed Service customers.
