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OnLive Intros Virtual Windows 7 Desktop With Office for iPad

Monday January 9, 2012 1:36 pm PST by Jordan Golson
Video game streaming company OnLive has announced a free, streaming, virtual Microsoft Windows 7 desktop app for the iPad. The OnLive Desktop app, announced at CES, will eventually expand to other platforms -- including the Mac. Users will have access to full-featured versions of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, less than a week after CloudOn introduced its Office solution for the iPad.


GigaOm has details about how the service will work:
Since applications are running on high-end computing clusters in OnLive’s data centers, the only thing holding back performance is the network. Which means that in today’s world of pervasive broadband connectivity, Windows applications running on an iPad could potentially be faster than those running on a standard Windows 7 laptop.

OnLive is making the Desktop app available in a freemium model through which users will get 2GB worth of cloud storage and the ability to use Windows 7 applications such as Word, Excel and Powerpoint, as well as other utilities and games. Documents can be stored in the cloud and accessed from any device with a web interface. In the near future, OnLive expects to launch Onlive Desktop Pro, a more robust service that will offer up 50 GB of storage, priority access, additional apps and other features for $9.99 a month. It also promises collaboration features for enterprise users such as sharing documents or working on virtual whiteboards.
The Verge notes that when they tried the app at OnLive HQ, there was "a little bit of perceptible lag, it's pretty impressive manipulating objects with our fingers and flipping through PowerPoint presentations on a desktop miles away."

OnLive previously announced iPad and iPhone support for its gaming products, though those apps have yet to be publicly released.

Available this Thursday in the U.S. and "soon" in the UK, OnLive Desktop for the iPad will be free on the App Store.

[ 98 comments ]


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Renzatic
99 months ago

I don't even want a real Windows POS. Why would I want a virtual one? :p


LOL! More like...



AM I RITE?

I love Macintosh Computers Made By Apple. :thimb:
Rating: 28 Votes
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MacNewsFix
99 months ago
Video game streaming company OnLive has announced a free, streaming, virtual Microsoft Windows 7 desktop app for the iPad.

Worst...video game.....EVER!


;)
Rating: 19 Votes
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dakwar
99 months ago
Emm, I would be very concerned with privacy.
Rating: 9 Votes
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The Economist
99 months ago
This came as a surprise. I like where OnLive is heading.
Rating: 7 Votes
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protein
99 months ago

I don't want a real Windows POS. Why would I want a virtual one? :p


It's free. You don't have to use it you know.
Rating: 6 Votes
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shartypants
99 months ago
I don't want to use software designed for the desktop on an iPad.
Rating: 6 Votes
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Renzatic
99 months ago

So how fast would that broadband connection need to be, to be faster than a laptop?


It'll be as fast as whatever computer they've got it running on on their end. Your connection is only responsible for how fast the screen updates between commands.
Rating: 5 Votes
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adcx64
99 months ago
I think this is really cool, a virtual windows 7 desktop? thats amazing
Rating: 5 Votes
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rjohnstone
99 months ago

I am curious as to how this is working out with Microsoft licensing-wise.

MS has terminal service licenses for uses like this.
They are a bit cheaper than the traditional desktop license as you only have to license the number of sessions per server, not the number of users.
(per seat licensing).
Rating: 4 Votes
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KnightWRX
99 months ago

I think this is really cool, a virtual windows 7 desktop? thats amazing


Yes, RDP was so Amazing when it got introduced... back in Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Server edition. :rolleyes:
Rating: 4 Votes

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