Building on the company's cloud-based gaming service, which does the heavy processing required to play the latest graphically-intensive games on remote servers before streaming the result to client devices including smartphones and tablets as well as the company's own MicroConsole device, OnLive Desktop allows iPad owners to run a full Windows 7 desktop environment on their tablets.
Released into the iTunes US store this week and with a UK launch due soon, OnLive Desktop promises much: by connecting to OnLive's remote cloud, full desktop software such as Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint can be run on the iPad, while a redesigned user interface allows for tablet-based control including pinch-to-zoom and flick-to-scroll.
"OnLive Desktop is the first app to deliver a no-compromise, media-rich Windows desktop experience to iPad, opening up powerful new possibilities for consumers and businesses," OnLive's founder and chief executive Steve Perlman explained at the launch. "iPad users will now be able to simply and securely view and edit cloud-hosted documents with full-featured Windows desktop applications like Microsoft Office, just as if they were using a local high-performance PC. Multi-touch gestures respond instantly and smoothly, while HD videos, animations and PC video games - never before usable on a remote desktop - play seamlessly."
Free for basic users and including 2GB of cloud-based storage, OnLive plans to offer a 'Pro' option costing $9.99 (around £6.50) a month which adds more software to the mix and upgrades your bundled storage to 50GB. OnLive Desktop Enterprise is also in the works for large-scale deployments, but pricing for this option is not yet available.
With OnLive's cloud gaming service proving popular, a move into the lucrative world of business makes sense; but it remains to be seen if the company can gain traction with desktop-style apps on a tablet-format device.
Posted on 13 Jan 2012 at 11:06
Author: Gareth Halfacree
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/tablet-pcs/1289614/onlive-desktop-brings-windows-7-to-the-ipad
Category: Tablets
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