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Microsoft brings Word, PowerPoint, Excel to Symbian Belle handsets
As promised, Nokia and Microsoft have made the mobile versions of Word, PowerPoint and Excel available to select Symbian Belle handsets. Earlier this year, the duo heralded the release of OneNote, Document Connection, Lync and PowerPoint Broadcast. With this latest software add, the Office suite for Symbian is (seemingly) complete. Those of you rocking an E7, C7, C6-01, X7, Oro, 700, 701 or 603 can acquire the fresh bits by launching the Nokia Software Update utility. Not bad for a dead mobile operating system.
OnLive Desktop migrates to Windows Server 2008, sidesteps licensing concerns?
Just this time last month, we reported that OnLive was in hot water with Microsoft over the company's ostensible lack of proper licenses for its remote virtualization software -- you know, the app that gave Android and iOS users free access to Windows 7 and Office 2010. Just recently, OnLive Desktop transitioned to Windows Server 2008 R2, and while neither company has confirmed suspicions, the move may be sufficient to satisfy the licensing requirements for both the operating system and Microsoft Office. Due to their similar foundation, most consumers are unlikely to notice the difference with the Aero theme active, and while the Windows 7 virtual keyboard is no longer available, OnLive has already replaced it with a mobile-inspired alternative. Let this be a lesson, kids: it helps to play by the rules -- especially when there are plenty of loopholes.
Nivio brings the Windows desktop to your iPad and Galaxy Nexus, we go hands-on
Remember the hoo-hah OnLive cooked over some supposedly fast-and-loose Windows licensing? Well Nivio's been quietly rolling out its own, proudly licensed, version of a cloud-based Windows desktop. Its minimum requirement is the ability to handle HTML5, meaning that a Microsoft-powered OS can be used across iPads, Android phones, MacBooks and everything else in between. Nivio offers up a cloud storage platform alongside a Windows 7-style (it's based on the Windows 2008 R2 Server; same building blocks) OS that allows the user to sync up to 10GBs across devices. What else does it have? Microsoft Office -- on your tablet or smartphone of choice and all licensed through Redmond's very own Service Provider License Agreement (SPLA). The service launched in February, and is currently clearing a backlog of users on its books, attempting to gauge how people are using the service before exploding any servers. It's also started making its first steps in Europe, so we decided to take a look while its makers were in London.
Nokia Belle earns corporate street-cred with Microsoft Office apps
Looks like the corporate bromance between Microsoft and Nokia is stronger than ever. The Finnish handset maker has announced a suite of MS applications that is making its way to select Symbian handsets right this very moment. Users rocking a Belle device are being given access to a handful of apps from Redmond, which will include: OneNote, Document Connection, Lync and PowerPoint Broadcast. A second wave of Office-centric wares, including Word, PowerPoint and Excel, will be made available at an undisclosed date in the not-to-distant future. Nokia E7, C7, C6-01, X7, Oro, 700, 701 and 603 owners should see the goodies appear in Symbian's software update application; the phone maker has promised to add support for the N8, E6 and 500 "soon." For more information on the Microsoft software infiltration, check the press release after the break.
OnLive Desktop launches 'Plus' subscriptions, puts IE in your iPad
OnLive has already given Microsoft loving iPad owners a hefty, gratis helping of Windows 7, but that doesn't mean they haven't been building a paywall. What's behind the freshly dried brick and mortar? OnLive Desktop Plus, an optional, subscription based upgrade that touts new features for users who are willing to pay a fee. Five dollars a month buys you a cloud-accelerated web browser (that would be Internet Explorer 9, complete with fully functioning Adobe Flash and Acrobat plug-ins) and priority access to the OnLive Desktop service -- freeloading "standard" subscribers can only access the service on an as-available basis. OnLive says that the cloud powered browser's full Windows experience finally gives the iPad full Flash compatibility, giving you the chance to feed your nostalgic need to watch cartoons check their email. We got an early look at the app, read on for a quick hands-on and OnLive's official press release.
Daily Update for February 21, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
Microsoft says Office for iPad story is based on 'inaccurate rumors and speculation' (updated)
The Daily got a lot of folks hopes up earlier today with a rumor that Office would soon be making an appearance on the iPad, but Microsoft is now throwing a bit of cold water on that news. While it's not exactly an outright denial that such an app is coming, a Microsoft spokesperson has now told The New York Times' Bits website that "The Daily story is based on inaccurate rumors and speculation," adding only that it has "no further comment" at this time. ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, however, is further reporting that Microsoft is specifically saying that the screenshot accompanying The Daily's story is not a real picture of a Microsoft product. Update: For its part, The Daily is standing by its story. Editor Peter Ha posted a reply to Foley on Twitter, stating that "we did not fabricate either image. A working version of the app was demoed to us by someone at Microsoft." Update 2: Microsoft has chimed in yet again on the matter, this time in the form of a tweet that reads: "Great respect for The Daily but regrettably someone is giving them bad info, and that'll be clear in the 'coming weeks.'" Yes, they put "coming weeks" in quotes themselves.
Office for iPad reportedly due in weeks (Update)
The Daily has gotten its hands on the upcoming iPad version of Microsoft Office, which its sources tell them will soon go through the Apple App Store vetting process. The interface is reportedly similar to OneNote, which we reviewed in December, and also contains technology that's in the Windows Phone and the upcoming Windows 8. Like similar office suites from Quickoffice and Documents to Go, users can create Word, Excel and PowerPoint files and edit them either on the iPad or online. The Daily's sources did not have a launch date or estimated price, but it'll most likely be available within the next few weeks. [Via The Next Web] Update: Quite the soap opera drama is unfolding. Microsoft denied that Office for iPad is coming in a statement given to The New York Times, stating that The Daily published "a screenshot that is not Microsoft's software" as well as a story which is "based on inaccurate rumors and speculation." Daily reporter Peter Ha then shot back that the image was not fake, and in fact came from a demonstration given by a Microsoft employee. He then supplied a screenshot of the app's icon running on an iPad.
Microsoft begins Office 15 technical preview, fills up before you knew it existed
Everybody calm... we know, we're excited too. We're just dying to see the latest in spreadsheet and presentation technology. But, for now, you'll just have to wait as the technical preview for Microsoft's next version of Office is all filled up. What exactly Redmond has in store for us it wont say but, it's not shying away from hyperbole, declaring it "the most ambitious undertaking yet for the Office Division." Primarily we assume that's because every arrow in the Office quiver is being updated simultaneously, including desktop, mobile and web apps, Visio, Lync and its countless other peripheral programs. Don't draw a warm bath and grab a straight razor, though -- you'll get a chance to play with all the updated products when they enter public beta this summer.
OnLive Desktop hits the iTunes app store
Not satisfied with iOS? No problem, OnLive has a hefty helping of Windows waiting for you in the iTunes app store. Palo Alto announced the streaming Office app earlier this week, touting it as a no-compromise enterprise experience. The free app is fairly basic, giving iPad users hungry for a dose of Microsoft Office limited access to Windows' premiere word processing, presentation and spreadsheet software -- though the outfit has said that it will intro "pro" and "enterprise" versions of the service with more features in the future. Go ahead, now you can be a Mac and a PC. We won't tell.
OnLive launches desktop app, streams start menus to your iPad, we go hands on (video)
Desktop sized games aren't the only thing Palo Alto's premiere streaming service is pushing to your tablet -- now OnLive is out to stream you an actual desktop, as well. Following up on an old Windows 7 demo and later promises to build a "no-compromise, media-rich enterprise experience," the outlet is now launching OnLive Desktop. It's almost exactly what it sounds like -- Windows, seamlessly streaming to your iPad.Microsoft's OS rides the same bandwidth pipelines that host OnLive's gaming service, and offers tablet owners a streamed desktop with access to fully functional versions of Microsoft Office products like Word, PowerPoint and Excel. The iPad app that is launching Thursday represents the outfit's "free" version of OnLive Desktop, and packs 2 GB of secure cloud storage in addition its limited suite of office applications. OnLive plans to expand the service with OnLive Desktop Pro, a paid variant (starting at $9.99 a month) with 50 GB of cloud storage, priority server access, additional applications and "cloud-accelerated browsing." Need something more specific? OnLive Enterprise will let firms custom tailor their cloud desktop to suit their needs -- dictating data, application and device access by user.But how well does it work? It depends on your connection, of course. We dropped by OnLive's west coast headquarters to stream it from the source. Read on to see how it did, or simply skip the bottom if you're looking for an official press release.
CloudOn offers Microsoft Office functionality for iPad, your parents will love it
If you got your parents an iPad for Christmas, you were probably thanked with this: "Can it run Office?" CloudOn may be the answer, the cloud-based service letting you log in to create and edit Office documents on the aforesaid slate. Similar to a lot of remote services, CloudOn runs Office on its own end and allows you to pull in documents from Dropbox for editing and post them back when you're done. Strangely, CloudOn launched on the App Store as a freebie but was pulled due to heavy demand. The company has asked users to sign up to be notified when the app goes back in the App Store. In other news, Las Vegas oddsmakers are now taking bets as to which will occur first; the release of an iOS-native version of Microsoft Office or the Robot Apocalypse.
Best of 2011 Nominations: Mac productivity apps
During December and January, The Unofficial Apple Weblog is soliciting your nominations and votes for the best products for Mac, iPhone/iPod touch, and iPad. We'll start with nominations in a category, and then tally your votes for the top-nominated products a few days later. The winner in each category receives the highly-coveted title of TUAW Best of 2011. Today's category for Best of 2011 nominations is Mac productivity apps. These are the apps that help you get work done on a daily basis, and include such apps as Pages, Evernote, Microsoft Office, and Marked. Maybe you're a devotee of DEVONThink or the incredible OmniFocus and want to single out one of those apps for an award. Just leave a comment below with your nomination for the best Mac productivity app of 2011, and if we get enough interest in a specific app, it'll be included in the voting in a few days. Nominations close at 11:59 PM ET on December 10, 2011.
Kodak's Document Print app means never visiting the girl from the Xerox place
Printing on the road usually leaves you at the mercy of your local Kinkos FedEx Office, but as long as you've got one of Kodak's cloud-print enabled Hero printers, you can avoid getting gouged. The company's just released an Android app that lets you print nearly everything, even webpages as long as they're accessed from the baked-in browser -- provided that you've left your home printer switched on. You can pull it down for free from the Android market from today and if you're interested, head on past the break for an unusually terse press release from the company.
Microsoft has record Q1, rakes in $17.37 billion in revenue (updated: Skype plans revealed)
Q1 of 2012 (don't ask...) was good to Microsoft. Very good in fact. The company posted a record first quarter revenue of $17.37 billion, a 7-percent increase over the same period last year and slightly higher than the $17.26 billion that was expected. The big hero was Office which accounted for $5.62 billion of that income, though sales of Windows stayed flat and fell somewhat short of expectations. The company's $5.74 billion in net income was also a significant jump of 6-percent over the same time last year. For a few more of the financial particulars check out the earnings report after the break and the spartan spreadsheets at the source link. Update: Wondering what Microsoft plans to do with the newly acquired Skype? Well, details are thin, but during today's earnings call the company revealed it did plan to integrate the VoIP service and its technologies into Lync, Live Messenger and Xbox Live. Soon you may not only have to listen to your friend gloat after every kill in Call of Duty, you might have to watch him do a celebratory dance in his Lazy Boy too.
Apple iCloud and iWork beta for iOS hands-on
We've had a few weeks to get accustomed to iOS 5 and Mac OS X Lion, but one headlining feature has been notably inaccessible since it was unveiled earlier this summer. During his WWDC keynote, Steve Jobs touted iCloud as a service that will sync many of your Apple devices, for free. Macs, iPhones, iPads, and even Windows computers can synchronize documents, contacts, calendar appointments, and other data. You'll also be able to back up your iOS devices remotely, use an Apple-hosted email account, and store your music in the cloud. Well, this week Apple finally lit up its cloud-based service for developers, letting some of us take a sneak peek at the new service. Apple also announced pricing, confirming that you'll be able to add annual subscriptions with 10GB ($20), 20GB ($40), or 50GB ($100) of storage 'atop your free 5GB account. We took our five gig account for a spin, creating documents in Pages, spreadsheets in Numbers, and presentations in Keynote, then accessing them from the iCloud web interface to download Microsoft Office and PDF versions. We also tried our luck at iOS data syncing and the soon-to-be-controversial Photo Stream, so jump past the break for our full iCloud hands-on.%Gallery-129793%
Office 365 ditches the beta tag, ready to take on Google Apps
We know what you're thinking -- you like the idea of Google Apps, but the Mountain View crew kind of creeps you out. Well, don't worry, Microsoft has your back. After making its beta debut last year, Office 365 is officially ready to spread its wings and offer its productivity web app wares to the business-minded masses. For $6 per-user, per-month small businesses get access to Microsoft Office Web Apps, Exchange, SharePoint and Lync video conferencing and can take advantage of the suite's integration with WP7 once Mango lands. Larger, enterprise plans start at $10 per user while adding support for desktop Office products and Lync VoIP solutions as you climb the pricing ladder. Really there's not much more to say except, check out the full PR after the break.
HP TouchPad rumored to lack document editing at launch
The WebOS nuts at PreCentral have received an anonymous tip-off that HP's imminent slate won't be able to edit Office docs out of the box. As much as we'd like to dismiss this as a retaliatory rumor put out by BlackBerry, it emits an unfortunate whiff of truth. While HP has previously made a big deal of the TouchPad's inclusion of the Quickoffice app, it has only said it's "working with Quickoffice" to include document editing, and it has never demoed editing in action. The company has recently been trying to boost its app count, but perhaps it should have put more effort into securing core functionality instead. A glimmer of hope, though: the same tip-off also suggested that at least some editing capabilities will be introduced "via a downloadable update in Q3 2011". Hey, what's the rush?
Microsoft loses $290 million patent battle, begins searching couch cushions
We've diligently followed the Microsoft v. i4i Limited Partnership patent dispute as it wound its way through the courts, and now comes the day of reckoning: by a unanimous decision, the US Supreme Court has upheld the patent-infringement finding against Redmond. For those of you just catching up, MS had been taken to court by Toronto-based i4i over a portfolio of XML-related patents -- patents it had already offered to license to the software behemoth. In court, Microsoft claimed it had not infringed and that the patents were invalid; a 2009 Texas court disagreed and awarded $200 million in damages. A subsequent appeal failed. Oh, and the government sided with i4i. Today's Supreme Court verdict upholds the lower courts' decisions: Microsoft Word is an infringing product, and the company now owes $290 million. The finding likely won't affect consumers, as the offending versions of Word are now obsolete. Still, $290 million isn't chump change, even for the world's largest software company. There's probably a joke in here about i4i justice, but we'll be dadblasted if we can find it.
Amazon says 'no MAS' with Mac Download Store
In the next effort to go toe-to-toe with Apple, Amazon took a swing at the Mac App Store and launched the Mac Download Store today. While its offerings aren't as robust as the Mac App Store, Amazon scored some big points by offering Mac software for download that Apple doesn't have -- namely Microsoft Office, QuickBooks and Roxio's Toast. In a battle that has thus far involved Amazon launching a cloud music service first and pending court discussions over the question of what exactly is an "app store," Amazon is doing its best to wrestle a piece of the Mac-user pie for itself. The Amazon downloads require OS X 10.5 and higher. Purchases can be downloaded an unlimited number of times and are stored in Amazon's Games and Software library. [Via The Loop]
