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OnLive
OnLive’s Desktop Plus service turns your tablet into a virtual Windows 7 PC. The app-based service rolled out to iPad customers last week, and today made the jump to Android tablets.
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The Desktop Plus app is a free download, though the service costs $4.99 per month. For the price, you get a full Windows 7 desktop hosted remotely on OnLive’s servers and connected to the Web over a Gigabit Ethernet connection. On top of that, OnLive provides 2GB of cloud storage, which can be used to back up any documents created on the virtualized Windows 7 computer.
Preinstalled applications include Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe Reader. Adobe Flash is also installed, allowing for a full desktop PC browsing experience, complete with streaming Flash videos, games, and for better or worse–ads.
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OnLive Desktop Plus for iPad
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The implementation and capabilities of OnLive Desktop Plus for Android tablets is seemingly identical to the iPad’s, with one exception. Google’s support for Bluetooth mice in Android means that Desktop Plus users can take advantage of both a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse to create a better approximation of a Windows 7 PC experience. Mouse support is limited to only one button, so quash those right-clicking instincts now.
