Commercial Investment Real Estate is the magazine of the CCIM Institute, the leading provider of commercial real estate education. CIRE covers market trends, current developments, and business strategies within the commercial real estate field.
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wait for rumors of an Offi ce app to come to fruition, there are some alternatives. T e fol- lowing apps provide some practical work- arounds for using macro-enabled Excel fi les on iPad and Android tablets. OnLive Desktop and CloudOn OnLive Desktop and CloudOn are two free apps that connect users to cloud- based versions of Microsoſt Offi ce. T e apps, available for iPad and Android tab- lets, include Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. Both apps run full versions of Offi ce 2010 and are equipped to handle the macros used in CCIM's Excel fi nancial tools and any other functions found on a desktop version of Offi ce. OnLive users must create an account on the company's website as a first step. CloudOn users are prompted to create an account on their tablets aſt er downloading the app. OnLive runs Windows 7, so pro- grams are opened either via the start menu or by tapping a desktop icon. CloudOn's interface is built around fi le browsing, so it doesn't have a Windows desk- top layout like OnLive. Once inside an Offi ce fi le, the two apps are nearly indistinguishable. CloudOn is free and doesn't off er tiered pricing. OnLive's basic service is free and includes 2 GB of storage. For $4.99 per month, users can upgrade to OnLive Desk- top Plus, which includes integration to cloud- based storage services Box and Dropbox. T e paid version also includes a Flash-enabled version of Internet Explorer. File Management To open a fi le with OnLive's free version, users must upload it to OnLive's website. The maximum file size is 100 MB, and These apps provide some practical workarounds for using macro-enabled Excel fi les on iPad and Android tablets. only fi ve fi les can be uploaded at one time. Synced fi les appear in the app's "documents" folder. To download a fi le created with the app, users have to log in to the website and click the fi le name. Unlike OnLive, CloudOn doesn't host fi les. Instead, users access fi les stored in one of three cloud-based storage services — Dropbox, Box, or Google Drive. Files opened in CloudOn save automatically, so the "fi le" tab in Microsoſt Offi ce's ribbon menu is disabled. While the auto-save fea- ture can be helpful, disabling the fi le menu also disables the "save as" feature. Without that feature, users can't save fi les in diff er- ent formats. Neither app can share files through iTunes, and only CloudOn is an "open with" option for iPad email attachments and Internet fi le downloads. Licensing and Other Limitations Accessing free versions of programs that cost more than $100 to download to your desktop computer raises licensing ques- tions. Unfortunately, neither Microsoft nor OnLive have off ered clear guidance on these questions. Gartner, an information technology research and advisory company, cautioned that "Microsoſt could hold both OnLive and its customers responsible for any potential mislicensing." Gartner recom- mends that companies considering OnLive Free storage limit Cloud integration Premium plans Included software ONLIVE 2 GB included with Plus plan $4.99 and up Excel, Word, PowerPoint CLOUDON n/a included n/a Excel, Word, PowerPoint CCIM.com review their Microsoſt licensing agreements prior to using the app. Using both apps presents a diff erent set of mobility and usability challenges. Since both run in the cloud, neither work without a Wi-Fi or data connection. Neither app has redesigned Offi ce for tablet usage, which means navigat- ing Excel worksheets or menus with fi nger taps could frustrate users who are accustomed to the accuracy of a mouse pointer. Other Alternatives Remote access apps give tablet owners an alternative to OnLive and CloudOn, but these workarounds face similar limitations as the apps. LogMeIn, a popular free remote access app, gives tablet users access to soſt ware and fi les on their desktop computers. As when using OnLive and CloudOn, the tablet must have Internet access to enable LogMeIn. T e remote computer also must be on (not in sleep mode). Once logged in, the remote desktop's screen is shrunk to fi t the tablet screen. As when OnLive and CloudOn, this presents usability problems. Tapping an Excel cell that was shrunk from a widescreen monitor to fi t a tablet display can be frustrating. Several Office clone apps, including QuickOffi ce and Documents To Go, include programs to edit and create Excel fi les. T ese apps work for iPad users looking for basic spreadsheet functionality, but they don't support macros and more-advanced Excel functions. If Documents To Go doesn't rec- ognize a function, it locks the spreadsheet. Numbers, Apple's spreadsheet soſt ware, is available as an iPad app and can open Excel fi les. Similar to the Offi ce clones, it has some Excel functionality, but cannot run macros. Dennis LaMantia is interactive marketing man- ager at the CCIM Institute. November | December | 2012 21