It may seem like there aren’t many options for getting the formatting right on that pesky Word document with the weird margins if you’re working from your iPad. You’ve got iWork, Google Docs and third-party office software, but no way to use Office itself, right?
A recent feature from MacWorld tested three services that show it is possible to use Microsoft Office by running it remotely with certain cloud apps. MacWorld tested CloudOn, nivio and OnLive Desktop, which allow users to connect to a remote Windows desktop and use Office applications. CloudOn, which is free for personal use, received the site’s most enthusiastic endorsement, while OnLive Desktop was praised for its display.
“[I]f you need to edit Windows Office documents and guaranteeing file compatibility is your top concern, all three services offer viable – if imperfect – solutions,” the reviewer wrote.
If compatibility isn’t your main issue, a separate MacWorld piece highlighted some other document editing options. In addition to Apple’s iWork apps like Pages and Google’s Google Docs, other apps like Office² HD, Polaris Office or Quickoffice Pro HD offer office suite capabilities.
Moving smoothly between an iPad and the cloud won’t work if your iPad is broken, but fortunately you can turn to iResQ for iPad repair to make those margins the worst thing you have to worry about.