[Q] getting MS office installed on the eee pad transformer

[chris-france]

Hi everyone,

I would like to get an eee pad transformer. However, with my previous laptop, I bought a legal version of MS office 2010, and would be a shame to loose it now.

I could find the files to create a dual boot with ubuntu on that device.

I found on a few topics that qemo could help emulate a x86 system, even on an ARM tablet.

Then I read that wine could enable installing MS designed softwares on Ubuntu.

Do you think following the 3 steps above could let me install Office 2010 on a eee pad transformer?

This would be critical for me to finally decide to buy it.

Thanks a lot for your help
Chris

 

[magicdave26]

I doubt it very much, there is a moderately working version of Ubuntu that moderately runs on the TF - but installing WINE and running MS Office, not a hope.

There are a few different versions of Android Office's you can install - none are anything like MS office though

 

[worwig]

Amazon, today (just a few more hours) has Documents To Go, free. I have been using it for a long while and it is very compatible with Word, Excel and Powerpoint. If that helps.

 

[chris-france]

Thanks for your quick and honest answer. That sounds like a very bad news for me.

Unfortunately I can't go for Android designed office as for business purpose, I often develop some VBA programs, and I strongly doubt those are supported and possibe to edit under those softwares...

Thing is I am really looking for a good Android tablet (avoid Windows at all costs) on which I could use this only MS soft... Any solution could work for me (dual booting, emulation...)

Any idea then?

 

[ParadingLunatic]

To be honest I don't think the processors they put in tablets are going to do a great job running a desktop OS (such as ubuntu) AND running emulation on top of it. Wine runs pretty clunky and buggy at best on a desktop processor. I can't imagine it's going to be a wonderful experience on a tablet, especially running Office 2010 or for developing VBA programs. Perhaps in the upcoming iteration of processors you might be able to but we won't know until they're out. Even then, it will probably still be fairly slow and buggy.

 

[chris-france]

Ok so as a conclusion I should rather buy a windows tablet and emulate honeycomb using Android SDK.

Does it give the same experiance as an android tablet?
Any tablet to advise me?

 

[magicdave26]

There are rumors that the transformer 2 (Prime) will be able to run Windows 8

But it is only a rumor at this stage, and would be ARM based not x86 anyway

There are a few Windows 7 tablets if you Google for such, but from the video reviews I have seen they are slow and laggy at best

Maybe a touchscreen laptop / netbook would be more suited for your needs
Then when Windows 8 is released you will have the tiled Metro touch interface that is designed for touch.

You can get some touchscreen notebooks that allow swiveling of the screen, so it basically closes with the screen side facing up, giving the feeling of a tablet

 

[Spidey01]

Where Polaris Office fails to deliever what you need, I suggest you just switch to a Windows box for MS or Libre Office as needed. You can also use SplashTop (better than VNC IMHO) via MyNet and access your PC from your TF, that should work.

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

 

[chris-france]

This last solution gives me hope!! Splashtop could actually solve my issue.

Thanks a lot for your help!

 

[Spidey01]

As long as you don't need to track the mouse cursor's movements, SplashTop is very handy but can take getting used to. My own use of it, is mostly web surfing and video that requires a Wintel (e.g. XFinity).

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

 

[chris-france]

I figured out I could connect to a NAS in my company. It is using Windows server 2008. Does it work with splashtop?

 

[cmarticus]

I figured out I could connect to a NAS in my company. It is using Windows server 2008. Does it work with splashtop?

Just use 2x RDP client its freeand works great for remotedesktop

 

[2easilyamused]

Some hope for you...

Microsoft is in the process of making their Windows 8 ARM compatible, which is the architecture "mobile" gadgets run on. I will probably find a way to run Windows/ Ice Cream Sandwich dual boot, similar to what I've done in the past on laptops. Windows is your only chance of running Office. That said, the functionality offered by Google Docs, Documents To Go, and other "Lite" Office apps should provide plenty of functionality for you. This is a tablet, not a laptop. It's a great product in it's class, but not a PC replacement. Asus makes the Eee Slate EP121 (played with one, very cool!) if you want a Windows Tablet, but for $1000, it's a product without much demand. Hope this helps.