Bring PC experience to mobile devices

With all the new technologic “toys” available to the everyday consumer, most have some combination of a home computer, work computer, laptop, smart phone, or tablet.  There was a time when pcAnywhere was the only software available to take remote control of another computer. The company Splashtop (http://www.splashtop.com/), has developed a similar application for Mac , and it’s now available for Windows systems . It turns your mobile devices into a touch-optimized system to access applications, view files, play music and show videos right from the palm of your hand. The underlying concept is obviously not new—existing VNC and RDP applications have offered similar functionality for years.

The key advantage of Splashtop is performance, using a proprietary protocol to reduce latency and provide a more responsive user experience. The application also has some advanced features that you do not get with VNC, such as the ability to relay audio from the remote computer to the client. Splashtop requires a free app to be run on any computer you wish to access remotely, MAC or PC. The app runs in the background and provides secure access to the system from any mobile app in the Splashtop line. This currently includes iOS, Android, and webOS and can run from $.99 to $9.99 depending on the operating system and any sale promotions.

Like most remote control software, there are two components to Splashtop: the Streamer, which you install on computers you want to control, and the Remote, which you install on your mobile device.  Once Splashtop Remote Desktop is installed, accessing a remote system is as simple as tapping the computer in the list presented and entering the secure PIN number for access. In just a few seconds your mobile device displays the remote system’s desktop as if it was generated locally.

The app employs a number of touch gestures to accomplish various tasks on the remote desktop, including pinch/zoom, scrolling, and drag/drop. Usage hints are displayed each time a system is accessed to clearly demonstrate these gestures. The remote desktop takes over the entire mobile device display, with a small keyboard icon in the lower right of the screen. Tapping this icon opens the onscreen keyboard with special keys added at the top row to control the remote desktop. There is even a Windows key to facilitate entering Windows key commands.

I personally use Splashtop to remote into my work computers to make changes to the websites, access our databases, run reports, or in emergencies fix problems with our servers. It has been a great tool and has saved many trips back to work late at night or on weekends. I also use Splashtop to access the podium PCs to run updates and fix any problems from the comfort of my desk home. Since I can remote into the podium PCs it saves me the time from having to walk into all the classrooms. It has enabled me to multi-task on projects that would normally take up a lot of my time.

Splashtop has also released many other cool programs such as Whiteboard, Xdisplay, CamCam, TouchPad and many more. Splashtop is not the end all answer to remote computing, but it is an inexpensive, easy to use application, that allows users to never really be “disconnected” from home or work. Depending on wireless bandwidth and mobile processing power, Splashtop can be glitchy at times, and is not particularly ideal for playing graphic intensive games remotely. However, if you want to watch a movie on your home PC, do a little work while out of the office, get that file you forgot on your work computer, or even access live video feed from your computer’s webcam this might be the program for you.