App: lets you use one computer through another one
What Splashtop needs now is to make itself truly “remote” by getting across-the-Net access out of “experimental” mode and into full release.
Remote desktop management is an intriguing concept. It lets you use one computer through another one, no matter where you are.
Say Computer A is your home desktop, containing all of your most important documents and applications. Computer B might be your lower-powered notebook, netbook or even a tablet or smartphone. With an Internet connection and the right programs loaded into both machines, you can seamlessly interface with Computer A through Computer B. The desktop you see on B’s screen is A’s desktop, and all the mouse movements and keystrokes you control through B’s hardware are routed to A. It’s a temporary computer brain transplant.
In practice, even when remote desktops work, they typically aren’t perfectly seamless. There’s sometimes a bit of lag, connections are dropped once in a while, and the user experience can be a little clunky if the two computers aren’t very similar to each other in terms of input devices.
But even though you probably wouldn’t want to use one just for the sake of idly surfing the Web on your home system while you’re out of town, remote desktops are obviously very useful when you have a particular task in mind that can only be done on some far-flung computer. Developers have long offered various remote desktop apps for iPhone, iPod and iPad, and lately one called “Splashtop” has managed to climb to the very top of the App Store sales charts.
Log On
It’s likely that price factors into Splashtop’s recent success. At the time of this writing, iPad and iPhone versions are selling for $1.99 each; their regular price is $9.99. Compare that to another remote desktop app, JumpDesktop, which goes for $19.99.
Setup is simple: Download the app, then direct your PC’s or Mac’s browser to Splashtop’s homepage. There you’ll find a free download for a program you’ll need to install on your main computer (the one you want to control through the virtual desktop). Once installed, you need to choose a password, and from there you’re set. As long as that desktop application is running, your computer will be ready to start a remote session.
Things are just as simple on the iOS side. When you start the app, it immediately begins looking for computers on the network that are running the Splashtop server software. Select yours, punch in your password, and suddenly you’ll be looking at your computer desktop through your iThing’s screen. Your clicks and keystrokes will register as input, and anyone sitting at the computer will be able to see everything you’re doing on it (the machine’s own mouse and keyboard will still function).
Note above where I mentioned it’ll look for computers “on the network.” The most straightforward way to use SpashTop is when your iPhone or iPad is connected to the same WiFi network as your computer. That probably means you’re sitting in the same house. That could be convenient under some circumstances, but it effectively limits the definition of “remote” to “about 20 or 30 yards.”
If you want to be able to control your computer while you’re much farther away than your back yard, across-the-Internet access is possible in Splashtop through a feature the company refers to as “experimental.” Using this requires a Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) username and password, and right now it’s only available for PC users.
It’s unclear just how secure this connection is — Splashtop’s iTunes page doesn’t offer much info about security. It also feels much laggier and clunkier when using Splashtop through a 3G connection rather than WiFi. Those who connect to the home PC by hooking up iOS to WiFi on their own end (at an airport or hotel, for example) may see better performance.
Touchscreen Discomforts
Under optimal conditions (both iOS and computer are on the same WiFi network), Splashtop’s performance is impressive. When I took my desktop browser to sites like Hulu and YouTube, videos played at full screen with no noticeable chop, and audio was streamed in perfect sync. I even cued up an incredibly large HD video and watched it without a hitch.
Obviously input is going to be a little strange when you’re working with a purely touchscreen device to control a computer meant for a mouse and keyboard. Splashtop has a built-in keypad that includes nearly all the same buttons you’d expect on a standard PC keyboard, not just the simplified iPhone arrangement. It also has its own library of finger gestures you’ll need to right-click, scroll and generally move about the screen.
But the fact that Windows simply isn’t built for a 3.5-inch touchscreen means using Splashtop on iPhone gets pretty tedious. You can use familiar spread-to-zoom gestures to zero in on those tiny little window control buttons. But I’m used to using touchscreen software on touchscreen devices, so within a few minutes of using Splashtop for iPhone, I started getting the feeling that this was going to be something that I’d only use for emergency data retrieval.
Use on the iPad is much more comfortable. Expect to need to zoom in and out a little, but it seems a 10-inch screen is just enough for a tolerable Windows touchscsreen experience.
Bottom Line
Splashtop’s use of unique gestures is a thoughtful way of tackling the desktop-to-touchscreen transition. Its performance on WiFi is solid. Poking at Windows’ tiny controls on an iPhone can be frustrating, but that’s hardly Splashtop’s fault.
It’s also good to see that Splashtop is at least working on a finished version of over-the-Net access, and its willingness to let customers use it as an “experimental” feature suggests they’re making a priority out of finishing it for full release
source:technewsworld.com
