Need files from your PC? Try the iPad’s remote-access apps
Business Technology | February 6, 2013
Ever needed to access your PC or laptop while you were on the road? Ever needed that one special file from your pc while you were on the other side of the country from it? Using your iPad and a remote-access app, it is easy to access your desktop or laptop regardless of where it is or you are. As the name suggests, these apps allow you to use your iPad to take control of your pc or laptop. Once you’ve gained this control, you can easily open files, explore folders, access contact lists and, in some cases, watch movies or videos that you’ve saved to your Desktop or laptop. The best news? There are numerous remote-access apps available. While remotely managing your PC isn’t as smooth an experience as simply using it in person, these apps can help in an emergency.
GoToMyPC: Citrix, the company behind GoToMyPC, is a veteran of the remote-access business. In fact, GoToMyPC is older than the iPad itself. This means that GoToMyPC has ironed out the bugs generally associated with remote access. This is the reason the service earned a strong review recently from PC Magazine, whose editors praised this particular service for its simplicity of use and intuitive controls. As the name suggests, iPad users – with an app – can remotely access their desktop and laptop computers with this program. They are able to open Word documents, access Excel spreadsheets and comb through the contact lists stored on their remote computers. The only negative? The price. This can be a fairly pricy service, costing, generally, $9.95 a month or $99 a year. If you are a more typical iPad user who’s and not on the road too much, you might prefer one of the lower-priced remote-access apps out there.
SplashTop Remote Desktop: SplashTop Remote Desktop qualifies as one of those lower-priced apps, costing just $4.99. According to a recent review by CNET, that price is a bargain. CNET’s editors praised SplashTop as easy to use and effective. Additionally, they cited its ability to recover movies and music stored on your remote computers. It is a service that most other remote-access apps can’t handle.
LogMeIn Ignition: Elliott also tested LogMeIn Ignition and gave it good reviews. It’s a bit more costly than is SplashTop Remote Desktop. But it also comes with a feature which may justify the extra expense for business users: You can use this app to remotely wake a sleeping or shut-off PC, a job other remote-access apps can’t do. You may also use this app to copy or move files from your remote PC to the iPad, another feature that other remote-access apps can’t duplicate.
Ever needed to access your PC or laptop while you were on the road? Ever needed that one special file from your pc while you were on the other side of the country from it? Using your iPad and a remote-access app, it is easy to access your desktop or laptop regardless of where it is or you are. As the name suggests, these apps allow you to use your iPad to take control of your pc or laptop. Once you’ve gained this control, you can easily open files, explore folders, access contact lists and, in some cases, watch movies or videos that you’ve saved to your Desktop or laptop. The best news? There are numerous remote-access apps available. While remotely managing your PC isn’t as smooth an experience as simply using it in person, these apps can help in an emergency.
GoToMyPC: Citrix, the company behind GoToMyPC, is a veteran of the remote-access business. In fact, GoToMyPC is older than the iPad itself. This means that GoToMyPC has ironed out the bugs generally associated with remote access. This is the reason the service earned a strong review recently from PC Magazine, whose editors praised this particular service for its simplicity of use and intuitive controls. As the name suggests, iPad users – with an app – can remotely access their desktop and laptop computers with this program. They are able to open Word documents, access Excel spreadsheets and comb through the contact lists stored on their remote computers. The only negative? The price. This can be a fairly pricy service, costing, generally, $9.95 a month or $99 a year. If you are a more typical iPad user who’s and not on the road too much, you might prefer one of the lower-priced remote-access apps out there.
SplashTop Remote Desktop: SplashTop Remote Desktop qualifies as one of those lower-priced apps, costing just $4.99. According to a recent review by CNET, that price is a bargain. CNET’s editors praised SplashTop as easy to use and effective. Additionally, they cited its ability to recover movies and music stored on your remote computers. It is a service that most other remote-access apps can’t handle.
LogMeIn Ignition: Elliott also tested LogMeIn Ignition and gave it good reviews. It’s a bit more costly than is SplashTop Remote Desktop. But it also comes with a feature which may justify the extra expense for business users: You can use this app to remotely wake a sleeping or shut-off PC, a job other remote-access apps can’t do. You may also use this app to copy or move files from your remote PC to the iPad, another feature that other remote-access apps can’t duplicate.