There are lots of good reasons why you may want to remotely access your PC from your phone or tablet (iphone, Android, iPad, Nexus, etc). If you’re looking for a way to do this without a monthly service fee then your options are limited. You can always buy the LogMeIn Ignition app for $129.99 (not a typo) and this is an app I like a lot but it has one limitation, you can’t stream audio or video from the PC to the remote device. This is where Splashtop Remote Desktop really shines (and its on special today for 0.99$ - normally 9.99$).
Installation and setup
Once you buy and install the app from the relevant store (Google Play or Apple iTunes AppStore) you then have to download the Splashtop streamer from their website onto your PC or Mac. Installation of the PC software is very easy.After the standard installation, I logged in to my Google account from the desktop streamer so that the smartphone app could find my PC (even when I was using 3G). I then configured a security code on the PC to add a layer of protection to the setup.
I then used this info (security code and Google account login) to setup the smartphone client and like magic, it worked immediately.
User Interface
When the smartphone app starts-up, you get a little help bubble explaining how to interact with the interface (there are gestures using 1,2 and 3 fingers). The gestures are easy to remember and efficient to use.
The app itself has a clean interface with a small icon on the bottom right hand of the screen. A single tap brings us a keyboard and a double tap brings up the apps menu options.
Performance
The first thing I tested when I completed the installation was its ability to stream video via my carriers (crappy 3G connection). It tested everything from Flash videos, youtube and locally stores HD camcorder video files and everything worked extremely well. During my testing, I experienced no jitter or buffering.
Audio always stayed in Sync with the video (which was amazing and very surprising). The video was also always clear (no pixilation or severe image degradation.) Even pushing a 720p or 1080p video, it stream incredibly well. Sure it dropped some frames but nothing to get worried over.
I found it a little tough sometimes to click accurately enough in a remote Chrome tab to close it (kept opening new tabs) but when I zoomed in(pinch to zoom), I was able to accurately open and close tabs no problem. Log me in is a little better but only slightly.
Price
Even at its regular $9.99, this app is definitely a great bargain considering there are no monthly fees. Considering its ease of use and price value, I say this is a worthwhile investment every tablet or smartphone owner should consider making