Actually, it is possible to turn a computer on (even if it is properly 'off') using Wake On LAN. This is the technology that LogMeIn uses, but they probably can't fully realize the feature [of most modern PCs] because of their use of NAT Traversal for networking. Once the PC goes to sleep, no more network traffic is sent, and in a short time the NAT routes time out and the PC becomes unavailable to the LMI servers.
We're excited that Ignition is out (in Beta) and have spent some time playing with it. One of the motivators behind PhoneMyPC was that LMI was not available and we didn't want to wait 18 months and then pay $30 per phone for it, RDP is too proprietary and limited (at video and high-quality graphics) and VNC is too slow.
Part of the reason for the long delay on the latest PhoneMyPC build has been preparation for the competition with LMI. We're a bit slower because we're smaller and didn't have a mostly-done solution (servers, PC clients), so there's much more work to do.
Nonetheless, we expect soon to be the clear winner in terms of quality and features, and as [former, long-time] LMI users, if even they "follow us" and improve their speed, add sound and file transfer without the monthly fees, and add some of the additional features, we'll be excited to have helped drive real improvement in the Android ecosystem.
Consequently, for anybody interested, here is our review of the new Ignition Beta (with some comparison to PhoneMyPC):
* Overall, it worked well
* The second connection attempt failed
* The third connection worked, but resized the monitor to 640x480
LogMeIn uses a mirror driver on the PC and renders actual Windows content on the phone. This makes it's visual quality for text and line graphics very good, and better than PhoneMyPC when zoomed in beyond 100%, while also taxing the CPU so much that the back of the phones we tested on became hot.
LogMeIn's performance with graphical content (desktop background, photo viewing, videos) was poor; the default quality was low (loss of color data) and frame rates ranged from 1/8 to 1/2 of what PhoneMyPC delivered (YouTube, Hulu, etc.).
While neither objectively better or worse, LMI's default navigation, in which your cursor is pinned in the center of the screen and you move the desktop behind it, worked as expected. However, the pan and zoom had a 'stiff' feeling, with no kinetics or motion smoothing.
All in all Ignition does what LMI does well: lets you access your stuff.
As users, we should all demand sound and file transfer all at a reasonable price point when the Beta ends.
Oh, and about our updates: we're sorry for the delays, but they're coming, and worth the wait!
