Steveindajeep
Member
Any remote desktop apps available? On my second day of Motorola Driod ownership here. Still trying to get past this horrible qwerty keyboard.
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Remote Desktop Apps?
- Thread starter Steveindajeep
- Start date
SoftwareForMe.com
Member
I can't stand to see a good question go unanswered, Danny.
I can't speak specifically for RDP Demo, but I can tell you about the RDP apps in general.
RDP stands for Remote Desktop Protocol. It's a protocol developed by Microsoft to support their Remote Assistance technology and Remote Desktop features. All Pro versions of Windows come with the software pre-installed.
The protocol is designed to "remote" the user interface as efficiently as possible. To do this, it sends vector graphics (commands that draw stuff, rather than the pixels the stuff is made up of) to the client, where it is rendered much like it would have been on the PC.
So, RDP implementations in general provide a full-featured PC remote control experience, letting you see the PC screen on the remote device, and giving full control over the mouse and keyboard.
RDP is not available in Home versions of windows. It is available as a 3rd party application for some Linux distro's.
VNC is a very similar program, but since it is not built into the operating system, you have to install an app on the PC. VNC differs from RDP in that it sends actual pixel data from the screen, so it's generally not as efficient.
RDP has the potential to provide the fastest user experience because of how it sends graphics. However, it also often suffers from quality issues because it may decrease color depth and remove some graphics in order to improve performance.
RDP and VNC both have one drawback in common: they are "point to point" protocols, so they're best for network-savy users. To make them work, you must configure the phone with the host name or IP address of the PC so that the phone can connect to the PC. This is often not possible in corporate environments because of firewalls, and even at home it can be a nuisance because your ISP is likely to change your IP address from time to time.
Our product, PhoneMyPC, is very similar to GoToMyPC or LogMeIn, in that it is a hosted service and "just works" without any special configuration. It also works perfectly in corporate environments.
PhoneMyPC uses a technology most similar to VNC, in that we send actual graphics data, so there are cases where RDP would provide better performance. However, we chose the technology we did because bandwidth availability is steadily increasing, and we wanted to provide the best visual experience possible. What you see on the phone is exactly what you would see on the PC; no compromises.
PhoneMyPC is also the only remote application (in fact, the only Android application, that we know of) to support multi-touch zooming since Android 1.0.
Cheers!
The PhoneMyPC Team
SoftwareForMe.com
I can't speak specifically for RDP Demo, but I can tell you about the RDP apps in general.
RDP stands for Remote Desktop Protocol. It's a protocol developed by Microsoft to support their Remote Assistance technology and Remote Desktop features. All Pro versions of Windows come with the software pre-installed.
The protocol is designed to "remote" the user interface as efficiently as possible. To do this, it sends vector graphics (commands that draw stuff, rather than the pixels the stuff is made up of) to the client, where it is rendered much like it would have been on the PC.
So, RDP implementations in general provide a full-featured PC remote control experience, letting you see the PC screen on the remote device, and giving full control over the mouse and keyboard.
RDP is not available in Home versions of windows. It is available as a 3rd party application for some Linux distro's.
VNC is a very similar program, but since it is not built into the operating system, you have to install an app on the PC. VNC differs from RDP in that it sends actual pixel data from the screen, so it's generally not as efficient.
RDP has the potential to provide the fastest user experience because of how it sends graphics. However, it also often suffers from quality issues because it may decrease color depth and remove some graphics in order to improve performance.
RDP and VNC both have one drawback in common: they are "point to point" protocols, so they're best for network-savy users. To make them work, you must configure the phone with the host name or IP address of the PC so that the phone can connect to the PC. This is often not possible in corporate environments because of firewalls, and even at home it can be a nuisance because your ISP is likely to change your IP address from time to time.
Our product, PhoneMyPC, is very similar to GoToMyPC or LogMeIn, in that it is a hosted service and "just works" without any special configuration. It also works perfectly in corporate environments.
PhoneMyPC uses a technology most similar to VNC, in that we send actual graphics data, so there are cases where RDP would provide better performance. However, we chose the technology we did because bandwidth availability is steadily increasing, and we wanted to provide the best visual experience possible. What you see on the phone is exactly what you would see on the PC; no compromises.
PhoneMyPC is also the only remote application (in fact, the only Android application, that we know of) to support multi-touch zooming since Android 1.0.
Cheers!
The PhoneMyPC Team
SoftwareForMe.com
www.xtralogic.com/rdpclient.shtml - gets great reviews but the app costs $18. Not bad if you really need it for emergency back-office IT work and monitoring, etc.
On the Android us the Market app and browse for "communications / Top Paid". There doesn't appear to be a "try before you buy" version that I can find...
On the Android us the Market app and browse for "communications / Top Paid". There doesn't appear to be a "try before you buy" version that I can find...
Also, Remote RDP/VNC apps have demo and Lite versions. The developer answered my questions really quickly (on a Saturday to boot) so it appears to be a supported app by an interested developer.
www.toremote.com
The paid RDP app looks to be a couple bucks cheaper than the one from Xtralogic but since Xtralogic doesn't have a demo version and I'm not gonna risk $18 for an app I can't try out first I can't give anyone a comparison of performance and capabilities.
www.toremote.com
The paid RDP app looks to be a couple bucks cheaper than the one from Xtralogic but since Xtralogic doesn't have a demo version and I'm not gonna risk $18 for an app I can't try out first I can't give anyone a comparison of performance and capabilities.
SoftwareForMe.com
Member
Try them all!
For those who don't know, the Android Market gives you a 24 hour trial period for ALL applications (this period will soon change to 48 hours).
Simply download an app and use it. If you don't like it, return to the app page in the Android Market within 24 hours and select the option to Return the app. Your payment instrument will never be charged.
Note: you can only return each application once. The second time you download a particular app you will be charged (this keeps people from downloading a program for 23 hours, over and over).
Also, an unrelated--but very important--bit of information: once you've paid for an app, you may uninstall and reinstall it any number of times, forever, with no additional charge. You may download and install it on a new phone when you upgrade, again with no additional charge (providing you use the same Google Checkout account). And, updates are always free.
Cheers!
SoftwareForMe.com
Makers of PhoneMyPC
For those who don't know, the Android Market gives you a 24 hour trial period for ALL applications (this period will soon change to 48 hours).
Simply download an app and use it. If you don't like it, return to the app page in the Android Market within 24 hours and select the option to Return the app. Your payment instrument will never be charged.
Note: you can only return each application once. The second time you download a particular app you will be charged (this keeps people from downloading a program for 23 hours, over and over).
Also, an unrelated--but very important--bit of information: once you've paid for an app, you may uninstall and reinstall it any number of times, forever, with no additional charge. You may download and install it on a new phone when you upgrade, again with no additional charge (providing you use the same Google Checkout account). And, updates are always free.
Cheers!
SoftwareForMe.com
Makers of PhoneMyPC
RemoteDroid isn't an Remote Desktop app. It just allows you to use your phone as a wireless mouse/keyboard.
PhoneMyPC
The PhoneMyPC App is great. When I find an app, I first check the ratings. If it's under 4 stars, I don't even bother. Then I check to see if it's updated to Android 2.0. Finally I check to see if its free. This app passed 2 of the 3 for my criteria however it's not free. Sometimes we all have to pay to get a good app, it keeps the developers interested and acknowledges their hard work.
PhoneMyPC is the best in its class. It controls your PC from your Droid, it's simple to setup and it works. Finally an app where I actually like the "pinch to zoom" feature. If you want a simple remote controller, I'm sure you can find one of those for free in the Market, although I believe this app can even do that.
The PhoneMyPC App is great. When I find an app, I first check the ratings. If it's under 4 stars, I don't even bother. Then I check to see if it's updated to Android 2.0. Finally I check to see if its free. This app passed 2 of the 3 for my criteria however it's not free. Sometimes we all have to pay to get a good app, it keeps the developers interested and acknowledges their hard work.
PhoneMyPC is the best in its class. It controls your PC from your Droid, it's simple to setup and it works. Finally an app where I actually like the "pinch to zoom" feature. If you want a simple remote controller, I'm sure you can find one of those for free in the Market, although I believe this app can even do that.
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Well if you don't need the graphics -- a simple ssh connection should give you the ability to do everything you want to do (kill apps - run apps) and such -- just without the fancy GUI -- and its fast!!!
Connect bot is really good for a ssh client.
Im using AndFTP for my sftp client
and
Cygwin on my Windows Boxes (ssh server)
Ubuntu on my other Linux Boxes (ssh server)
DDWRT on my home router (with appropriate ports set up to port forward to appropriate computer -- need to forward as many ports as you have computers running sshd)
NoIP - for name resolution
That last two are requirements even if you want to do RDP. And Im not certain if RDP is end-to-end encrypted. This may be important depending on your situation. I'm not sure if the capability to tunnel VNC over SSH is possible as it is with basic computer networking. I have no idea about tunneling RDP over SSH or even if this is necessary or if this actually requires the device to be rooted. Perhaps someone could clarify some of these questions.
Connect bot is really good for a ssh client.
Im using AndFTP for my sftp client
and
Cygwin on my Windows Boxes (ssh server)
Ubuntu on my other Linux Boxes (ssh server)
DDWRT on my home router (with appropriate ports set up to port forward to appropriate computer -- need to forward as many ports as you have computers running sshd)
NoIP - for name resolution
That last two are requirements even if you want to do RDP. And Im not certain if RDP is end-to-end encrypted. This may be important depending on your situation. I'm not sure if the capability to tunnel VNC over SSH is possible as it is with basic computer networking. I have no idea about tunneling RDP over SSH or even if this is necessary or if this actually requires the device to be rooted. Perhaps someone could clarify some of these questions.
BeefyBeefo
Member
Someone I know wants a Droid but his company uses GoToMyPC and as far as I know, this can only be used on WinMobile phones? 
i use the remote rdp app from toremote as well as phonemypc. they both come in handy and have their uses.
remote rdp does exactly what it says and is a great tool for connecting to machines using the rdp protocol. doesn't require a local client installed on the machine you're connecting to. haven't had any problems with it.
phonemypc is also good. requires a local client be installed on the machine. works fine while i'm connected to the machine, however i regularly get an error message after closing the app. some warning about process activity and saying the app will close. doesn't seem to impact functionality though and fires right up next time it's opened. a few gripes: doesn't install as a service, means you need to have an active session on the computer you're trying to connect to. to use it with multiple machines you need to use the same user name/pwd in the application client on all the computers where it's installed. nothing major but worth mentioning. this app will be awesome as they continue to improve it.
like i said, they both have their uses and it's nice to have two different options for connecting to machines remotely. i'd recommend either depending on your needs.
remote rdp does exactly what it says and is a great tool for connecting to machines using the rdp protocol. doesn't require a local client installed on the machine you're connecting to. haven't had any problems with it.
phonemypc is also good. requires a local client be installed on the machine. works fine while i'm connected to the machine, however i regularly get an error message after closing the app. some warning about process activity and saying the app will close. doesn't seem to impact functionality though and fires right up next time it's opened. a few gripes: doesn't install as a service, means you need to have an active session on the computer you're trying to connect to. to use it with multiple machines you need to use the same user name/pwd in the application client on all the computers where it's installed. nothing major but worth mentioning. this app will be awesome as they continue to improve it.
like i said, they both have their uses and it's nice to have two different options for connecting to machines remotely. i'd recommend either depending on your needs.