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Desktop Sharing To Mac/PC From iPhone Or iPad

Desktop Sharing To Mac/PC From iPhone Or iPad

Posted May 30, 2011 at 12:58pm by iClarified
RafSoftware has announced Remoter VNC 2.4 for iOS, an update to their productivity app that enables users to remotely control Macs via Screen Sharing and Windows or Linux computers using the VNC standard right from their iOS devices. The app uses Bonjour and NetBIOS to make setup a cinch, and it features a novel and highly praised "virtual trackpad" that allows to control the mouse cursor intuitively. Telnet and SSH, which also allows for secure VNC over SSH connections, support are available as in-app purchases.

The app offers one of the fastest implementations of the VNC protocol on the iOS platform. Operation is intuitive, with a well thought out interface that allows users to either tap on the screen and have taps converted into clicks on the remote system, or use a unique "virtual trackpad" that gives users precise control, and ease of use. A drag or stylus mode on the iPad version is also provided, which gives users the ability of easily dragging items, or drawing on their computers directly from their iPad just by using their fingers or a stylus.

Session set-up is simple, all the computers from the WiFi network are found using both the Bonjour and NetBIOS standards. The user then taps on the desired connection, and all queried information such as computer name, IP address, service port, and more auto-populates the set-up screen. The user then only needs to enter the VNC password to complete setup. A button labeled "Advanced" reveals many useful advanced options, like color depth, server scaling setting, compression level and more.


Via the SSH add-on, the app allows users to establish secure and tunneled VNC connections to their computer desktop. This add-on also gives users the ability of establishing terminal connections to any SSH server. Featuring full terminal control, including special keys such as Control, Alt, F1-F14. Terminal support implements font foreground and background color, a terminal buffer, and clicking. SSH authentication includes both passwords and private/public key support. A fully featured SSH Key manager allows users to create SSH keys using RSA or DSA. Passphrases can also be set, and independent SSH keys can be used for each SSH session.

The SSH add-on also gives users the ability of create up to five TCP tunnels. The tunnels can then be accessed while the app is in the background by any other app on the iOS device. Providing a VPN connection to the SSH server. Background connections can stay active for a full ten minutes.

The Telnet add-on enables users to connect to server computers using the Telnet protocol. Like with SSH, the app provides full color support, a terminal buffer, and special keys.

Both the SSH and Telnet add-ons allow for selection of text which is then synchronized with the device's pasteboard, and can then be pasted within the application, or into any other app.


The app's features a sleek connection selection interface that is controlled by swiping on the iOS device to graphically select the desired connection. For professional users that have many connections, a "Session Selection" screen is also available. This option presents a list view of all available connections. Sessions can be sorted by name, type or usage.

Wake-on-LAN support is also built-in, when the server session is setup using Bonjour or NetBIOS, the MAC address is automatically populated. Otherwise the field is provided to allow the user to populate it manually. Wake-on-LAN can then be sent either from the main screen of the app, or via the session selection screen.

Macros can also be created and run. Macro support is included for VNC, SSH and Telnet sessions, and a Macros manager allows for renaming and deleting of existing macros.

The app is extremely configurable, in the "Remoter Config" screen users can select from a variety of options to best suit their needs. Options such as trackpad type and acceleration, visual clicks, international keyboard support for OS X are included.

While connected to a server, the app supports both landscape and portrait mode, full-screen mode, different pre-set zoom levels, along with a smooth pinch-to-zoom interface. Pasteboard synchronization is also supported for all connection modes. External keyboard support, either USB or Bluetooth is also provided.

Feature Highlights:
* Fast VNC protocol 3.8 supported. Compatible with Mac Screen Sharing, the latest UltraVNC for Windows and Linux VNC servers
* Universal Binary: iPhone, iPad and iPod touch! Buy once, run on all your devices! All iOS firmware versions (3.1.2 - 4.3.3)
* Novel Virtual TrackPad allows for precise and intuitive control! right-click, and dragging. Scroll with a side-scroller bar! Three trackpad modes.
* Support for SSH and Telnet, VNC over SSH, and arbitrary SSH port tunnels via In-App purchases
* SSH supports public-key authentication. Included SSH Key management sytem to generate, email, copy to pasteboard the SSH keys
* Support for recording and running Macros!
* International keyboard support for servers that don't support direct input mode: German, Russian, French, Danish and Spanish Keyboard mappings.
* UltraVNC MS Login Authentication Support, Server-Side Scaling and Multiple Monitor support
* Wake-on-Lan Support
* Bonjour and NetBIOS computer discovery
* Supports BOTH Landscape and Portrait orientations
* Intuitive Pinch to Zoom and drag to scroll. Also presets: "Fit Height", "Fit Width" and "1:1"
* Special Keys: Including: Esc, Tab, Alt, Up, Down, Right, Left, PageUp, PageDown, F1..F12, Control-Alt-Delete, Command, Windows-key, etc
* Support for 8bpp, 16bpp and 32bpp color depths
* Fullscreen mode
* Clipboard synchronization (Paste is universal, but copy requires server support)
* Localized to: Spanish, Italian, German (and English)

New in Version 2.4:
* Added support for Mac's native Screen Sharing authentication (you can now use username/password to connect from Remoter, instead of a VNC password)
* Added Macros. Separate macros for VNC, SSH and Telnet
* Added support for the latest version of UltraVNC (1.0.9.6): MSLogon and Multi-Monitor now work with this version of UltraVNC
* Localizated to: Spanish, Italian, German
* Dynamically generated toolbars only display active buttons(no Windows key for Mac, or Command for Windows, etc). New menu system via popovers to eliminate clutter
* New fullscreen exit button remembers it's location, and uses menu system to display options. Remoter now also remembers if the session was in FullScreen mode, and will enter mode automatically on reconnect
* Sorting of sessions: by name, type or usage
* VNC clipboard sharing support
* By popular demand: keyboard keys are now semi-transparent (not just the keyboard background)
* Memory savings for VNC over SSH (no PTY/framebuffer allocation, no shell)
* Added a new optional alternative VNC encoding. This is required for VNC servers that cause graphical glitches with Remoter's default encodings (such as OpenSuse)
* New Danish keyboard mapping (thanks to user Open Mind)
* Added button to "Restore Purchases" in Remoter Store
* A new background and icon, and lots of other icons/glyphs have been updated
* Added an SSH Key Manager: Allows for generation(RSA for SSH1, RSA for SSH2, DSA), renaming, deletion, passphrase setting, emailing, copying of SSH keys to PasteBoard to use in SSH connections
* Different SSH Keys can be selected for each session
* Support for SSH Key Passphrases
* Added support for SSHv1 connections
* Terminal sizes for SSH/Telnet: Auto, 20x24, 80x24, and many more standard sizes.
* SSH compression can now be enabled/disabled
* Support for selecting text regions in terminal sessions (SSH/Telnet). Selections get stored in the device PasteBoard
* SSH/Telnet cursor is now transparent so that the character behind it can be seen

Pricing and Availability:
Remoter VNC 2.4 is now at the special price of $0.99 (USD) with free lifetime upgrades, and is available worldwide through the App Store in the Productivity category. In-app purchases are available that enhance the functionality of Remoter VNC. The SSH add-on is $0.99 and adds Secure Shell connections, VNC over SSH and arbitrary TCP tunnels. The Telnet add-on is $1.99 and adds Telnet server connectivity. The Remoter Complete add-on is $3.99 and includes both SSH and Telnet add-ons, plus free lifetime upgrades for all new and revised add-ons. Review copies are available upon request.

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Desktop Sharing To Mac/PC From iPhone Or iPad
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Comments (3)
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Hh
Hh - May 30, 2011 at 5:25pm
Another ad by iC
m
m - May 30, 2011 at 1:17pm
This is really nothing new for smartphones btw... there was a ton of programs just like this since the iphone 2G's time too. I don't know tho... when I was doing this... I kinda felt worried leaving my computer on and connected to some weird access the whole time I was at work. Is this dangerous? I feel like anyone could control my computer with the right password.
Casey
Casey - May 30, 2011 at 3:53pm
Yup... TONS of VNC software out there since the 3G days. Dime a dozen. I personally use REMOTE HD and love it. But... um... "if anyone has your password can't they gain access" is like saying... if anyone has my debit pin number. Of course they'll have access if they have the correct password. (that pretty much holds true to anything online..) :)
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