Your virtual life is just a click away…
3 Stars – It Rocks!
2 Stars – Not So Bad!
1 Star – Hope they didn’t quit their day job!
RemotePC
Freelance Weekly Rating: 3 Stars
About: RemotePC offers instant access to one or more remote computers from a single computer via any browser.
Set Up: After the installation of the Remote Access Host Application on the remote PC and the Remote Access Viewer Application on the local PC, the user can connect to a remote computer via any web browser. Once the user logs into the RemotePC website using a user account ID and password he/she can select a host from a list of the available Hosts (remote computers) in the user’s account.
Navigation: All communication between the user’s remote computers is encrypted using 128-bit RC4/SSL and it works behind most firewalls/proxy servers. Full screen mode and true colors make the connection feel as if the user is working at the remote computer.
Sharing: RemotePC offers the user the option to connect to his/her remote office or home computers, during after hours or on the road. RemotePC also allows the user the ability to work on documents including emails, and applications even if the remote computer is logged off. Another very important feature is that it allows the user to reboot and reconnect the remote machine in the event that this is necessary. Furthermore, the user can invite an associate to temporarily access his/her remote computer to work on presentations, documents, or view photographs. Another feature is to effortlessly move files and folders between home and office computers – even from mapped drives and print files from a remote computer to a printer connected to the local machine.
Pricing: RemotePC offers plans starting at $4.95/month for one Host.
Customer Service: RemotePC’s customer support is available online via links to Phone, Feedback Form and an Information Library.
Recommendation: Because RemotePC’s 128-bit RC4/SSL encrypted communication, true color layout, sharing capability and ability for the user to reboot and reconnect the remote computer, I highly recommend this application.
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GoToMyPC
Freelance Weekly Rating: 2 Stars
About: GoToMyPC.com is a web service and software that keeps the user connected to all his/her vital data. In fact, the service gives the user direct access to his/her office or home computer over the Internet so that access to the user’s computer is as if he/she is right there.
Set Up: Here’s how it works. After signing up and obtaining a user ID and password the user downloads a small program onto his/her PC that installs an icon on its System Tray. This creates a direct internet connection to the remote PC. Whenever the user needs to access the remote PC all the user needs to do is to connect to the internet, browse to www.GoToMyPC.com and login with his/her user ID and password. Then GoToMyPC sends a small program to the remote computer. After it loads, the system then asks for a second password and then connects to the remote computer. A window pops open and a window with the remote computer’s desktop appears exactly as if the user is sitting in front of it. Then the remote computer can be used to launch any programs including e-mail programs.
Navigation: The connection process is very simple and the environment is very pleasing. Once a connection is established the navigation is as if the user is sitting right in front of his/her computer.
Sharing: This system works to access a remote computer if the terminal computer is behind most small business firewall systems. Another bonus is that in the event that the user can only find a Mac or Linux/Unix system, he/she can still access the remote computer even if it is Windows. GoToMyPC even allows printing from the remote computer to wherever the user is. Plus the user has the option to stop anyone at the remote computer from using it while it is in use.
Pricing: GoToMyPC prices start at $119.40 per year per PC or $19.95 per month per PC. There are also volume discounts for multiple PCs.
Customer Service: GoToMyPC user support is available through Customer Care Telephone Support, an online Contact Form, and Customer Care Email Support.
Recommendation: Because of GoToMyPC’s easy to understand layout, user friendly navigation, and sharing capability, I recommend this application.
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LiveMesh Beta
Freelance Weekly Rating: 1 Star
About: LiveMesh Beta is one of the newest Microsoft projects and it is still a work in progress. Microsoft’s objective is to sync, share, and access information important to the user wherever he/she happens to be. The user can sync documents and other files between the Web-based desktop and PCs (but only at the folder level at this time). The user can also remotely access other PCs. Live Mesh is envisioned as a ring or circle, where the user’s PC(s), Macs(s), mobile device(s), and Web desktop are all equally working together, like spokes on a wheel. All of the capabilities of the Live Mesh, today and in the future, will work identically via each entry point. It is important to point out that Microsoft intends to support non-Microsoft PCs and mobile devices with this platform allowing them full LiveMesh access from the Web.
Set Up: The LiveMesh install is extremely easy. Once the user logs into LiveMesh with a Live ID he/she can add a device to the Mesh, this will cause LiveMesh software to be installed on that device. It is important for the user to have some storage space on his/her Windows Mobile Phone, PC or Mac if he/she wants to install the SilverLight application and offline data. The reason Microsoft utilizes Windows Live ID is to provide an individual user with a way to collect the list of computers and devices being used in order to provide the infrastructure for sharing between individual users.
Navigation: Once the remote device is accessed the display is extremely clear as if the user is actually at the remote device. It is also easy to perform the basic operations of adding PCs to the sync pool and to define which folders to keep replicated. Sync data is automatically copied from PC to PC when both devices are online. There is a lot of flexibility once the user finds the option to set up the system so directories with different structures are in sync to each other.
Sharing: Live Mesh is more than a cloud-based PC to PC data sync service that takes things quite a bit further by adding a Web-based desktop (for accessing files from any PC), an application run-time environment, and support for non-PC-type devices, such as mobile phones. Live Mesh is geared to be the platform of the future. Future versions of Windows Live Sync which is really just for PC-to-PC file sync will run in LiveMesh. Furthermore, Microsoft seeks to bridge the gap between devices, computers and web services currently available. LiveMesh will be using the Web as a hub for authentication and connections in order for it to become a platform for sharing data among people, apps and devices. Currently, photos and MP3s, can be viewed and streamed directly from the Live Desktop using a Silverlight media player. There is a handy LiveMesh notifier widget that shows what is happening with the user’s shares and syncs (who is accessing them, changing files, and so on). Once the user starts building out a large mesh of files and folders among various devices and people, this will become an important tool for keeping up with what is happening in the Mesh.
Pricing: At this time since Live Mesh is still in Beta testing, it is free. It also gives each user a free but limited (5GB) Web-based storage pool.
Customer Service: LiveMesh support can be reached online through Help, Support, and Feedback links.
Recommendation: Even though LiveMesh is a great remote PC application and is currently an ambitious but interesting proposition, it is still under development and its future is still not defined. For now I recommend using another application.
Freelancing is my life. It's what I know, it's what I'm good at, and I can't imagine doing anything else. You can call me "Freddie the Freelancer"… because I'd prefer not to use my real name for reasons that I'll tell you about in a moment.
