After doing my quarterly review I noticed one app  that stands out. It’s my remote desktop app. It’s no longer available from iTunes and hasn’t been updated in awhile.

Be proactive! Do the research now to get your system running smooth. 

I love the app I have for a remote desktop connection. It was made by WYSE and it’s called Pocketcloud.

The truth is I don’t need it on a daily basis. But when I do it’s really a great app. Sometimes I need to look up information on our servers and I can easily go through the app and find what I need.

I can also work remotely on a program that can only be accessed through my computer.

I took my own advice and did a quarterly review and one app stood out to me – Pocketcloud. It hasn’t been updated in a fairly long time and in fact it’s no longer available.

Right now the app functions fine and I don’t have need of anything better. But I’m a strong believer in being proactive.

The search is on for a replacement.

Here’s how I start the process. 

First – Define my criteria. 

This is your brainstorming session. Throw out everything you want, don’t hold back.

Here’s what I want:

• Easy setup
• Good user interface
• Good Controls – Pocket cloud has a nice and handy feature that replicates a mouse. It’s so useful.
• Use on iPad and iPhone.

Free? I love free apps but I’m not opposed to paying for an app.

Second – Start searching what’s out there. 

Here are some candidates:

• Microsoft Remote Desktop Supposedly this app was built from the ground up. It has rich multi touch experience. For anyone that uses a PC this seems like the place to start.
• Parallels  They claim to have seamless navigation – swipe, drag, tap to click and zoom in. Applications are adapted to fit the entire screen so you can see fine detail.
• Team Viewer This app is free and claims to provide easy, fast and secure access to Windows, Mac and Linux systems. They claim to have intuitive touch and control gestures with multi-touch support.
• Splashtop This app is free for personal use but allows an upgrade to an “anywhere access pack”. It claims a 30 frame per second for video streaming. It also allows you to play graphic intensive games remotely.

I think of the remote desktop app for the iPad as essential app to have. Now granted it’s hard to use some programs on an iPad. But if you need to look up a document you archived on your server during a meeting having a remote desktop app is invaluable.

Do you have any recommendations? Let me know on Twitter.