Screenshot of iDevice application:
With this powerful application, which was published on March 3rd 2010 in App Store, together with it's also free counterpart software on a Mac or PC remote connections can be established, that is, the "big computer" can be completely controlled from the iPhone or iPod touch. The desktop and all programs are mapped on touchscreen display and can be operated from there. Yes we really can.
The following is a short practice test.Quick Start Guidepretty easy:
1. Install and start TeamViewer from the App Store
2. Install and start TeamViewer 5 on your PC or TeamViewer 4 on your Mac (www.teamviewer.com)
3. Enter your PC's or Mac's ID and password directly in the TeamViewer interface on your iPhone or iPod touch to connect.
All of this is done in less than two minutes. Then we have this screen on our iDevices:
I tried that with a MacBook Pro running Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6.2) and an iPhone 3G (iPhone OS 3.1.3, never jailbroken):
TeamViewer works fine, even with Exposé and Dashboard, Spaces, Spotlight and all that fancy stuff and even via the 3G cellular network. Connection establishes fast. Well-designed zoom and mouse functions. A complete keyboard input is also possiblelots of options here (function keys, esc, command, alt, tabulator, highlight ).
Video (and other graphic animations) output is jerky and delayed on iDevice and sound output is not provided of course. On very rare occasions the colors are not displayed quite accurate on iDevice (just restart app when there are heavy distortions or try to lower color settings on Mac if it's important enough). It can be hard to catch the icons in the animated OS X Dock. One needs to tap for showing up a Dock set to auto-hide, use landscape orientation if you have the Dock at the bottom then it's easier to tap icons. But that's nitpicking. The controls work with a little delay, naturally.
There is an option if you want to have your OS X background image displayed or not. Default setting = not, so it will "delete" (not really) temporarily your background image until the connection is switched off again. Lots of options can be found in the OS X TeamViewer app's settings (security, control restrictions, partner lists, speed/quality preferences ).
There are additional services available like a direct chat, all connection details, logs, session recordings and more accessible via a little transparent overlay window visible on your Mac in the upper right corner below OS X main menu bar (or in the TeamViewer's menu "Extras"). It shows always that such a connection is established, it can be hidden and brought back again with Exposé. The other striking visible sign on Mac whether such a connection is established or not is (besides the TeamViewer Dock icon): Do you have a background image? (Depends on default setting, see break above.)
As mentioned before: On the iDevice landscape orientation is supported as well as portrait. You'll need that frequently. When your iPhone goes to sleep (aka screen switches off, standby) it will kill connection after some secondsa new connection is established with two taps (no need to enter numbers once more, they are saved, and there is an option in the settings of OS X app to switch that behaviour) or change your iPhone's battery savings settings.
You can switch on/off your iPhone's status bar (preferences TeamViewer iPhone app) but will have to start the app again to make that setting's change effective.
It says in the instructions (www hyperlinks below) related to Apple machines
that not all functions are available (such as file transfer, scroll wheel) but I could launch & control via iPhone 'iPhone Explorer.app' (iPhone USB connected) and transfer some images to Mac as well as send an email from Mac to iPhone (addressed to myself) with files attached. Otherwise: Works right away, intuitively.
According to it's manufacturer TeamViewer provides the highest security standards. This is very important with such apps. In this case it's a really calming feeling that we have such a stringent quality control at Apple Application Approval Department. It seems safe to use those remote applications. As far as I can tell the manufacturer is serious and reputable.
Okay you won't accomplish your video editing and complicated 3D animation tasks with this (theoretically even that works if you have a bit patience and no need for a sound output) or play Need for Speed, but it's certainly usable for giving assistance from the distance or for getting some files forgotten at home or office (via email) p. e. It's some kind of spooky watching "ghosts" controlling your Mac and having your "live home desktop" with all mounted volumes available on iPhone underways.
Make your Mac OS (or others) go touchscreenand your iDevice go hyper modern touchpad with built-in display and the full power of your Mac/PC (okay, sort of). Multi purpose.
Download @ manufacturer's website a detailed user manual PDF TeamViewer 5 with some remarks on Mac version (1.1.7 page 3).German-language.
According to their homepage: "For home users TeamViewer is free. Business users need a license."
Last but not leasthere is the main desktop application "TeamViewer" for Mac OS X that shows up right after launching the program:
The ID (nine digits) seems to be always the same, password changes on each launch of the software. (You can change that in "Preferences". When you input the ID number on your iDevice you don't need to type the space characters.)
I am not affiliated with the German manufacturer, but it's a rather exciting app in my honest opinion, technically somehow fascinating.
