Windows 8.1, Microsoft’s much-needed update to Windows 8, is accompanied by the official Remote Desktop app for iOS and Android. The app gives iPhone, iPad, and droid users access to a Windows PC over an internet connection, allowing them to perform actions on the desktop from a mobile device.
Currently, the app is compatible with iOS6 and above, as well as Android version 2.2 onwards, and uses Microsoft’s long-established and reliable Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). To take advantage of the software, Remote Desktop should be activated on the target PC (easily done in the Control Panel) and then your desktop will appear in miniature on your phone screen. It takes a little getting used to but once you’re familiar with the controls it’s incredibly useful.
This is Microsoft’s acknowledgement of how important they think the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) movement will be and their attempt to appeal to companies rather than individuals. Michel Roth, their Most Valuable Professional for desktop services, has stated that “the company is very serious about enabling BYOD by means of desktop virtualization”.
There is of course a wealth of remote desktop apps already available through the App Store and Google Play. Microsoft will certainly have their fair share of competition. Remote RDP Access from Ericom for example gives business users some of the fastest connection speeds available, thanks to their Blaze servers, and offers a suite of programs to suit all needs. There are plenty of free, streamlined, well-designed apps targeted at home users that make the whole process as simple as possible. So it remains to be seen whether iPhone users will adopt the Microsoft software.
Nevertheless, in the Windows Store, the Remote Desktop app has been one of the most popular. The new version brings a whole host of new features on top of the iOS and Android compatibility:
- Access to remote resources through the Remote Desktop Gateway
- Secure connection to your data and applications with breakthrough Network Layer Authentication (NLA) technology
- Simple management of all remote connections from the connection center
- High quality video and sound streaming with improved compression and bandwidth usage
- Easy connection to multiple monitors or projectors for presentations
- Print from Windows applications to any printer configured on your Mac
- Access local files on your Mac from your Windows applications
Microsoft have sound credentials when it comes to remote desktop protocols so we’ve no doubt the app will function well, but whether it can break the business market is a different matter altogether.
