MMi Live @ MacWorld

Splashtop Remote Desktop ($1.99) has just been released and allows you to remotely access a computer from just about any iOS device. Now you might be thinking, isn’t this just another VNC app? Well it is, but with one key difference. Splashtop Remote lets you watch video content from the internet, including Hulu, on your iDevice. It’s compatible with iPhone 3GS, 4, iPod touch (3rd and 4th generation) and the iPad. It requires iOS 3.2 or later.

Using Splashtop Remote is just like sitting in front of your computer. It has almost no latency issues and you can even watch Flash video from the internet, full screen. I’ve tested it on my iPhone 4 and was able to stream a Fringe episode without any problems. The experience is quite similar to watching video with the Netflix app. You can also listen to your entire music library as well.

Controlling Splashtop Remote is very intuitive, using familiar finger gestures to navigate the computer on your iOS screen. The entire Mac OS desktop almost fits on an iPhone screen, but this app really shines on an iPad. The larger screen lets you navigate the Mac OS more easily and pinching to zoom is supported as well. This feature is particularly handy on an iPhone’s smaller screen.

This app, like many others, requires you to download the Splashtop Remote desktop server application for your home computer. The setup is minimal and you’ll be up and running in no time. Splashtop Remote does require Wi-Fi at home. It also works over 3G, but you’ll have to set up port forwarding. Complete setup instructions are available on the company website.

One feature not yet included in Splashtop Remote is video out capabilities via the dock connector, however, developers are planning to include this feature in the next update. You might want to grab this app now because when I talked to developers, they informed me that a price hike was coming in the near future. At 2 buck though, what’s stopping you?

Source: Splashtop