Review: Jump Desktop (Remote Desktop) for iPhone and iPad

$19.99 from App Store

Phase Five Systems Jump Desktop takes the cake for Remote Desktop Control (RDC) applications. With Jump Desktop, you can now travel worry free with just your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch. By using either Wifi or a 3G connection, you’re just a few clicks away from accessing and managing your home computer. For the last week, I’ve been fully exploring Jump Desktop and I wanted to provide a review of this powerful application I think you’re going to dig.

Overview

Jump Desktop is a universal Remote Desktop Control (RDC) app that lets you login and manage one or more of your home PCs directly from your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad.

Setup

Setting up Jump Desktop is a quick and seamless process. You’ll need to first download the app to your iDevice, then follow the setups guides for either Windows PC or Mac or both.

By using the configuration wizard, you’ll be prompted to select from the preferred RDC or Virtual Networking Computing (VNC).

To simplify installation, I recommend using a Google account which will automagically connect to your PC without worrying about configuring your network. It does the work for you by authenticating through Google Servers.

Next, you’ll launch Jump Desktop from your iDevice, click Settings and add your account info. You should then see your computer listed.

Features

To use Jump Desktop, just leave your computer powered up and launch your iDevice using Wifi or 3G. Once you click the computer you want to access, you’ll fly through the clouds as your computer desktop or lock screen appears.

At the very top of the screen, options include a keyboard icon to both the left and right corners, an X to disconnect, an up arrow to hide the toolbar, a fit to screen button and a settings option.

Within the options, you’ll be able to choose different gestures, whether to use a mouse pointer and or mouse circle and to modify the keyboard language (12 total).

The built-in keyboard adds more functionality than the standard iOS keyboard with three primary key sets in text keys, number keys and control keys.

Remote printing for RDP (other than PCs or Macs running Home edition) is supported as is copy and paste, Video out and full mouse support.

The Good

Prior to Jump Desktop, I used both TeamViewer HD and Splashtop HD to RDC my home computer. Though I love Splashtop, without Wifi you’re out of luck. TeamViewer HD is an excellent free options but the navigation is limited. Jump Desktop stands above and beyond all the RDC apps I’ve used with its amazing keyboard, flawless streaming in both Wifi and 3G mode and with the navigation.

I like the ability to maintain a list of multiple computers and find this to be a solution to remoting in to my father’s computer to both fix and maintain his PC from 1500 miles away.

The mouse circle and mouse pointer simplify navigation and unlike many other RDC apps, you don’t have to worry about your computer timing out. Jump Desktop also supports Bluetooth Keyboards and for some extra cool points, you can connect your iPad to an external display or even a projector.

Room for Improvement

The app is darn near perfect for me. The only aspects I struggled with was trying to resize windows and in using scrolling horizontal and vertical bars. While I’d prefer to use my finger to scroll the bar, I instead had to click further along the bar to advance my position. I also wish the PC you were using would indicate that a remote user was accessing the computer, rather than just displaying the lock screen.

Conclusion

Even with a steep $20 price tag, this app is worth the purchase. Since it works with both Wifi and 3G, this opens up possibilities while travelling. I’ve personally used it 30 miles away to access my PC, launch my desktop email client, attach files and email them to my work address. I’ve even done maintenance on my computer while lying in bed with my iPad. Perhaps the best part is the innovative onscreen keyboard. Hopefully Apple is paying attention as this keyboard would be a welcome addition to a future iOS update. I couldn’t recommend this app more! 5 Stars

Do you currently use a RDC app for your iOS device? Is Jump Desktop worth the $20 it will cost you? Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear your thoughts.