Turn your iPad into a PC – sort of – with remote-access apps Via Acumor

You use your iPad for almost everything: Checking the Internet, checking news reports, watching movies and contacting relatives and buddies.

But if you utilize your iPad for work, you might be frustrated. As handy as the iPad is, it is still not quite as powerful as a Home computer or notebook. That is where remote-access apps may help.

Developers have designed several applications which allow you to access and take control of your desktop or laptops from your iPad.

You can access your files, folders and contacts. Some even let you stream the videos and music you store on your PC to your iPad. Controlling a PC or laptop from your iPad isn’t perfect. The iPad’s screen is large for a tablet, but it’s small for a desktop or laptop computer. Sometimes things get a bit cramped. But if you require emergency ability to access your desktop computer, these three apps are capable of doing the trick.

GoToMyPc: Citrix has long offered GoToMyPC, a way to access your home computer when you are on the road. The truth is, Citrix was offering the service before tablets and smart phones had become the favored toys of tech-savvy consumers. Today, you are able to enroll in this service for $9.95 monthly for basic service or $99 for one computer for a year. When you sign up, you’ll be given a free app for your iPad that permits you to run GoToMyPC from a tablet. As the name suggests, use this service to remotely access your Word and PowerPoint documents, e-mail folders and file folders. PC Magazine just evaluated the service and praised it for being user friendly and usefulness. The purchase price, though, is high. Many iPad users can find cheaper services that work just as well for their needs.

SplashTop Remote Desktop: SplashTop Remote Desktop qualifies as one of those lower-priced apps, priced at just $4.99. According to a recent review by CNET, that price is a bargain. CNET’s editors praised SplashTop as simple to use and effective. They also cited its capability to recover movies and music stored on your remote computers. It is a service that most other remote-access apps can’t take on.

LogMeIn Ignition: LogMeIn Ignition is another lower-priced alternative to GoToMyPC, though at $30, it’s costlier than rival SplashTop. This product has also been praised by CNET for its ease of use and effectiveness, but also for two nifty features. First, you can utilize LogMeIn to remotely wake up a sleeping or shut-down PC. Secondly, you may use the software to remotely transfer files from a PC to your iPad.