TECHNOLOGY Business apps
TRIED & TESTED
SPLASHTOP 2 iOS, Windows, Google; US$4.99
splashtop.com
n HOW IT WORKS The use of the app is straightforward – it allows users to access their computers via phones or tablets. By installing the Splashtop Download Streamer on your PC or Mac, along with the Splashtop 2 app on your phone, you can now view and edit your desktop contents directly through your handheld device.
n EXPERIENCE I purchased the app from the App Store and took it for a ride. The results were very convincing with the installation process taking mere minutes to complete. Before long, I was staring at my desktop screen on my iPhone 6. General performance for viewing presentations and checking my mail was relatively fluid though playing videos did push my phone’s CPU to the limit and led to stuttering playback.
The user interface (UI) was intuitive and easy to adapt to. Like a normal mouse, the app responded to double clicks to open a folder or programme on
crowd-sourced review platform for all kinds of services, Yelp is a great tool for people searching for high-quality business practices. As the Yelp app claims, “it’s like carrying around 1,000 phonebooks in the palm of your hand.”
OMNIFOCUS iOS; US$29.99 (iPad) US$19.99 (iPhone)
omnigroup.com We would not usually recommend such a pricey app, but how could we omit OmniFocus from this list? This incredible task management app justifies its hefty price
50 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
US$4.99 app will only work with a computer within the same network as the one that your mobile device is connected to. In other words, you wouldn’t be able to access it from home or just before you were to walk in to a business meeting, which somewhat limits its usefulness. However, Splashtop 2 does also offer a monthly US$15 “Anywhere Access Pack” that allows users to access their computers from anywhere.
your desktop. To right click on an icon, simply hold down your finger. Despite being compatible with smartphones, controlling my computer through the small screen on my phone was not ideal. Where Splashtop 2 really shines is on the screen of a tablet. I tested the app on the iPad Air and had an excellent experience. Viewing my PC contents on a 9.7-inch screen was a pleasure, and enhanced by the app’s ability to allow the user to choose the optimal resolution. This is particularly important for older phones or tablets that may not have the horsepower to maintain such high resolution. Reducing the resolution would improve the fluidity of performance significantly. It should be noted that the basic
tag by offering users a robust platform to keep work and play separated with contexts, perspectives, and focus. With a simple tap, you can filter tasks by availability and sort them out easily. The app integrates directly with iOS, which means that you can get timely notifications on the move. Getting a reminder to “buy an anniversary gift for your partner” has never been easier.
POCKET iOS, Android, Kobo eReader; free
getpocket.com Are you still emailing yourself important articles, videos, and web pages? Well, you no longer have to with the Pocket app. With just a few easy clicks, you can now save content onto the app itself,
and view it on the go. This useful app is fully integrated with not only the most popular web browsers out there today, but also with over 500 apps including Twitter, Flipboard, and Facebook. More importantly, Pocket allows you to view the content everywhere – even when you’re offline. n
Visit
www.businesstraveller.asia n PROS
Splashtop 2 works well with most devices, and makes retrieving data from your computers easier than ever before.
n CONS It’s a shame that the basic app only works on computers that are linked to mobile devices on the same network. The US$15 pricetag for the “Anywhere Access Pack” version may put many people off this otherwise excellent app.
n VERDICT
The truth is that we forget things all the time, and there’s nothing worse than that sinking feeling when you realise you’ve forgotten to transfer a vital document. With Splashtop 2, this could be a thing of the past.
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