iPad App Review
Type – Free App
Category – Business
Released November 17th, 2011 (Version 1.1.1)
Leostream Connect allows you to connect to a desktop from your iPad or many other devices for that matter. There’s many apps that allow you to see and control your desktop from your iPad using remote access but that means leaving your computer (the one you’re trying to access) on all the time. Leostream Connect works differently, in fact it’s effectively your own personal desktop in the cloud!
By having your own desktop in the cloud you won’t need to leave your home/work computer on and most importantly you can access your desktop from pretty much any device using wifi access. In fact when reviewing this app, we managed to access our personal desktop from an iPad, a MacBook Pro and an iPhone with ease.
Setup was straight forward enough, download the app, create an account over at http://www.leostreamdesktops.com/ and you’re good to go. You can also create more than one desktop, useful if you are an a administrator and need to create desktops for other users and allowing you to stay in control.
Once connected you’ll see your Windows desktop along with a number of applications already installed such as Google Chrome and Open Office which allows you to get started straight away. Having said that you install any of your own applications as it’s your desktop and no one else’s. So if you want to install Excel, Word or any other software you can do so as long as you have required product licensing.
When connected we found the desktop to be pretty fast, this will of course be determined by your network speed, it was certainly faster than using standard remote access to our own computer that we’ve used in the past. LeoStream Connect costs from just $20 per month and the company states that there is no up-front fees and they won’t lock you in to any long term contracts, you can use it as little or as much as you like.
Conclusion
Leostream Connect is a great alternative to standard remote access and offers the ability to access your desktop from pretty much any device. A desktop in the cloud is a pretty neat idea and Leostream have implemented it nicely, making it easy to set up and use. There is of course a small cost associated with such offerings but the convenience and ease of use of a desktop in the cloud certainly out weighs this. The app itself is free and Leostream offer a 15 day free trial (no credit card required) on their website so you have nothing to lose, why not give it a go and see if it suits your needs.
