Windows Phone Thoughts: GoToMyPC v4.0 Pocketview: Almost Like Having a Portable Desktop

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Wednesday, July 21, 2004

GoToMyPC v4.0 Pocketview: Almost Like Having a Portable Desktop

Posted by Steve Sharp in "HARDWARE" @ 09:00 AM


Sounds Good. . . and Complicated
No. The one-time 3.6 Megabyte file download from GoToMyPC to the host computer takes less than 2 minutes, over a broadband connection, and it configures itself automatically. Filling out your name, address, and registration information probably takes more brain-power than setting up the software. I downloaded the file to my host computer and had my PPC connected to the host in less than 10 minutes. The user does not need to know anything about IP addresses, network settings, hardware configuration, firewalls, or PPC configuration settings in order to make GoToMyPC work. If you can download and install a file, you can make it work.


Figure 4: Launch applications on the host with GoToMyPC.

You Say it's Good, But is it Fast?
"Fast" is a relative term. An Internet connection is only as fast as the slowest transmission rate in the chain. Therefore, it follows that the speed of the response and refresh rates on the PPC will depend heavily upon the GPRS or WiFi connection of the PPC, the amount of graphics that are on the host PC, and (to some extent) the processor speed of the PPC. Accessing your desktop with your PPC, in terms of speed, is no different than accessing web pages with your PPC. All of the same variables that determine how quickly a page loads to the PPC will also come into play when accessing your host computer. But, while no one will accuse this technology of providing smoking fast page loads or downloads, GoToMyPC is a tool designed for its functionality and not simply for a lark.

Speaking of functionality, when considering the value of this service, it pays to remember that unless you're running a 1990s vintage desktop with a puny hard drive, your desktop computer has many times more storage space than your PPC does. Most of us couldn't possibly load all of the applications that we commonly use onto our PPCs, and if you can execute these desktop programs remotely, then there's no incentive to try. It is highly recommended, however, to consider getting an external keyboard for your PPC in order to make full use of GoToMyPC's functionality.


Figure 5: Access, send, and receive e-mail via GoToMyPC.

Conclusions
To justify the cost of a subscription to GoToMyPC, a potential customer needs to evaluate his or her personal and professional situation. If you're a stay-at-home mom or dad who barely ventures out to get the mail, then you probably don't need to spend the money for this service. Similarly, if you use your computer primarily as a gaming machine, your money is probably better spent on a G-Shock joystick or a fancy video card. But, for those, such as myself, who travel a great deal and who seem be in constant need of a missing file or forgotten e-mail address, GoToMyPC is a valuable tool. And, for all of my complaints about having to download a file and log in each time I want to connect and slow connections to my PC, the inescapable fact is that GoToMyPC does work as advertised and is the only product on the market, that I know of, that provides this functionality from a PPC (pcAnywhere will not run on any PDA Operating System and requires a 35 Megabyte installation on the host computer, not to mention the fact that pcAnywhere's MSRP lists at $199.95).

GoToMyPC is actually a service, and provides web access to the host computer--it is not a software-specific application that must be installed on both computers. So, unlike competitive products, GoToMyPC allows an authorized user to connect to the host with any web accessible PC. With GoToMyPC, the user can change the host as quickly as it takes to download the 3.6 Megabyte file, access time is unlimited, and the user can access the host from anywhere, what more could you want? Still, the bottom line is that GoToMyPC v4.0 is like so many other things in this world: if you need it, it's well worth the price.

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