Many of us have noticed that our work is increasingly finding itself coming home with us. Plenty of times we transfer our files from one computer to the other, but what happens when we forget some? Will we have to turn around and go back? Or what if you need to use an app that’s not on your home computer?
Using multiple computers in different locations is a reality many of us face today, and the problem has always been accessing the one away from you. What you need is an elegant solution that can connect you, and that is where Remotix comes in.
Today I will be reviewing Remotix, the ultimate VNC and ARD client. Remotix, which is developed by Nulana LTD, is a new kind of refined VNC app for Mac. Nulana was kind enough to send us a copy of Remotix to review, so let’s take a look and see what it offers.
Introduction
To start out using Remotix, you either need a Mac or a Windows based PC running a VNC server. VNC or Virtual Network Computing is a piece of magical software that allows you to see and manipulate a computer over the Internet. However it does require software on both sides to operate; two reputable free options would be TightVNC and UltraVNC. If you are on a Mac, you do not need any additional software, as VNC serving is built into OS X in your Sharing settings.
Remotix is available on many platforms including iOS, Mac, and Android, so you can use it from your smartphone or tablet as well. For your Mac, though, Remotix is $24.99 and can be conveniently downloaded from the Mac App Store.
Features
Remotix includes a few cool features that make it very worthwhile. Quite possibly Remotix’s best feature is its speed, thanks to hardware acceleration. It also supports the security features you’d expect, such as SSH tunneling. One if its nicest features is that it can automatically find Macs and PCs for you to connect with in your local network, one of the many ways it makes using VNC simpler. Alternately, of course, you can enter VNC details manually to connect to a remote computer, which is the more likely scenario if you’re trying to connect, say, to your work computer, instead of just connecting to your Mac Pro from your Macbook Air in the living room.
Remotix Automatic Discovery
If you need to enter precise and more advanced details about your connection, then you are in luck! Remotix gives you all the control you will ever need with more advanced setting available in the other tabs. Then, if you use Remotix on other devices, such as your iPad or iPhone, Remotix actually can sync all of your settings via iCloud. That will be a great timesaver, especially since all changes to your logins will be securly synced in the same way.
Remotix Mobile Setup
Going from your VNC machine to your current machine can be a bit jarring, especially when it comes to copy and paste. Most clients do not offer copy and paste, but Remotix does. It intuitively share your clipboard with your VNC machine, making it much less jarring to work with remote apps Other smaller, but still nice, features includes screenshot capability, multi touch gesture support, zoom support, and international keyboard support.
Performance
As I stated earlier, the biggest and most striking thing about Remotix is how speedy it is. VNC and remote computing can be really slow and laggy most times. With Remotix, the lag seemed to be gone! Perhaps what contributes most to this perceivable speediness is hardware acceleration. Instead of placing the entire taxing burden of VNC on your CPU, Remotix uses hardware acceleration and other techniques to relieve your CPU of that heavy load. Once the CPU is freed, you do not experience your Mac coming to a crawl and everything picks right up.
Another way to control the speed of your VNC experience is color control. Many VNC clients do not give you the option of optimizing your colors for speed improvements, but if you have a slow Internet connection, it absolutely does not make sense to send full color through. Your goal is always to optimize your experience so that you get the greatest benefit from it. When connecting together Macs, you get 5 levels of color control. For Windows based machines, you get 3 levels of color-based controls.
Remotix Color Control
The bottom line is, Remotix is astoundingly fast and gives you great options to further optimize your performance.
Design & Interface
Applications can have all sorts of features but if they have a horrible design, then it is all for nothing. Remotix has the design department under control, with a much slicker interface than most dated interfaces used by VNC apps.
Remotix Feature Bar
As far as your connections are concerned, you can display them in either list or grid view. Remotix also features a live view window so that you can take a sneak peek into your VNC connection. Remotix was clearly designed by a team who knew how to encourage ease of use within the interface, which is important.
Connections Interface
Final Words
After reviewing Remotix, I was blown away. Remotix is cleverly designed with an intuitive and easy interface, and great performance. Out of 10, Remotix receives a 9 from me. I really cannot fault Remotix and was pleasantly surprised when using the app. If there was one thing I would like to see, it would be a price drop. In my opinion, $24.99 is a little steep, although the app has been thoughtfully designed. While Remotix is $24.99 in the Mac App Store, you can try it for 15 days via their website at www.nulana.com
Have you used Remotix? What is your favorite VNC client? Sound off in the comments below, we love to hear from you!