The best iPad remote desktop solution

I’ve always been a relatively big fan of Screens — the beautifully designed iOS remote desktop app by Edovia.

Screens has always, and continues to be the most impressive looking remote desktop solution for the iPad; in fact, i’d say nothing comes close when it boils down to pure presentation. For that reason, I’ve always been very hesitant when it comes to trying anything else. I know, I tend to be a tad superficial when it comes to my apps.

Thankfully I didn’t let Screens’ beauty stop me from trying another highly touted remote desktop solution called Splashtop. Many of our readers and YouTube viewers have been on me about trying Splashtop for some time now, and I just recently took the plunge. I’m so glad I did…

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYflJG1OUl4[/tube]

The awesome thing about Splashtop is that it will stream sound from your iMac or Windows box to your iPad. Screens — and to my knowledge, no other VNC client — does this on a Mac. That’s a huge reason why I deem Splashtop as the best remote desktop solution. It’s a life saver, especially if you work with video as much as yours truly.

Reason number two as to why I prefer Splashtop is due to the ability to adjust your desktop’s resolution with ease. Splashtop has a convenient 1024×768 “iPad best fit” resolution option that will quickly scale down the contents of your desktop to perfectly fit on the iPad screen. That means that applications like Google Chrome can look as if they’re native iPad apps when running in full screen mode. This makes it much easier to get real work done when compared to an app like Screens.

With all of this being said, I still find a place for Screens in my workflow. Splashtop features a few opportunities for improvements in areas that Screen excels in. For instance, there is no multitasking that keeps the remote session going. If you leave the Splashtop and go back to your Home screen, when you come back you will have to reestablish your connection. Not so with Screens.

Additionally, Screens features much better Bluetooth keyboard support. It features support for nearly all of the function keys and command key combos in OS X, whereas that support is limited in Splashtop.

But those are features I can live without. When it comes to actually getting real work done, I need my sound, and I need a resolution that is conducive to productivity. Splashtop gives me that.

If you’re going to go with an extra Bluetooth keyboard, I highly recommend picking up the Targus Bluetooth keyboard for iPad. Not only is it lighter than the standard iMac wireless keyboard, it features dedicated iPad keys to execute specific iPad functions.

All in all, Splashtop is the perfect remote desktop solution for bloggers, or anyone else that wants to get work done on their desktop systems while away from the office. What do you use for your iPad remote desktop solution?