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PhoneMyPc....freaken great app
- Thread starter rliu704
- Start date
One Beast
Android Enthusiast
Did you try Uninstalling and Reinstalling the app and the PC Software....i did a quick google search and could'nt find anyone else with your issue maybe something went wrong during installation....Do you have another Computer you can test it on?
wmtoandroid
Well-Known Member
Will there be support to remotely control another pc through another pc like Logmein? This is a key feature as it prevents the installation of two programs (one to control a pc from a phone and the other to control and pc from another pc).
CriticalMass
Well-Known Member
has anyone done a review of the remote desktop apps available yet? I'm curious to know as to which one is the best.... There seem to be 3-4 of them out there.
A.Nonymous
Extreme Android User
What advantages does this app have over simply using RDP? I've been using RDP and it works for me. Could I possibly gain anything by switching to this app?
SoftwareForMe.com
Newbie
Wow, long thread!
Sorry for not being more attentive; we've been a bit overwhelmed after the recent release.
I'll try to answer all the questions here at once.
** SSL
It was removed, but this release (2.0.0) has it, as will all future releases.
** What does this give you that AndroidVNC doesn't?
Better performance.
A hosted backend, so if you do not want to poke holes in your router and figure out your IP, you don't have to (it works without any of this configuration).
** What does this give you that LogMeIn doesn't?
-Better performance (performance dropped a little with this release because of SSL, but we're working on that, and still faster)
-A team of geeky developers who let the community decide what the next features will be
-Process control (see and control process list remotely--nice for killing viruses, etc.)
-Window control (rather geeky--useful if you need it)
-Custom Actions (add pre-programmed actions on the PC, then execute them remotely--see our website)
-Mouse-pad use (turn your phone into a mouse-pad--great for media center control, presentations, etc.)
-Webcam view (Alpha feature, only works on direct-connected PCs at this time--watch through your webcam on your phone)
-Passive viewing (great for keeping an eye on your kids)
-Bugs -- honestly, we started from scratch a year ago, and all of our software is new. LMI is older and more established.
-More. We have more features to add, but I'll not list them since they're not there yet.
** Are you in any way associated with SoftwareForMe?
Our organization is called "SoftwareForMe Inc." So, yes.
** When are you expecting restoration of SSL communications?
Done.
** Can you say what the final price is going to be?
No. There is currently a debate going on over this topic; we had more or less settled on $19.99. But, since our product will eventually be much more capable than LogMeIn ($29.99), some believe we should meet their price and compete merely on features, lest we be seen as the "Cheap alternative."
** If this is a $9.99 one time fee I'd be interested to hear more.
The purchase price is a one-time fee. You get the features available now, the hosted services, and all future 'core' features (sound, file copy) at no additional cost.
We may develop and release periodic-pay features (such as the ability to host 100's of PCs, or performance notifications for IT, etc.) in the future, but these will not impact your use nor cost you money unless you want those additional features.
Consequently, many products use a simple Beta Model:
-Publish a free, time-limited Beta
-Release a full version and let everybody purchase at full price
Our model is different:
-Publish a for-pay Beta, and let people willing to suffer our growing pains in cheap
-Update the app to final and raise the price
This way, the people who helped us with the Beta get a discount in the end, because they get all updated.
** i also need to be assured theres no monthly/yearly fee. that 10 bucks might just be for the app.
As said above, your purchase gets you lifelong use.
** Power User Support (from our website)
Ag. We need to remove this. You see, we once fretted over bandwidth use (it costs money!) and some features were limited in the early days. We're finding that it's not necessary to do this, and, well, there are no more limits.
** Remote web cam does not work over 3g
It does. The determining factor is whether the phone can find a direct-connection to your PC or not. When you are on WIFI on your local LAN, the only thing that might block you is your Windows Firwall. But, when you are out and about, you would need to port-forward your direct-connect port (typically 49300) through your router to your PC.
** Its only showing the top half of my computer screen. Anyone else?
A known bug we are working to resole, but cannot reproduce in the lab. Thus far, about 5 people have reported it.
I'll bet you have Windows 7. Here is a work-around:
-Right-click your PC's desktop
-Choose Screen Resolution
-Click the link "Make text and other items larger or smaller"
-Choose 100%
-Click Apply
Clearly, you had that set to some other percentage for a reason, so we want to fix this bug. But for now, this is all we can offer.
** Multiple computers
We do not have an "account" for you (we don't care who you are, and don't want your data--this way, we don't have to worry about privacy issues ;-)
So, PhoneMyPC works like this:
-PC connects and presents an ID that is representative of your credentials (but not actually your credentials)
-Another PC connects and does the same thing
-Your phone connects and does the same thing, asking "Are there computers connected using the same credentials I have?"
-Servers send a list of computers
So, to get multiple computers set up, just be sure to use the same User Name and Password when you configure them, but give each a unique Computer name. They will all show up on the phone then.
** PC to PC support
We plan to add this--clearly, it's important. I would say that after:
-Bug fixes to the current release (a few kinks remain)
-The addition of sound
-The addition of file transfer
-At least one pass of optimization (we're building a long list of performance improvements we want to make)
We will then move to the PC client.
** What advantages does this app have over simply using RDP?
We have published a few comparisons, but here's a quick one. Pluses (+) are advantages for PHoneMyPC over RDP, Minuses (-) are disadvantages:
+ Hosted, so you don't have to port forward and/or know your IP. Of course, you get better performance if you do.
+ Faster. In most cases, PhoneMyPC out-performs RDP.
+ Works on ALL Windows versions (XP SP3 and later), including Home (RDP does not work on Home)
+ More battery conservative (note that this was tested some time ago, and we should test again before making this claim, but I suspect our results will be similar)
+ More features (easy multi-mon support, Mouse-pad, etc.)
+ Growing (we let our customers decide what to do next)
- Growing (we have bugs)
- PhoneMyPC uses Image data (similar to, but better than, VNC), and thus requires more bandwidth (2G will not work well, 3G does)
- New -- RDP is well established, PhoneMyPC is new, from the PC client to the Server farm to the Android client. New often means less reliable
Finally, if any of you have issues, forums are a great place to talk about them (we will be adding one to our website), but we're not as quick at finding them. If you really need help fast, email us and we'll try to respond right away.
Oh, one more advantage of PhoneMyPC over all of the others: we have no support staff; we make it a point for every customer question and support email to be answered by an engineer who works on the problem. This does two things: give you the very best of support, and lets us get right into the nitty gritty with the customer so we can improve the product. Usually we respond within the hour, lately we've been a bit slower and this is why--we are a small group.
Cheers!
Sorry for not being more attentive; we've been a bit overwhelmed after the recent release.
I'll try to answer all the questions here at once.
** SSL
It was removed, but this release (2.0.0) has it, as will all future releases.
** What does this give you that AndroidVNC doesn't?
Better performance.
A hosted backend, so if you do not want to poke holes in your router and figure out your IP, you don't have to (it works without any of this configuration).
** What does this give you that LogMeIn doesn't?
-Better performance (performance dropped a little with this release because of SSL, but we're working on that, and still faster)
-A team of geeky developers who let the community decide what the next features will be
-Process control (see and control process list remotely--nice for killing viruses, etc.)
-Window control (rather geeky--useful if you need it)
-Custom Actions (add pre-programmed actions on the PC, then execute them remotely--see our website)
-Mouse-pad use (turn your phone into a mouse-pad--great for media center control, presentations, etc.)
-Webcam view (Alpha feature, only works on direct-connected PCs at this time--watch through your webcam on your phone)
-Passive viewing (great for keeping an eye on your kids)
-Bugs -- honestly, we started from scratch a year ago, and all of our software is new. LMI is older and more established.
-More. We have more features to add, but I'll not list them since they're not there yet.
** Are you in any way associated with SoftwareForMe?
Our organization is called "SoftwareForMe Inc." So, yes.
** When are you expecting restoration of SSL communications?
Done.
** Can you say what the final price is going to be?
No. There is currently a debate going on over this topic; we had more or less settled on $19.99. But, since our product will eventually be much more capable than LogMeIn ($29.99), some believe we should meet their price and compete merely on features, lest we be seen as the "Cheap alternative."
** If this is a $9.99 one time fee I'd be interested to hear more.
The purchase price is a one-time fee. You get the features available now, the hosted services, and all future 'core' features (sound, file copy) at no additional cost.
We may develop and release periodic-pay features (such as the ability to host 100's of PCs, or performance notifications for IT, etc.) in the future, but these will not impact your use nor cost you money unless you want those additional features.
Consequently, many products use a simple Beta Model:
-Publish a free, time-limited Beta
-Release a full version and let everybody purchase at full price
Our model is different:
-Publish a for-pay Beta, and let people willing to suffer our growing pains in cheap
-Update the app to final and raise the price
This way, the people who helped us with the Beta get a discount in the end, because they get all updated.
** i also need to be assured theres no monthly/yearly fee. that 10 bucks might just be for the app.
As said above, your purchase gets you lifelong use.
** Power User Support (from our website)
Ag. We need to remove this. You see, we once fretted over bandwidth use (it costs money!) and some features were limited in the early days. We're finding that it's not necessary to do this, and, well, there are no more limits.
** Remote web cam does not work over 3g
It does. The determining factor is whether the phone can find a direct-connection to your PC or not. When you are on WIFI on your local LAN, the only thing that might block you is your Windows Firwall. But, when you are out and about, you would need to port-forward your direct-connect port (typically 49300) through your router to your PC.
** Its only showing the top half of my computer screen. Anyone else?
A known bug we are working to resole, but cannot reproduce in the lab. Thus far, about 5 people have reported it.
I'll bet you have Windows 7. Here is a work-around:
-Right-click your PC's desktop
-Choose Screen Resolution
-Click the link "Make text and other items larger or smaller"
-Choose 100%
-Click Apply
Clearly, you had that set to some other percentage for a reason, so we want to fix this bug. But for now, this is all we can offer.
** Multiple computers
We do not have an "account" for you (we don't care who you are, and don't want your data--this way, we don't have to worry about privacy issues ;-)
So, PhoneMyPC works like this:
-PC connects and presents an ID that is representative of your credentials (but not actually your credentials)
-Another PC connects and does the same thing
-Your phone connects and does the same thing, asking "Are there computers connected using the same credentials I have?"
-Servers send a list of computers
So, to get multiple computers set up, just be sure to use the same User Name and Password when you configure them, but give each a unique Computer name. They will all show up on the phone then.
** PC to PC support
We plan to add this--clearly, it's important. I would say that after:
-Bug fixes to the current release (a few kinks remain)
-The addition of sound
-The addition of file transfer
-At least one pass of optimization (we're building a long list of performance improvements we want to make)
We will then move to the PC client.
** What advantages does this app have over simply using RDP?
We have published a few comparisons, but here's a quick one. Pluses (+) are advantages for PHoneMyPC over RDP, Minuses (-) are disadvantages:
+ Hosted, so you don't have to port forward and/or know your IP. Of course, you get better performance if you do.
+ Faster. In most cases, PhoneMyPC out-performs RDP.
+ Works on ALL Windows versions (XP SP3 and later), including Home (RDP does not work on Home)
+ More battery conservative (note that this was tested some time ago, and we should test again before making this claim, but I suspect our results will be similar)
+ More features (easy multi-mon support, Mouse-pad, etc.)
+ Growing (we let our customers decide what to do next)
- Growing (we have bugs)
- PhoneMyPC uses Image data (similar to, but better than, VNC), and thus requires more bandwidth (2G will not work well, 3G does)
- New -- RDP is well established, PhoneMyPC is new, from the PC client to the Server farm to the Android client. New often means less reliable
Finally, if any of you have issues, forums are a great place to talk about them (we will be adding one to our website), but we're not as quick at finding them. If you really need help fast, email us and we'll try to respond right away.
Oh, one more advantage of PhoneMyPC over all of the others: we have no support staff; we make it a point for every customer question and support email to be answered by an engineer who works on the problem. This does two things: give you the very best of support, and lets us get right into the nitty gritty with the customer so we can improve the product. Usually we respond within the hour, lately we've been a bit slower and this is why--we are a small group.
Cheers!
Super Noob
Well-Known Member
How hard is it to connect to your pc? Do you need to do any port forwarding or anything complicated?
I'm using Gmote Donate and it was incredibly easy to connect to my pc. It was a 2 part process, first install the app on your Android, then go to their website add download the Gmote Server onto your computer. Next enter a password and BAM, you're in!
Gmote Donate - Android app on AppBrain
Gmote > server
I know Gmote uses your android to only play your music on your pc, but my question remains the same: how hard is it to set up PhoneMyPc?
I'm using Gmote Donate and it was incredibly easy to connect to my pc. It was a 2 part process, first install the app on your Android, then go to their website add download the Gmote Server onto your computer. Next enter a password and BAM, you're in!
Gmote Donate - Android app on AppBrain
Gmote > server
I know Gmote uses your android to only play your music on your pc, but my question remains the same: how hard is it to set up PhoneMyPc?
wmtoandroid
Well-Known Member
Thanks for such a concise and HONEST answer. I've decided to purchase your software, even though I'm really looking for PC to PC connectivity. In the meantime, the app will find some use.
I appreciate developers being so open and involved with their customer base. It's a rare thing to see these days!
I appreciate developers being so open and involved with their customer base. It's a rare thing to see these days!
D
Deleted User
Guest
With previous desktop client, anytime I would exit, it would load itself back into memory. And chance of it NOT doing that? I don't want/need it loaded all the time, and yet, it always manages to load itself back in.
Other than that, I have no complaints.
Other than that, I have no complaints.
was looking at this originally, then when logmein came out in beta tried that. i have several computers on logmein free, so it made sense to try it rather than phonemypc. now logmein is out of beta, it is a one time fee, but more expensive than what I thought it would be. haven't purchased it, but leaning this way as i can then get to all my computers from my phone.
Gamerspowers
Lurker
does this download like every milisecond? i mean, does it use my bandwith?does it take away mb's of download capacity?(i live in belgium and i can't download unlimited each month)
*** if this hasn't been answered already: Simply use ONE username/passowrd and all your computers will show up in the connect-to list when you open the app. I have three that I cycle through and I never have to close/re-open the app! Cheers
*** My remote cam works over 3g. I had to configure wireless router + windows firewall (XP and Vista) for port forwarding, both TCP and UDP. Hope this helps. Cheers
