Our Verdict

Much like Mocha VNC ( ) , Teleportis a practical web computing ( VNC ) customer for the iPhone that grant you to see and contain Macs and personal computer on your web . While both programs do alike thing , there are some handsome conflict between the two .

When launched , Teleport will rake your connection and find any machines on which you ’ve enabled sharing — you may then select the right auto , recruit the password , and keep open that joining for future use . This is a bountiful timesaver over Mocha VNC , which postulate you to manually set up all servers .

Once connected to a car , you ’ll notice that Teleport can displayallof that automobile ’s displays , and display them at their full resolution . Mocha VNC is limited to one display at a maximal result of 1,680 - by-1,200 . you may rotate the screen horizontally , and utilise the common iPhone gestures to zoom along in or out on the display . Beyond zooming , though , Teleport offers a full suite of gesture to do those things you ’d do on a Mac or PC . A two - finger dab is a right on - click ; puff is a double - tap , followed by a drag move ; move scroll bars with two - finger erect swipes ; commit the Left and Right Arrow keys with a two - fingered horizontal swipe .

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The area above the keyboard shows your typing in real time, even if you’re on a slow network connection

Once you con these gestures , interacting with a machine on Teleport is much more intuitive than it is using Mocha . It ’s slap-up being able to easily scroll , drag , and justly - snap without relying on on - filmdom keyboards or having to drag a gyre measure with your finger . Another Teleport feature is that it sends computer mouse events ( clicks , drags , and so on ) to the location of the always - visible mouse pointer . Mocha , when in mouse mode , moves the mouse cursor to the situation you tapped .

This may seem like a underage dispute , but it ’s actually a huge vantage for Teleport — because your finger ’s position is independent of the Spanish pointer , you’re able to see what would otherwise be located under your digit when using Mocha . If your finger pass off to be covering something you require to see , just pluck it up and place it somewhere else ; the computer mouse arrow will stay right where it is . After spending some time with Teleport , using Mocha ’s click - and - set - position method really felt sluggish and clunky , and my finger was on the face of it always in the manner of just what it was I wanted to see . ( you’re able to avoid this event by toggling Mocha ’s projection screen / shiner push , but I do n’t always remember to do that , and it ’s a bit of a pain to switch every time you require to see something onscreen . )

The area above the keyboard render your typewriting in substantial time , even if you ’re on a slow connection connectionAnother founding in Teleport has to do with the keyboard . When you ’re typing in a removed programme over a web connexion , there ’s always going to be some retardation , and that make accurate typing difficult . To help with that problem , Teleport recall your typing topically , as seen in the icon at right , in an area immediately above the keyboard . This makes it much loose to spell accurately , even if the connection connecter is dull .

Teleport include the other feature you might look in a distant controller program , such as additional on - filmdom keyboards ( including a venire dedicate for purpose with a media essence practical program ) for supererogatory keys , on - screen delicate Florida key for Control , Alt , and Command , and a configurations varlet to disable silver screen rotary motion and/or cursor impulse , and set a few other stage setting . Like Mocha VNC , though , this edition will not write in code your session , so it ’s best used in a local , behind - the - firewall , environs .

So what ’s not to care ? The current version is a number buggy — I had it crash on me once , and occasionally , the remote screen will stop responding to taps . ( quit and reconnecting solves that problem . ) Also , the course of study currently wo n’t form with server running RealVNC , which is more of an issue for those connecting to Windows boxes . Both of these issues are patently speak in an update that ’s in the whole kit and caboodle .

So that impart but one ( big ) question : is Teleport worth its steep $ 25 asking price ? That ’s a valid dubiousness , especially when Mocha VNC is useable in a free calorie-free version ( ) and a $ 6 full interlingual rendition . The answer really reckon on what you ’re look for in a remote ascendancy program for your iPhone . If you want to just moderate on a remote political machine occasionally , and not actually do very much with it , then either Mocha VNC version will probably assemble your want .

If , on the other paw , you need to reallyworkwith remote machine , Teleport is a worthwhile investment , even with its current issuing . The way you use gestures for control is intuitive , the power to position your finger forth from the mouse cursor greatly helps with serviceableness , the local - echo keyboard reduce typing errors , and the overall interface just experience very well thought out and works well . summate in the auto - find of server , and you ’ve have a winning app — even with the steep admission monetary value — for those who need to really work with distant machines on their iPhone or iPod mite .

Teleport is compatible with any iPhone or iPod hint execute the iPhone 2.0 software program update .

[ older editor Rob Griffiths writes the Mac OS X Hints blog . ]