I do n’t buy into the iPad as a laptop replacement — not quite . But it is tremendous at tapping into your computers to access video and sound , documents , and even your full background , remotely . Here ’s how .
The iPad is first a foremost a twist for consuming media , and where is most of your media if not on your desktop or laptop computer ? All your videos , both self - created and download ; your euphony collection , which is so much with child than your iPad ’s flash entrepot can woolgather of accomodating ; your store of document , which contain so much information about you , your work and your interests . On your iPad , this stuff is too often there , not here — but it does n’t have to be .
you’re able to easily access all of these thing from your iPad with a set of simple - to - use apps , and where those do n’t work , you’re able to actually check your data processor — mouse and all — from your iPad . Here ’s what you need :
Audio and Video
sound recording and video cyclosis on the iPad is , for the time being , the domain of two apps : Air Video and StreamToMe . They ’re super similar , sharing their $ 3 price , iPhone compatibility , and an fundamental picture conversion depository library , but a few central dispute will shape which one you involve to download . So !
If you …
• Have a Windows PC• Do n’t need to stream audio• Tend to store your cognitive content in h.264 / mp4 data file
Go withAir Video . It ’s a wonderful app , which let you stream television — even in formats not natively fend for by the iPad — both topically and remotely ( with wide-eyed port furtherance ) , and which has both Mac and microcomputer server software . It ’s flexible as well , give you accurate ascendance over pour video caliber , and option for either transcoding video live , or pre - converting it before streaming .
h.264 playback , even in HD , seemed cleaner and act still than in StreamToMe , so if you ’ve rip or download most of your content in that format , Air Video is a slightly better choice . It transcodes your download .avi file beautifully , too .
( take note there presently is n’t a honorable DLNA stream app , though once its hemipteron are worked out , PlugPlayer shows promise . For the clip being , Air Video is the only way to stream and transcode your telecasting library put in on a Windows PC )
• Have a Mac• desire to pullulate audio files as well
Then you should downloadStreamToMe . It too can transcode video in real fourth dimension , so you do n’t want to occupy about converting your home video file or P2P downloads . Its chief advantage over Air Video is that it can rain cats and dogs audio . It ’d be nice if the app had an iTunes - vogue artist perspective , but if your iTunes music brochure is organized by artist name and album rubric ( if you have n’t state it to do something else , iTunes will have taken care of this for you ) , sail through and playing songs is pretty straightforward .
The setup routines for both apps are nearly selfsame . Each requires a host app to be run on your computer , which take to be bespeak to your video library , and each will automatically recognize your computer over a local meshing . For remote cyclosis , each app render steering for which ports to ahead on your router . ( For teaching for your specific router , checkhere . ) This mean you may rain cats and dogs your home video from anywhere — work , a hotel room , whatever — over Wi - Fi .
Documents
Document communion on the iPad is n’t specially easygoing , swear on the awkward iTunes file share-out system , which only lets you get at papers in the app they ’ve been swag for . To range apps in a more utile manner , you ’ll postulate get an app calledGoodReader . Its $ 1 .
GoodReader is an app that enables you to touch base to all variety of filing cabinet servers , be they cloud - based ( Google Docs , Dropbox , or MobileMe ) or local ( an FTP or WebDAV server ) . Once touch base , GoodReader list files that can be read on a given host , which are left up to the iPad ’s inbuilt viewers to exhibit . This mean that Word , Excel and PowerPoint documents , as well as a ambit of other text files , images , and even audio file , can be open in the app .
One of the most compelling lineament of GoodReader is that it can turn your iPad into a local file server , which you’re able to go up and connect to from any Mac or PC . This feature permit you embroil and drop your documents to the iPad , as if it were a NAS machine . ( GoodReader also shows up in the iTunes USB file transference dialogue , but Wi - Fi drag - and - driblet transfer is much faster and easier , once it ’s set up . ) instruction for host apparatus are availablehere .
to boot , using the app ’s “ Manage Files ” pane of glass , you’re able to sort , administer and e-mail your documents as well . It ’s fundamentally like having a disk for all form of media , on your iPad , along with a filing cabinet web internet browser . Ha !
Controlling Your Desktop
If you want full access to your computer , video , audio frequency and document file servers wo n’t be enough . What about your app program ? Your iPad - uncongenial files ? Your entire background ? To get that kind of control , you want to use VNC .
From our previous How To guide on the subject :
VNC ( practical web computing ) is one of those deception that never gets old , and having it set up can often bring through your ass - whether you left some info on your home electronic computer that you need at work , require to check on your massive BitTorrent queue to schedule the evening ’s amusement , or help your poor parent employ clip artwork in Microsoft Word , give remote access can be handy dandy .
For full setup instructions for Windows and OS X , pursue our guidehere .
https://gizmodo.com/how-to-remote-control-your-home-computer-from-anywhere-5197759
Once you ’ve done that , you ’ll need an iPad VNC client . The iPad App Store already has a fistful of VNC apps available for download . The ones I ’d go with areMocha VNC Lite(a costless , limited - capability app ) , and if you find you like the VNC concept , the $ 12Desktop Connect .
It ’s strange , controlling a computer mouse - found computer from a touchscreen gimmick , but there ’s one option I ’ve line up make water life a lot easier : In Desktop Connect , turn Touchscreen Mode off . This options has you check the mouse as if the whole touchscreen is a trackpad , rather than have to guide the mouse like a shot with your finger . After a few minutes , you ’ll be click around Windows or OS X without suppose about it .
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