Like LogMeIn Ignition, TeamViewer lets you access a computer over the Internet from your iPhone. The big difference: TeamViewer is completely free.
Yup, free. The new iPhone app from German-based TeamViewer complements their (also free) desktop app, which means now you can help grandma find cool Firefox plugins, or show dad how to open iTunes — while out walking your dog. For free. Which is a pretty good deal, especially considering LogMeIn Ignition is $30. Just install the iPhone app, install the desktop client and you’re good to go.
“Yeah, but what’s the difference between the free version and the $99 Pro version I noticed at the App Store,” the canny reader might ask. Good question — nothing slips by you, canny reader. Answer: Absolutely nothing. You get the full version for free, with no extra fees attached. TeamViewer does ask that you pay for the app — by buying the Pro version — if you’ll be using it for commercial purposes.
I haven’t tried TeamViewer yet, but if the quality of their tech support is anything to go by — which I called to verify a few details and was pleasantly shocked by a prompt and helpful response — the app should, hopefully, deliver.
When he was eight, Eli Milchman came home from frolicking in the Veld one day and was given an Atari 400. Since then, his fascination with technology has made him an intrepid early adopter of whatever charming new contraption crosses his path. He calls San Francisco home, where he works as a journalist and photographer. Eli has contributed to the pages of Wired.com and BIKE Magazine, among others. Hang with him on Twitter.
