There are a couple of mac remote access apps in the iTunes app store, the most popular being LogMeIn Ignition. Unfortunately, it’s $30, so when I was looking for a remote access app I went on the cheap side and bought RemoteTap.



Remote Access: RemoteTap requires you to install the RemoteTap mac preferences pane that can be downloaded from the RemoteTap website. The pane, which works on both Tiger and Leopard, is installed in your mac’s System Preferences app, and you have the option to show the RemoteTap status in your menu bar.




Once you have the server software installed, setup is very simple. The app has a ‘scan’ button, which locates any macs on your network that have the server software installed, and you can add those to your list of remembered ‘servers’. You can also access your mac from anywhere with an internet connection if you set up your router properly. These instructions are given in the RemoteTap preference pane.





When you log into a mac using RemoteTap, you almost immediately see your desktop. The app is very ‘real-time’ and if you’re on a local network you could even watch streaming videos (ahem… TWiTLive) through the app. Interestingly, even if you have fast user switching enabled on your mac and the login window is shown on your mac, you can still view your desktop using RemoteTap. At the bottom of the main RemoteTap window is a toolbar with almost anything you’d ever need to navigate your mac remotely. You can change your ‘pointer’ type so that when you tap somewhere on the screen it either just clicks, or it selects. There is a button to show a list of all your currently running apps or a list of all the apps installed on your mac, and you can either hide or quit the apps from this list. You can easily switch between spaces using the spaces button, and you can even use FrontRow from the app using a Universal Remote-like controller.



The app also has a full-fledged panel of function keys, including ctrl, opt, cmd, up down and left right arrows, esc and tab. There is a ‘laser pointer’ button that lets you find your mouse cursor more easily, and when the app’s keyboard is fully expanded in either vertical or horizontal mode (the app is most easily used in horizontal mode, some of the toolbar items aren’t shown in vertical mode) you can open a ‘text preview’ dialogue, which lets you first type into an in-app text field before entering the text into a field on your mac.



The app’s description on iTunes also says that you can remote-sleep and remote-wake your mac. It’s easy to remote-sleep your mac, but I haven’t succeeded in remote-waking my mac once with this app.

Bottom Line: This app is very responsive and fast, fast enough that I was even able to watch TWiT Live video using the app, and I could even listen to my mac’s audio through RemoteTap. The app has plentiful array of controls; there was never a time when I was using this app that I wished it had another button. The graphics aren’t the best, but most of the time you’ll only see the toolbar anyway. Overall this is a wonderful app for controlling your mac either over your local network, or even from across the world, and while $7 is a bit much to pay for an iPhone app, if you need to remote access your mac from your iPhone, this app is definitely worth it.

I give RemoteTap 5 out of 5 old fashioned remotes.



Price: $6.99



-trumcgowan