I just received an email this morning letting me know the beta release of Team Viewer for Android devices is now available. I’ve been using Team Viewer for a few months now and I have it installed on all of my computers (Windows 7, Windows XP, Mac OS X, Ubuntu 10.04, Linux Mint 9) and now I’m using the beta version on my Android phone (Android 2.1).
For those of you who don’t know what TeamViewer is, it’s a way to control one computer from another computer/device from anywhere. I use it between my laptop and work computer. Every Friday I backup all my artwork files onto our network server. It takes hours to do it so I start it right before I leave work and I made a small “shutdown timer” program that will shut down my computer at a certain time. I usually set it for around 10pm. A little after 10pm I’ll open TeamViewer on my laptop and see if my work computer shows up in my “Partners” list. If so that means it’s still on and something went wrong so I’ll be able to take control of it right from my laptop and fix whatever happened. If it doesn’t show up it means everything worked and it shut down.
There’s also a “Quick Support” version of TeamViewer that you could have someone download if they need help with their computer. It doesn’t require them to install anything which is perfect for those non tech-savvy people you know that are always asking for help 
. It generates a numeric ID and password that they can give to you so you can connect to them. It alerts you before someone connects unless you’ve given them special “auto-connect” privileges. You can even share specific windows if you need help with a certain program but don’t want them to be able to see anything else you have open. You also still have full control over your computer even while someone else is controlling it. So you don’t have to worry about someone taking control of your computer without your permission and doing things you don’t want them to.
I’ve used other remote access software in the past but most of them are either too expensive for my usage or their free version is way too limited for what I need it for. I’ve also used another popular remote access app for Android (that sells for around $30). Luckily I got to try it out without paying for it because it ran pretty slow on my phone. My Samsung Moment isn’t exactly a high-end Android device. Which doesn’t matter with Team Viewer because it runs smoothly even using it over my cell network. So far I’ve had no reason to turn my wifi on before using it. If your mobile device has a physical Qwerty keyboard it is fully functional within the Team Viewer app (virtual keyboards also works for those without the physical keyboard).
There are paid versions for Business, Premium and Corporate usage but for what I need it for the free version is more than enough for simple remote tasks. It even includes a messaging feature so you can send a message to another computer before connecting. Once you have established a connection you can enable audio and/or video chat to assist them even better.
If you’ve been looking for remote access software, even if you’re already using another service, try out Team Viewer.
