[earamsey]

Hi,

I am software developer and I just purchased Blackberry Pearl. Already, I want to create an application, must be honest it would be commercial, for this device. So, I present a question to you guys. If one could access their desktop remotely from their blackberry what would you guys want to be able to do?

For Remote Desktop Applications already out there

• Do you guys like them?
• Are they too slow?
• What functionality and/or features would be viable/valuable to those of wanting remote desktop access from your blackberry?

Thanks,

[penguin3107]

Rove Mobile makes an excellent piece of software for this... Mobile Desktop.
Rove Mobile - Mobile Desktop

They also have an outstanding reputation for BlackBerry software, and I recommend their products to many people.

[jskolm85]

Originally Posted by penguin3107

Rove Mobile makes an excellent piece of software for this... Mobile Desktop.
Rove Mobile - Mobile Desktop

They also have an outstanding reputation for BlackBerry software, and I recommend their products to many people.

I have used the Rove Mobile Desktop.... loved it. Worked great. But I only used the trial of it. Work is not ready to pay out the $95. (they will eventually because I don't give up when I want something). The only complaint I had was the guy from Rove that called me once my trial was over. He was really rude on the phone and said it was ridiculous that I was considering the Mobile Desktop app when I could just get the mobile admin instead. I tried to explain the difference in price and he just didn't get it. But otherwise, the product is great and does everything I needed it to do.

[jskolm85]

Originally Posted by jskolm85

I... The only complaint I had was the guy from Rove that called me once my trial was over. He was really rude on the phone and said it was ridiculous that I was considering the Mobile Desktop app when I could just get the mobile admin instead. I tried to explain the difference in price and he just didn't get it. But otherwise, the product is great and does everything I needed it to do.

I just wanted to post an update to my comments above. Rove contacted me about this situation and corrected it. Their support is above standards in my opinion now. I would/will recommend them to anyone in the future.

[andrew-webber]

Hi Guys,

Sorry to ask a dumb question - this Rove software looks interesting but I am not sure if it would work for me?

I need to access a number of servers and I currently do this via a VPN connection on my PC and then using Microsoft remote desktop.

How can you use the Rove product to connect to your servers, if they do not have a static and public I.P. address, or am I missing something here?

Thanks for any pointers.

Andrew

[camaro322hp]

Originally Posted by andrew-webber

Hi Guys,

Sorry to ask a dumb question - this Rove software looks interesting but I am not sure if it would work for me?

I need to access a number of servers and I currently do this via a VPN connection on my PC and then using Microsoft remote desktop.

How can you use the Rove product to connect to your servers, if they do not have a static and public I.P. address, or am I missing something here?

Thanks for any pointers.

Andrew

I was wondering the same thing. I'm not sure how to make that VPN connection on the BBerry.

[penguin3107]

Originally Posted by andrew-webber

Hi Guys,

Sorry to ask a dumb question - this Rove software looks interesting but I am not sure if it would work for me?

I need to access a number of servers and I currently do this via a VPN connection on my PC and then using Microsoft remote desktop.

How can you use the Rove product to connect to your servers, if they do not have a static and public I.P. address, or am I missing something here?

Thanks for any pointers.

Andrew

Are you on BES? If so, then you already have a VPN connection to your internal network by way of MDS Connection Services.

[djm2]

To the OP: First, welcome to the forum.

The Rove product is a good product, and I suspect that you will have some difficulty in competing against it. It can be a bit slow, and there are upper limits on the amount of data that can be transferred under BES (Penguin, correct me if I'm wrong but I think it is 1 meg./session). That is a limitation that I don't think you can get around, but you might be more clever than I am.

In the spirit of entrepeneurship I would like to encourage you to "go for it" despite the largely cool feedback you have received. If you can trump the Rove offering you will have a product that will get the attention of many people, myself included. Good luck.

[neftv]

I tried VNC+ and found it can be slow at times and sometimes it error connects out. Have to configure the firewall to make it work on the client side.
I am now using RDM+ I think it's more responsive mainly because it uses some server on the net to get to the clients. No firewall to worry about. I just can't seem to get an answer when I ask if this method is secure that having some server in internet land seeing my client pc all the time.
I like being able to magnify the screen so I can see better what is going on. It would be nice to make that feature Variable Zoom. It would be nice to get audio if the PC is playing audio and if there is like windows media player playing a tv feed on the PC like to try to watch that on the blackberry with the audio with close to real frame per second as its being shown. Maybe some sort of toggle to go to desktop screen on the blackberry and back to the application.
As I think of more I will write back.

[fencepost]

I've been using Shape Services' RDP client for a week or so now (won it in the first giveaway), and I'm loving it. If I'd realized how nice it was going to be compared with the free VNC client that's out there I'd have coughed up the $45 long ago.

I haven't tried either of their other remote control products (VNC client and a client-server remote control option that's probably much like installing VNC with a redirector), but if they use the same interface/controls as the RDP client then I suspect they'll be pretty good.

I do IT support, and while I wouldn't want to be using any of these for shadowing a user I have used them for things like rebooting servers and starting off install processes at night.

[andrew-webber]

I am on BIS - so I would definately require VPN software then I think, apologies I forgot about BES.

[BigA]

Originally Posted by andrew-webber

I am on BIS - so I would definately require VPN software then I think, apologies I forgot about BES.

VPN is not required. Just open the ports on your firewall if you chose to do so.

[pauldumais]

Originally Posted by andrew-webber

I am on BIS - so I would definately require VPN software then I think, apologies I forgot about BES.

To use products like Mobile Desktop with BIS you would need to open ports on your firewall, as was mentionned in an earlier post, the only VPN software available for BlackBerry is the BES/MDS (except for wifi devices which have a VPN client built in).

Which is why we released our latest product PCMobilizr http://www.pcmobilizr.com, it allows BIS users to connect securely to their computers behind their firewall without the need to open ports or use VPN software. The connection to your computers is encrypted using SSL.

[neftv]

Originally Posted by pauldumais

To use products like Mobile Desktop with BIS you would need to open ports on your firewall, as was mentionned in an earlier post, the only VPN software available for BlackBerry is the BES/MDS (except for wifi devices which have a VPN client built in).

Which is why we released our latest product PCMobilizr http://www.pcmobilizr.com, it allows BIS users to connect securely to their computers behind their firewall without the need to open ports or use VPN software. The connection to your computers is encrypted using SSL.

Just wondering how does your service differ from RDM+? It looks like the same principle except you guys have a monthly fee. Does your service allow audio to pass through from the PC for example if I play a Real Player or Windows Media Player tv feed on the computer can I hear the audio as well as see the video to as close as frame rate as it is on the computer on my Blackberry? I am just curious.
And I am still wondering about my other question I have yet to get an answer to. How safe is that internet server that allows this type of service to work because that server sees my home computer all the time?

[pauldumais]

Originally Posted by neftv

Just wondering how does your service differ from RDM+? It looks like the same principle except you guys have a monthly fee. Does your service allow audio to pass through from the PC for example if I play a Real Player or Windows Media Player tv feed on the computer can I hear the audio as well as see the video to as close as frame rate as it is on the computer on my Blackberry? I am just curious.
And I am still wondering about my other question I have yet to get an answer to. How safe is that internet server that allows this type of service to work because that server sees my home computer all the time?

From what I am aware neither service provides audio. Our PCMobilizr product is priced as a monthly fee because it is a hosted service (only way to get inside firewalls with BIS), and in order to keep a hosted service up and running you must have a recurring revenue stream, I am not sure how RDM+'s business model works that they can charge a one time fee and provide a service forever.

From a security standpoint, security is all about who you trust, with a BES server you must trust that the service that RIM provides to you is secure (obviously RIM has gone to great lengths to get their solutions certified by many security agencies). The BES option is the best if you are very security concious. As far as PCMobilizr and RDM+ is concerned you also have to make a judjement call, as they are both hosted services, and you must trust the companies behind them, you should do research into each company and you can build your own opinion. Even with a VPN solution, you have to trust the company that built the VPN solution that they have put in the proper amount of safeguards and are a reputable company.

It sounds like what you are looking for is video streaming to the BlackBerry, I have to say that our solutions are not the right solution to do this, the wireless networks are not fast enough to stream live video using a remote desktop connection to your PC.

I recommend that you look at specific video streaming products for BlackBerry instead, I know a few companies have tried to do video streaming like Sona Mobile and Quickplay, Video on Your BlackBerry . As well Sling Media has recently announced that they will be releasing a SlingPlayer for BlackBerry soon. But as you see video streaming for BlackBerry is very new, and in most cases still in the beta phases, the processors and networks for BlackBerry need to get a lot faster before live video streaming is practical.

[neftv]

No there is no audio on RDM+ either. I just wondered if it was possible. I know the Edge network tops off at around 300kbps in bandwidth tests that I have done on my phone but I figured if audio was say 20kbps and the rest used to reproduce whats on the desktop it would be usable for me. It just seems to me that the player in blackberry just need the protocols for Real Player and Window Media player and I would be able to get low bandwidth feeds directly. Anyway, I have the phone I have and maybe in like 2 to 4 years the new Bold phone on a G network will have all this stuff by then.
Thanks for explaining the other things (business and security standpoints) it is now clear that Blackberrys are like PC's back in the mid/late 90s. Yet I feel this device I have is lightyears ahead of what I came from the Moto T720 which I had up to about month ago.

SO actually back to the original poster Erica my thing would be to see if an audio component could work with a Remote Desktop application for Blackberry. Would love to beta test it.

[tuanblackberry8830]

These is expensive. can i get other that is cheaper ?

[neftv]

Originally Posted by tuanblackberry8830

These is expensive. can i get other that is cheaper ?

I've not found anything else. VNC+ is $20 cheaper than RDM+ but you have to open a port in your firewall and can be problematic as it was for me when I tested it. You have to try it out I think there is 7 day trials and see how it works in your situation and how you like it. I ended up purchasing RDM+ because I like the magnifier function and it's more network robust compared to VNC+. SO I will use them till they go out of business then I might sign up with PCMobilizr who knows. But in the meantime I like to try any beta software earamsey might try to develop.

[pauldumais]

Originally Posted by tuanblackberry8830

These is expensive. can i get other that is cheaper ?

The cheapest solution I found is the j2mevnc program which is free, but you get what you pay for:
J2ME VNC - Blackberry port