Microsoft doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to Android apps but it looks like they’re learning to do it right, it’s also nice to see them giving something back. Microsoft released a new app to the Play Store (and to Apple’s App Store,too) aptly called Microsoft Remote Desktop. I don’t think I need to explain what the app does since the name is pretty self-explanatory. There are many other third-party apps to control your PC from your phone or tablet like VNC, LogMeIn or the mighty TeamViewer but since Microsoft is the one behind Windows, they probably know the best way to connect to the OS to make the best possible streaming. Or at least they should.
Microsoft Remote Desktop is a well designed app that follows the Android design guidelines which is great since we’re still trying to forget the horrible Outlook app. While the app itself is pretty basic it does what it has to do and it does it well and you have access to everything you can possible need to control remotely. Multi-touch and gesture support are very welcome additions allowing you to control Windows 8 machines much better.
There’s also Network Layer Authentication for better security in the connection and video and sound streaming with improved compression which is never a bad thing.
Here’s Microsoft’s list of features from the Play Store listing:
Access to remote resources through your Remote Desktop Gateway
Rich multi-touch experience with remote desktop protocol (RDP) and RemoteFX supporting Windows gestures
Secure connection to your data and applications with breakthrough Network Layer Authentication (NLA) technology
Simple management of all remote connections from the connection center
High quality video and sound streaming with improved compression and bandwidth usage
It looks like Microsoft has finally decided to step up their game on Android and hopefully, all future apps will be at least this good. So far it’s getting pretty good reviews on the Play Store with almost 200 people giving 5 stars. The app is free so you can give it a shot if you are looking for this kind of tools.