Mocha VNC review

Reviews Clare Hopping 16:41, 4 Sep 2009

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We review Mocha VNC, a remote access client that allows you to access your computer, wherever you are, from your iPhone

Having remote access to your computer is a fine thing. In fact, it's so handy that we used it to write part of this review.

There are loads of VNC clients available on the App Store, but Mocha VNC is one of the easiest to set up and it's cheaper than other remote desktop apps too.

We were using Mocha VNC with a MacBook running OS X 10.5, which already features a built-in VNC server, so to set it up you simply need to activate remote management on your computer and create a new connection on your iPhone with your computer's IP address and VNC password (if you have one).

Once you've done this, just connect to your computer from within the app and its screen will be drawn almost immediately.

There are both landscape and portrait modes, which you switch between by changing the orientation of your iPhone. Landscape is recommended because, odds are, your computer screen is landscape rather than portrait.

Mocha VNC is simple to use, with the ability to zoom in and out of the screen as if you're using a web page. You can also move around the screen by dragging the cursor.

Although the app doesn't display your computer screen in full resolution, it's clear enough for many simple tasks. Be aware though that Mocha VNC will struggle to work on a high resolution screen.

We used Mocha VNC on a 4.5Mbps Wi-Fi connection, and although there was a distinct time delay, it was nothing major. The only thing that took longer than we almost had patience for was the initial screen drawing.

Mocha VNC is a simple to use, fully featured remote desktop tool. Although you have to pay £3.49 for the full version (there's a lite edition too), it's worth the money if you often need access to your computer while in another room.