Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – @BednarChuck
Having issues with your Mac or PC’s mouse, but not interested in coughing up the dough for a new one? How about a new app that will turn your smartphone or tablet into a replacement?
Allow us to introduce Remote Mouse, a new app developed by Yang Tian Jiao that lets you use your mobile devices as a surrogate mouse. To use it, you first need to install the program on your tablet of smartphone, and then download the companion app onto your Mac or PC.
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Then, as CNET explains, you need to make sure that both the computer and the mobile device are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. This will allow the app to see your laptop or desktop, allowing it to be used in place of a mouse, a keyboard, or several other devices.
Remote Mouse comes in both a free and a paid ‘Pro’ version (the latter of which is also free at the moment, according to CNET) and is available for iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android devices as well as Windows phones.
Not only a mouse, but a touchpad too!
As its name suggests, it works as a mouse, but the app’s website said that it can also be used as a keyboard and a touchpad. CNET compared it to the MacBook’s multi-touch trackpad, noting that a one-finger tap acts like a lift click and a two-fingered tap works like a right click.
Users can also change scrolling and tracking speeds, and enable or disable multi-touch gestures, and the app features various panels that allow you to change applications or control feedback for several different programs, including iTunes, Windows Media Player and PowerPoint. It is also possible to activate a panel with shutdown, restart, sleep mode, and logoff buttons.
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The Remote Mouse website also touts that it comes with built-in voice-typing functionality, as well as an ‘air mouse’ mode that allows you to move the device through the air in order to move the mouse pointer. The iOS version also makes it possible to remotely view pictures.
Remote Mouse is compatible with Windows 7, 8, XP and Vista, and Mac OSX 10.5+.
Good in a pinch
“While not identical to a physical mouse and keyboard, it works surprisingly well,” said Martin Brinkman of ghacks.net in a review of the app, which he awarded five stars out of five. “The app and client software work extremely well together and while it does not replicate mouse and keyboard 100 percent, it does a very good job at emulating these two input devices.”
“Swaying Mode lets you control your Mac’s cursor by moving and tilting your phone or tablet,” added CNET technology writer Matt Elliott. “This worked better than I was anticipating and might be particularly useful when giving a Keynote or PowerPoint presentation. For general-purpose mousing, however, I prefer using my phone’s screen.”
Yang Tian Jiao is also attempting to translate the program into other languages through an online crowdsourcing effort. Anyone with an account at OneSky can register and start adding their own translation information, the developer explained, and participants will be sent a redemption code so that they can download the paid version of Remote Mouse for free.
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