First Look: Teleport, new VNC client for the iPhone

Jugaari's iPhone debut, Teleport (iTunes link), is a new VNC client for mobile remote control of a Mac or PC (not the super-awesome pseudo-KVM app). It's a $24.99 investment, and I don't know many people who are going to dish out twenty five clams for an iPhone utility, but I know plenty who are curious about it and frustrated about the App Store's lack of any "try before you buy" mechanism. Here's a "look before you buy," either to help you make a decision or just to satisfy a curiosity.

Teleport is naturally subject to all the things that are intrinsically annoying about any VNC connection, which are then compounded by a (relatively) small screen and less-than-ideal network speeds; it's not the ideal way to access a remote machine. The options allow you to set the speed of the refresh rate, but "fast" is slow, even on a local wireless network. Those annoyances are obstacles to be overcome, though, and I think that Teleport makes a valiant effort to provide a usable interface in light of these hurdles.

Check out the gallery for a mini-tour, and see the rest of this post for more impressions of Teleport.

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Teleport automatically detects VNC servers on the local network, and catalogs "saved" servers for easy access on the main screen. The settings panel for each server allows for a few options, including a "Rotation Lock" (prevents response to the accelerometer) which I find quite useful, and I wish every app offered the option. I find the screen manipulation to be very intuitive and I picked up on its intricacies in a few minutes of playtime. My favorite feature: I wanted to scroll a page and, being primarily a MacBook Pro user, I dragged 2 fingers down the screen. It worked. I also like the fact that if I tap anywhere on the screen it clicks where I left the mouse cursor rather than jumping to the point where I touched the display. This makes hitting buttons much easier for me.

In addition to the standard iPhone keyboard, sticky modifier keys and a full array of function keys, Teleport also includes a basic remote control screen which is geared towards PowerPoint/Keynote presentations. It offers the basic arrow keys, page up, page down, etc., which is enough to provide remote control for a bevy of other desktop applications as well. I'm not sure I'd rely on it for my next big presentation, though, as Teleport is as likely as any of the larger apps (or any iPhone app) to disappear into oblivion right when you give up anticipating the crash and get comfortable.

What about Mocha VNC, the lite version of which is free and the full version only $5.99? $5.99 sure looks cheap in the face of a $25 app ... unfortunately, I've found Mocha to be unusable remotely. It makes a fun input device and is quite responsive, but the refresh rate is next to non-existent. Teleport, whether it's actually worth the comparatively exorbitant price or not, works.

Thanks Joe!