LogMeIn remote access arrives for Android
LogMeIn's Ignition, an application for accessing desktops remotely, has been launched for Android-based smartphones.
The app, which is already available for iPhone and iPad, went live on Google's Android Market on Wednesday. Handsets with Android 1.5 and later will be able to use the software, according to LogMeIn.
"There was overwhelming demand from our users and customers to provide accessibility from Android devices. That, coupled with the expected growth of the platform, made it an obvious choice and simple decision," said Craig VerColen, LogMeIn's director of corporate communications, about the company's decision to release the app for the Google-backed mobile operating system.
In addition to the iOS version, there are already editions of Ignition for USB drives (to use any computer as a remote access device), PDAs and laptops.
Ignition for Android caters for touch interfaces, as well as for remote access to the desktop's mouse. There is also the option of remote access to the keyboard, using Windows and Mac-specific shortcuts. In addition, the app supports switching between multiple desktop monitors.
There is a one-time charge for the app of £19.49. Users must install it to their phone and also install a piece of software to the desktop they want to access. All traffic is encrypted with 128 or 256 AES encryption, a major security standard. As for uptime for Ignition, LogMeIn puts this at 99.96 percent.
The company, which opened a London office in June, is looking beyond Android and Apple's iOS for future versions of Ignition, according to VerColen.
"Linux is definitely on the radar," he said. "We're always looking to expand support for the most popular platforms."