There are several apps that will allow you to turn your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch into a remote for media apps, but how about your whole computer? Today we take a look at a free app that let’s you do just that.
1. First head over to the Mobile Mouse website and download the server client software for Windows or Mac. For this tutorial we’ll demonstrate using it on a Windows 7 PC and an iPod Touch 4th generation running iOS 4.2.
2. Right-click on the installer file and click Run as Administrator.
3. The Mobile Mouse Server install wizard starts up. Go through the wizard accepting the defaults.
4. You’ll also need to Bonjour for Windows if it’s not already installed. Again, go through the install wizard accepting the defaults.
5. You’ll have the option to enter your email address to be notified of updates and special promotions. This step is up to you and it’s not necessary to sign up to use the server software.
6. Now you can configure the Mobile Mouse Server settings and password.
7. Next install Mobile Mouse Free either through the iTunes App Store or directly from your device.
8. After it’s installed just tap on the icon to launch it.
9. When it launches you have the option to upgrade to the Pro version or not.
10. Now enter in the password you created on the server to use for the PC you’re controlling with Mobile Mouse.
11. Your computer should be listed and you can change some of the remote settings to get it working optimally.
12. The remote starts and you have a Trackpad and Air Mouse and you can control your computer from across the room. You also have a full keyboard with CTRL, ALT, and Windows key to remotely control your computer.
13. Tap on the yellow arrows to launch the Windows 7 Magnifier which comes in handy if your sitting far away from your screen and want to zoom in on something.
14. One of the neat tricks you can do with it is shake your iOS device to hide the keyboard for more real estate for controlling the mouse.
15. With the free version you get basic control of your computer, but for a lot more features you might want to get the Pro version for only $1.99. Taking a look at the few of the options…you can get a list of a bunch of apps on your system to click on to launch then be able to control it with your iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad.
16. Here we launched Windows Media Center and all of the remote controls were populated for easy control.
The decision to pay for the Pro app is up to you based on how much you use it and amount of functionality you want. You might want to go with the free version for a while and then decide if you need to go Pro. Overall though this is a cool way to control your computer from across the room. Have fun!