A tab-door into your PC

So you've got youself a tablet, and become accustomed to its ease and convenience. You carry it around with you all the time, and most of your work is done on it. But every now and then, there is a stumble - a particular programme does not run on your tab. Or you are travelling out of town, but need to urgently access some files stored on your PC. Do these scenarios sound familiar?

Despair not, it is possible to access your computer from your tablet, through the Internet. We look at a couple of free solutions (that have premium upgrades also — what the Internet economy loves to call the 'Freemium' model).

Logmein Ignition

Available for Android, iOS

Logmein has been around for a long time. It allows you to securely access your PC or Mac over the Internet.

You can download and install the software on your home PC, sign up for the service, choose from their free, free trial or paid services depending on the features that you want, and leave your PC on.

Regardless of whether your computer is a PC or Mac, and your tablet runs on Android or iOS, the exchange is seamless. You can run any application that is on your Desktop back at home/office.

The good part of Logmein over its competition is the seamless interface, the user experience and the backend security.

Another advantage is that basic features are available free; the most wonderful feature for me is that in case your desktop has multiple monitors (mine has 2), you can choose which one you want to work on.

The client for Android and iOS are free, but if you want the Pro version, that costs about $69.95 per PC per year (about ₹3,900).

Team Viewer

Available for Android, iOS

The process here is similar: you get the free software installed on your desktop at home and the software generates an ID-password combination.

The password is yours to change, but the ID (which is for the computer) needs to be retained and remembered.

On the tablet you have an option of downloading a free version, which Team Viewer mentions is for their non-commercial users, or a paid version which is designed for commercial users, and also has a few extra features.

If you are accessing your home PC over the Internet it is viewed as non-commercial activity, but if you are accessing your office PC it is commercial.

If you choose to go with the free option, many a time Team Viewer will not let you connect if it determines that you are using the application in a commercial environment. This does get buggy.

You could choose to buy the commercial application for a one-time payment of $139.99 (₹9,800 approx) for the iOS iPAD version; the pro application for Android comes free. You do need to pay for the desktop licence, though.).

For the user, these applications are hassle-free as the firewall/router settings don't need to be changed.