Desktop Control of Your Phone (1/2)
Pocket Controller Pro v6.01
INTRODUCTION
I'm a long-time user of desktop
software, such as VNC or Remote Desktop, for remotely
controlling another PC. When I first learned of SOTI's
Pocket Controller Pro software, I wondered why I might want to
control my Windows Mobile phone from my desktop computer.
It's either connected by a USB cable or a Bluetooth connection,
so the phone isn't exactly "remote". As it turns out, the
ability to remotely view and control your Windows Mobile device
can be very useful, but there's also more to Pocket Controller Pro
than its name may imply. Read on to see what I mean!
WHAT'S HOT
Pocket Controller Pro V6 key features include:
- Works with touchscreen and non-touchscreen Windows Mobile devices
- Connect via USB, Bluetooth, or WiFi
- Real-time remote control
- Presentation tools
- File synchronization
- File explorer
- Registry editor
- Task manager and system information
- Screen/video capture and printing
SETUP
Setup is a straight-forward process. Download the software and
launch the installer. Pocket Controller Pro will install the desktop components and once you
connect your mobile device, ActiveSync (AS) or Windows Mobile Device Center (WMDC) installs the mobile
components on your device.
PRODUCT FEATURES
Microsoft already provides a solution for controlling
other computers remotely, but there is no provision for controlling a
Windows Mobile device. This is where SOTI, Inc. saw an opportunity and
grabbed it.
Using Pocket Controller Pro V6, you can connect to any
Windows Mobile device and control it from your desktop computer. The ability
to control your mobile device from your desktop is invaluable to anyone
attempting to provide mobile device training or marketing demonstrations.
Once you're controlling your mobile device from your desktop or laptop,
projection equipment can be used to present your mobile device to a large
group of people. Pocket Controller even includes presentation tools to assist
you.
Once you're connected you can monitor and control your device remotely. You click on an item on the screen, and it will respond as if you tapped it with your stylus.
Selecting the background option hides your desktop so only the device is presented on screen.
Pocket Controller Pro allows you to use any background color in presentation mode, or you can customize the background using any HTML file. If you choose one of the many available skins for your device, you can also hide the Pocket Controller window so only the device and presentation controls are visible during your presentation.
Presentation mode with a skinned device.
Here is the extensive skin catalog.
During a presentation, Pocket Controller Pro allows you to mark up the mobile device display using a simple drawing tool. You can change the markup color, but the size is fixed and the drawing is restricted to simple lines. The tool is limited, but useful.
A sample of the drawing capabilities.
For training purposes or marketing demonstrations, Pocket Controller will allow you to capture still images or video recordings of your mobile device activity. Still images can be stored in PNG, JPG, GIF, TIFF, or BMP formats. Image snapshots can also be copied to the clipboard for insertion into other applications or they can be sent directly to a printer. Video recordings can be stored using compressed or uncompressed AVI format or Microsoft's WMV format. If you are controlling the device from the desktop, the video recording will also include the mouse pointer so it is easy for an audience to follow the action.
Pocket Controller Pro's image capture options.
Pocket Controller Pro's video capture options.
A sample video recording while controlling the device from the desktop.
It's also possible to record macros with Pocket Controller, so if there are actions you commonly perform during a presentation, you can reproduce those actions quickly and easily. For example, if you need to start a particular application, you can create a macro to open the Start menu, select "Programs", navigate to the application and click its icon to start it. When you playback the macro, Pocket Controller will repeat the steps for you, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your presentation.In addition to its presentation and capture features, Pocket Controller also provides access to the registry and file system on the mobile device. You can browse the file system and transfer files between your desktop and mobile device. ActiveSync and Windows Mobile Device Center also allow you to do this, but not over a WiFi connection. The remote registry can also be opened and information can be imported, exported, and edited.
This is what it looks like while browsing the remote file system using Pocket Controller Pro.
And here is browsing the remote registry using Pocket Controller Pro.
Pocket Controller also provides a file synchronization feature that goes beyond what's offered by AS or WMDC. You can setup synchronization rules that allow for one-way sync from desktop to device, one-way sync from device to desktop, or two-way sync between desktop and device. One-way syncs can be configured to delete the source files after the synchronization completes. I found this to be a useful feature for moving photos and video off my phone for archiving on the desktop.Additional management features allow you to check system status and running tasks on the mobile device. Using the Task Manager you close tasks that may be causing problems or get detailed information about each task.
This is remote system status information.
And this is remote task information.
