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Expertcity has released an update to its GoToMyPC remote-access service that builds on and broadens its strengths, adding features that include Pocket PC support and more extensive administration options.

Version 4.0 is available in several editions, including Personal and Corporate Versions, as well as a new Pro edition aimed at smaller companies. All versions include a feature that supports access via Pocket PC, called PocketView. Prices begin at $20 per month for a single-user, single-PC account, with discounts for multiple users, additional PCs, and long-term purchases.

PDA Access Added

The program is noted for doing a remarkably good job of letting workers get to their PCs and, correspondingly, their applications and files from any browser-equipped computer--which helped GoToMyPC version 3.0 win a PC World World Class Award. Version 4.0 was unveiled last week at CeBIT America in New York.

From a gee-whiz technology standpoint, version 4.0's big news is PocketView. Designed for Pocket PC devices with an Internet connection--through Wi-Fi, cellular networks, or other means--PocketView lets handheld users view and control their remote PC's desktop and applications.

The big catch? Pocket PCs typically have screens with a resolution of 240 by 320, far less than that of a PC. PocketView offers several workarounds for this issue, including the capability to pan around the remote system's desktop, shrink it to fit the Pocket PC display, or rotate it so it's displayed on the Pocket PC in landscape rather than portrait orientation.

Despite these features, navigating a PC from a Pocket PC's Lilliputian screen remains unwieldy. But as with the big-PC version of GoToMyPC, connecting is a cinch and performance is surprisingly snappy. And usability is much better on Samsung's Nexio handheld PC--a high-resolution device which, unfortunately, is not currently available in the U.S.

Easing Corporate Concerns

Beyond PocketView, version 4.0's improvements are addressed at technology managers in corporate environments, a group notorious for being loathe to offer remote-control services to end users, since such services are often seen as being insecure and hard to manage.

GoToMyPC 4.0 seeks to allay such concerns with features such as the capability to require a fresh password each time a user connects, or verification using RSA's SecureID user authentication system. Administrators can also specify which features remote workers can and can't use, and get detailed reports on user activity.

GoToMyPC 4.0 is available in a Personal edition for single users, a Corporate version with full administration tools, and a new Pro edition aimed at smaller companies, with more limited administration features than the Corporate one. All versions include the PocketView version.