Mobile phone display screens are often too small for comfortable use while typing or using applications. Here are some simple apps to help you operate or connect to your Android phone wirelessly via your PC.
Android-based phones are taking the market by storm. These next-generation smartphones are well within reach and are far more practical, equally productive, and way cheaper than the iPhone. These phones can be very beneficial for work when you are away from the office. However, when you get back to your desk, there are times when you need to sync your phone content, or use particular apps on the phone itself. But as most Android phone owners agree, the usability of smartphones tends to get cumbersome since the screen size seems smaller than usual and operating the phone gets awkward. Most computers nowadays are connected using wireless networks, and smartphones can access the WLAN with great ease. We show you a few simple applications which can be used over the Wi-Fi network to help you transfer data, type text, or control your Android phone directly from the computer. The respective applications can be downloaded directly on your Android based phones via the Android Market application. Alternatively, you can search the applications using Google and a QR Code would be available which can be use for downloading the application on your mobile phone using a bar code scanner app from the Android Market.
WebSharing Lite
You need to transfer data to or from your mobile phone urgently, but you have forgotten your phone’s USB cable at home. What do you do? WebSharing Lite is a simple application that helps you upload or download files, be it music, videos, documents or applications directly to and from your phone using Wi-Fi. Simply download the application from the Android Market and start the service.
Open any web browser on the PC and type in the URL given on the mobile phone’s screen and enter the necessary authentication details. The browser will detect your phone and display the folders of your mobile phone, allowing you to download/upload files directly without the need of a USB cable. You can also create folders, and cut, copy, paste and rename files and folders, allowing you to manage the data on your phone’s memory card.
WiFiKeyboard
We bet typing on your capacitive touchscreen-based smartphone is a painful task. Though there are third-party keyboards which feature haptics or leaning words and even auto-complete, they are no match for typing on a physical keyboard. But what is better than an actual full-sized QERTYY computer keyboard? Well, you can use your computer’s keyboard to enter text on your mobile phone using a wireless network. Download the WiFiKeyboard application from the Internet and run it once. The message on the screen will instruct you to set the default input method of the phone to WiFiKeyboard from the phone’s ‘Settings | Locale and Text’. The message also includes the default URL for accessing the phone via the computer browser. Next, simply start the application on the phone that requires the text input and select the input method as ‘Wi-Fi keyboard’ by pressing on the text input field screen for a few seconds. WiFiKeyboard will automatically start the keyboard service in the background. Enter the URL on the desktop PC browser and your phone is connected. Type in the field on the browser and the text will be seen on the mobile phone’s screen. WiFiKeyboard is beneficial for those who type a lot of SMS or MMS messages, emails or are active on Twitter or Facebook. The method makes it easy to enter text on your phone, saves typing time, and reduces mistakes too. You can also use WiFiKeyboard for gaming on your mobile.
Droid VNC Server
We just spoke of using your desktop keyboard for typing conveniently on your Android phone. Wouldn’t it be easier if you could also access the Android phone’s screen on your computer monitor? It is possible, but with a little tweak to your mobile phone’s operating system. Droid VNC Server allows a virtual connection to your mobile phone to control it from your computer. The application requires the mobile phone to be rooted to allow the application to gain Superuser permission to the mobile’s operating system. Using the application is simple; all you need to do is start the application and click on the ‘Start’ button on the phone. The server starts with a message below it notifying the IP address and port for connecting using a VNC client on the PC. You might not be able to access the physical keys on your mobile phone; only the touchscreen area can be accessed. Almost all applications of the mobile phone can work, including the camera, media player and the Internet. Note: We advise rooting the mobile phone only if you know how. You can also lose the warranty of your handset by doing so. Search the Internet to know more on how to root your mobile handset.
Remote RDP Lite
This application can use the Wi-Fi network or the GPRS/3G Internet network of the phone to connect to your desktop. All you need is this application on your phone and Remote Desktop Sharing enabled on your desktop PC. Start the application and input details such as IP address or computer name, port number (defaults), user name and password. You can set screen resolution, color and a few other details to increase the refresh rate and speed of the desktop screen transfer on your phone. Once the details are entered, you can access and operate your PC on your phone over the Internet from anywhere in the world. The PC can be accessed from the local network without any problem, but if you are using the Internet medium, make sure your PC is connected to the Internet using a live IP address. Remote RDP Lite is beneficial for those who need to urgently access their home or office computers and is an ideal application for those who download torrents, access large documents, etc. The application is also highly recommended for server administrators.
