Remote control of a PC is now a firmly established technology that continues to grow in popularity. Those of us that use remote control software probably access our PCs using another full-size desktop or notebook system, but I'm In Touch from 01 Communique also gives you another option—that of connecting to your remote system from a handheld device like that PDA or smartphone you probably always carry with you.

Device Compatibility
Although I'm In Touch is not the only remote access software/service that lets you access a PC from a handheld, it does arguably boast the widest support among wireless devices. (GoToMyPC, for instance, supports Windows Mobile-based PDAs only.) According to 01Communique, I'm In Touch will work with most mobile devices that have an Internet connection and a Web browser.

The company says it has tested I'm In Touch with browsers on a number of handheld platforms, including Internet Explorer on Windows Mobile and Opera on Nokia devices, along with the browsers found on Palm and RIM Blackberry devices. The catch, if you can call it that, is that I'm In Touch only supports full functionality—the ability to directly view and control the desktop—on Windows Mobile Pocket PCs and Phones.


Login

On non-Windows PDAs and all mobile phones (including Windows-based Smartphones) remote access is limited to the file system and Outlook or Outlook Express e-mail and contacts.

01 Commmunique doesn't cite minimum system requirements for handheld systems, but any relatively-recent model handheld with a decent-speed Internet connection (either via Wi-Fi or a wireless carrier's network) ought to do a good job.

We tested I'm In Touch with a Dell Axim X30 running Windows Mobile 2003 that was equipped with a 312 Mhz Processor, 64 MB of RAM, and integrated 802.11b Wi-Fi. (Given the editorial focus of the site, this review will focus on the aspects of I'm In Touch that concern remote system access via a PDA rather than another conventional PC.)

Getting Started
The first step is to install the I'm In Touch software on to the computer you want to access remotely. This consists of a straightforward wizard that prompts you to specify a name for your computer and create an account user name and password (for logging into the I'm In Touch Web site) along with a separate password for access to the system.

01 Communique points out that for security reasons, the user name and passwords are stored on the controlled system and not on the company's servers. There's a caveat here, and it's that you can only change your password when you're in front of the system or already logged into it; if you forget your password while you're on the road you'll be up the proverbial creek (unless someone back at home or at the office can reconfigure the system on your behalf).


Login

Once you get the I'm In Touch application on your system, there's no need to load additional software onto the PDA - if it is Pocket PC - with ActiveSync. Instead, when you log into your system for remote desktop access, you'll be prompted to download a small browser plug-in.

Going Remote
To access your system remotely you point your browser to http://locator.01com.com, and a page will prompt you to enter the name of the system you want to connect to. (At this point, you're also given the choice of either having an unencrypted connection or using 128-bit SSL on your link.

The default option when you log into I'm In Touch is for remote desktop access, and sure enough, after entering your system password and a wait of a few seconds, you're shortly looking at the Windows desktop of your far-flung system—albeit on a considerably smaller host screen. Response time is excellent so you can still effectively point and click on the remote desktop using the PDA stylus, and if you're patient you can get the hang of interacting with your machine in this fashion pretty quickly.

Admittedly, trying to directly manipulate a remote computer on a PDA with a small, low-resolution screen and (probably) no conventional keyboard does have its limitations. Although you can shrink your remote desktop to fit within the confines of the PDA display, this makes precise clicking virtually impossible, so you'll instead need to do a lot of panning and zooming.

But while direct desktop access will certainly be useful in some situations, most users will probably more often use I'm In Touch's ability to access specific subsections of their system. For example, using the special browser-based interface you can peruse the remote computer's file system for items to download, or just check your Outlook Contacts or Inbox.


View Your PC Desktop

You can specify the individual function you want to use before you log into the system, and you can switch between functions without needing to first disconnect from the remote system. (The ability to access Outlook Contacts may be redundant for those who regularly sync their device to Outlook anyway.)

The I'm in Touch method of accessing e-mail takes a bit of getting used to and for some will require some one-time advanced preparation. For example, when you check your e-mail through the remote interface, you're presented with all the messages stored in your Inbox on the system back home. However, while you can browse messages as well as reply to and forward them, there's no button provided to receive new mail.


Change View Modes on Pocket PC

Therefore, to see new messages remotely you must configure your Outlook or Outlook Express software to periodically download e-mails on its own, otherwise you won't be able to access new messages unless you access your desktop first and manually hit the Outlook Send/Receive button.

Similarly, if you want to create an entirely new message, you need to back out of the Inbox interface and enter a different "Compose Message" function. Given the relative inconvenience of inputting text on many PDAs, not everyone will need the ability to create new messages, but if you do they'll be put in the Sent Items folder of your remote system.

Availability
Unlike many applications available directly online, you have the option of buying I'm In Touch as packaged software; either from the company Web site or in stores. You can also download a fully-functional 30-day trial of the software without having to provide credit card info or provide any personal information other than an e-mail address.

As is the case with virtually all remote access applications though, I'm in Touch is a service-based product and is provided on a subscription basis. Although its $99 price tag (which includes a 1-year subscription) is high compared to a typical utility, the cost compares favorably to most other remote access services.

That $99 fee lets you access one PC remotely from as many devices as you choose, but if you want remote access to more than one PC you essentially pay $99 for each one (though there are meager discounts given for multiple PCs).

Conclusion
Although you need a conventional Windows Mobile-based PDA to take advantage of all of I'm In Touch's features, those with other Internet-connected handhelds or smartphones will appreciate the ability to access files and e-mail, especially if you can't or don't regularly synchronize your device to your desktop. We wished it supported non-Microsoft e-mail clients and the product manual was available in a noon-HTML format, however.

In any event, I'm In Touch offers an additional option for remote access that doesn't require you to lug a conventional notebook around.