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Idokorro Mobile recently released a major update to their Mobile Desktop software for the BlackBerry. Previous versions of Mobile Desktop have been able to use the VNC protocol to connect to VNC servers.

Version 2.0 now introduces the ability to connect to another computer using the RDP protocol, the protocol used by Windows Terminal Services. Because Terminal Services is installed by default on Windows Server versions 2000 and beyond, this major improvement allows Windows Server administrators to remotely manage computers using only a BlackBerry handheld.

With Mobile Desktop you can create connections to a remote computer (Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Solaris, Novell Netware, QNX, OS/2 platforms and more), then view the screen and even control the keyboard or mouse of the remote computer.

We briefly tested Mobile Desktop and found the response time to be surprisingly good. It's easy to use the "mouse" by scrolling the trackwheel, for example. There are convenient shortcut keys for left clicks, right clicks, double-clicks - just about anything you'd need to use on a desktop. There's also a zoom function so you can overcome the relatively small screen size of a BlackBerry device.

Mobile Desktop can be used on any color BlackBerry with a wireless data plan and v4.0 or higher of the BlackBerry system software. On BlackBerrys with 64 MB of memory or more, in addition to the regular suite of features, Mobile Desktop allows you to zoom in and out on the screen you are viewing, and also caches screen image data for optimal viewing and scrolling.

It sells for $45 each for 1 to 4 licenses, with discounts available for those who purchase more.

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About the Author
Dave Mabe, the author of the O'Reilly book BlackBerry Hacks, is a largely self-taught engineer and writer who strives to create a simple, elegant solution to a complex problem. He has worked in the communications industry for eight years and has worked with BlackBerry devices for almost five.