Chrome Remote Desktop finally arrives for Android

Kris Carlon 2014-04-17T10:30:01Z1 day ago

Kris Carlon

Putting down roots in Berlin after six years of traveling is a major step for Kris Carlon, who has spent more time living out of a tent lately than sitting at a desk. Kris comes to the AndroidPIT Editorial Team via a lengthy period spent writing on art and culture in Australia and other places he has lived. He joined the Android community while resurfacing in civilization back in 2010 and has never looked back, using technology to replace his actual presence in other people's lives ever since.

Google is on a bit of a roll with the high impact app releases lately, following on from the awesome new Google Camera app, the giant of Mountain View has also released Chrome Remote Desktop for Android. This app lets you take control of your desktop on your mobile device. Don't let the name fool you though, you're not just getting access to Chrome, but to your entire PC or Mac.

Take control of your PC or Mac from your Android device! / © Chrome

First up, you need to add an extension to Chrome on your desktop. You can do that via the Chrome Web Store. Once you've got that installed you can grab the Chrome Remote Desktop app for Android from the Play Store and get started. You'll now have access to any of your PCs or laptops from you Android device, as long as they have the remote desktop extension added.

None of this is new news, a version of this client was available way back in January and some other major companies like Amazon have already released their own desktop clients, plus there's dozens of remote access apps in the Play Store. But this is big news simply because it's Google supporting it, and that means dire things for all those small third-party clients out there. The big boys just joined the party.

Check out our list of the best remote access apps for Android.

Have you used a remote desktop client before? Do you think the likes of Google and Amazon will squeeze out the little guys?

Via: Tech Crunch Source: Google Play Store

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The Downsides of Storing Files on Your Desktop

Your desktop is a convenient place to store a few files, but it isn't always the best. PC World explains why.

This is a pretty common practice—if you don't do it, you probably know someone who does—but PC World says it has some definite downsides:

Most important of all, files on the desktop are not as well protected as files in libraries like My Documents and My Pictures. For instance, if you use System Restore to return Windows to its state as of last Wednesday, the feature will remove any files added to the desktop since that date. The files in My Documents will be left untouched.

What's more, many file-based backup programs don't, by default, back up the desktop. You can change that, of course, somewhere in your backup program's settings.

And then, of course, there's the most obvious: It almost always ends up a disorganized mess. (And if you're on a Mac, it can even slow things down.)

Most of these things are easily fixable, of course. You can add your desktop to the Documents library pretty easily, and include it in your backup program's list of folders to back up. If you're rather tech-savvy, you've probably already done those things—but it's worth being aware of, especially for those friends that might not know.

The Pros and Cons (Mostly Cons) of Saving Files to the Desktop | PC World

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The Rocky Beach Desktop

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Flickr user Skarjoko's Linux desktop looks great, and has us excited to spend a little more time outside now that the weather is turning warm in this half of the world. Here's how you can make your computer look like this.

Skarjoko is using elementaryOS, one of our favorite Linux distros, especially for ease of use and customization. A lot of the design cues come from that, but there are some other tweaks there as well. Here's what you'll need to set everything up:

That's all there is to it. A lot of what makes this desktop beautiful is in the general look and feel of eOS, and in the sharp way Numix adds some sharp visuals to the desktop. If you're using eOS, or just thinking about Linux, this is a great way to get started. If you're curious about the setup or have other questions, head over to Skarjoko's Flickr page linked below to check it out and ask your questions!

Do you have a good-looking, functional desktop of your own to show off? Share it with us! Post it to your personal Kinja blog using the tag desktop showcase or add it to our Lifehacker Desktop Show and Tell Flickr pool. Screenshots must be at least at least 640x360 and please include information about what you used, links to your wallpaper, skins, and themes, and any other relevant details. If your awesome desktop catches our eye, you might get featured!

[eOS][Numix] Clean | Flickr

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Most Popular Desktop Microphone: Blue Yeti/Yeti Pro

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A great microphone can make all the difference between being heard or being fuzzy and muted when you're video chatting with friends, podcasting, or recording audio at your computer. Last week we asked you for your favorites, then looked at the five best desktop microphones. Now we're back to highlight our winner.

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The Blue Yeti and Yeti Pro took the top spot in the poll with over 35% of the votes cast. Simple plug-and-play setup, exceptional audio quality, multiple pickup pattern options, and a solid price point all combined to make it your favorite desktop microphone pick.

Right behind it with 26% of the overall vote was the Audio-Technica AT2020, another exceptional USB cardioid condenser microphone that's durable and comes in both USB and XLR models, depending on your needs. In third place, the Blue Snowball—perhaps the first semi-pro USB desktop microphone, and one that's legendary with podcasters and at-home voiceover recordists, picked up over 17% of the overall vote. The legendary Shure SM-58 brought in fourth place with a respectable 15% of the vote, and the super-portable and good looking Samson Meteor snagged over 6% of the vote to round out the five.

Honestly, you really can't go wrong with any of these, and some may match your needs better than others. For more on each of these, and the honorable mentions not listed here, make sure to head back to the full Hive Five feature to read more.

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MediaFire Launches Desktop Apps, Offers 1TB of Space for $2.50 a Month

We thought Google Drive's price drop was impressive (1TB for $9.99 a month), but, heck, 1TB of space for $2.50 a month is even better. That's what MediaFire is offering now to celebrate its launch of new Windows and Mac desktop apps for syncing your files.

MediaFire is one of our favorite online file sharing services, but previously it was only web-based and you had to drag files to upload them. The new desktop apps (now out of beta) provide a syncing folder like other online storage services do. The desktop apps also show notifications on updated shared files and come with a screen clipping tool to quickly share your screenshots.

Sharing is one of MediaFire's best features. You can "follow" files from other users, track downloads and access to shared files, and also set sharing permissions on specific folders. The file size limit, by the way, is 20GB.

You can sign up for the 1TB plan for $2.50 a month or save a few bucks with a yearly plan for $25. Business plans for 100TB of space are also half off at $24.99 a month. This promotion is good through the summer and, I'm told by a MediaFire rep, that if it's popular (which it seems to be), they'll continue to price it at $2.50. Of course, they recommend you sign up for the yearly plan, though.

MediaFire's iPhone and Android apps are also being updated over the next few weeks to include things like automatic photo syncing.

Read more about the updates at MediaFire's blog or sign up with the link below.

MediaFire via IntoMobile

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The Atomic Polygon Desktop

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The icons are big and bright on this desktop, but it doesn't make this desktop by Flickr user Aswath any less interesting. It's a nice mix of fun and functional, perfect for a laptop display. Here's how he set it up.

We're running low on submissions to our Desktop Showcase, so if you want your desktop featured here, send it in! All you have to do is post a screenshot to your Kinja blog (the one that came with your commenter account), and include links to the wallpaper, widgets, skins, and tools you used to customize it.

If you want your desktop to look like the one above, here's what you'll need:

All in all, we like this one because it's both clean and functional. Fences lets you show icons when you need to see them, and get rid of them when you don't and just need to work—or use the shortcuts and tools on your desktop. Clutter when you need it, gone when you don't. If you like what you see here but run into problems setting it up, head over to Aswath's flickr page to ask how he customized some of the utilities to look and work just so. Let him know we sent you!

Do you have a good-looking, functional desktop of your own to show off? Share it with us! Post it to your personal Kinja blog using the tag desktop showcase or add it to our Lifehacker Desktop Show and Tell Flickr pool. Screenshots must be at least at least 640x360 and please include information about what you used, links to your wallpaper, skins, and themes, and any other relevant details. If your awesome desktop catches our eye, you might get featured!

The Atomic Polygon Desktop | Flickr

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Spotify Launches a New Design on Desktop and Mobile

Spotify launched its biggest ever revamp that spans browsers, desktops and smart devices. Here's what it looks like.

It's been six months in development, but music streaming giant Spotify has now rolled out its new "dark" redesign across desktop and mobile platforms. On the surface, the new Spotify delivers revamped typography, rounded iconography and a stylish theme that's all intended to give your music some visual pop. It's not all bells and whistles, though.

While the functionality you're used to remains intact, Spotify now looks to put content to the fore through its Your Music feature, making it easier than ever for you to find, save and organize your collection, all of which is then seamlessly synced across your devices. Hit the link below to read more, or check it out in Spotify's video above.

Spotify Paints it Black with New Look | Spotify News

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