WRITE ON
Application service providers, or ASPs, were once supposed to be the next big thing.
Web-based applications would proliferate, and software on PCs was going to fade
away. Well, no. Most ASPs tanked because the very idea of web-hosted software is,
well, stupid. But there are ways to get your work done on the road, ranging from
remote-control software to a web-based word processor that actually works.
Although we just reviewed GoToMyPC in our
December 2004 roundup of remote-control
applications (and awarded it a Mobile Choice), we
felt compelled to revisit the utility with a focus on
actual work, not just checking e-mail
and nabbing forgotten files from the
office network.
We loved it then, and we love it
even more now. GoToMyPC effectively
channels your office
PC to whatever webconnected computer
$20 per month for
you’re currently using.
one PC
There’s no software to
www.gotomypc.com
install save for a tiny Java
applet that’s automatically
downloaded when you log in. Once connected,
you gain full access to your files, applications,
web browser (and favorite links, natch), e-mail
client, and everything else back on Old Faithful.
In short, it’s like being at the office without
the long commute or annoying coworkers.
GoToMyPC incorporates a superb shrink-tofit feature, sizing the screen of your remote PC
automatically to fit the screen you’re accessing
it from, so you don’t have to spend half of
your time scrolling around. More important,
performance was solid in most applications
— new text appeared almost immediately as
we typed it. Only tasks such as viewing photos
and web browsing were a bit sluggish.
While the program is easy to install and
configure, establishing a remote connection still
requires a few more steps than we’d like. But that’s
small potatoes.
Our major complaint about the service is still the
price: GoToMyPC costs $240 per year for one PC. But
with such robust and comprehensive anywhereaccess to your own PC, GoToMyPC could effectively
take the place of most other programs in this story.
It’s that good.
GOFFICE
Let’s be honest: WordPad, the stock Windows text
editor, is no Microsoft Word. So what happens
when you absolutely, positively have to crank out a
polished-looking report right now?
GOffice rides to the rescue. We’re using it to write
this review, and although the text doesn’t reflect it
(blame our mean old art department), this browserbased word processor offers a raft of font, size, color,
and formatting options. It’s
a surprisingly comfortable
word-processing
Free; $1 per month for environment, and what it
business account
lacks in looks — the toolbar
www.goffice.com
is a hodgepodge of text
buttons and drop-down
menus — it makes up for with pluck.
The service is free for personal use and $1 per
month (that’s right, one dollar) for a business
account. The latter enables you to upload your
letterhead and digital signature, then stamp them
on documents as needed (GOffice has a strong focus
on correspondence). The business account also
includes storage for up to 1,000 documents (versus
10 in a free account) and the option to fax or even
snail-mail documents. You can output completed
documents as PDF fi les (and only PDF fi les), and
then print, e-mail, or download them.
The word processor includes a wide selection of
fonts, letterhead templates, and boilerplate text, all of
which are free to use. However, our completed PDFs
rarely resembled our original document. When you
apply certain letterhead styles, for instance, GOffice
changes the font, overriding whatever selections
you’ve made. Even when we used the “plain white”
letterhead, our font choices didn’t stick. Equally
annoying, you have to remember to click the “alive”
button every 20 minutes, otherwise your session will
expire and you’ll lose any unsaved work.
And what of GOffice’s other productivity
applications? Its name to the contrary, it
doesn’t have any — yet. Desktop publishing and
presentation features are listed as coming soon, but
at present GOffice is strictly GWordprocessor.
A PLACE FOR
EVERYTHING
Always pack a
thumbdrive, whether
for transporting
files from the office
or for archiving
new documents
you created while
working remotely.
TERRIFIC
TRANSFERS
When using
GoToMyPC, don’t try
to drag and drop files
from the remotePC window to the
computer you’re
currently using; it
won’t work. Instead,
use GoToMyPC’s
file-transfer feature,
accessible from the
software’s pull-down
menus.
APRIL 2005
CITRIX ONLINE GOTOMYPC
LOOK IT UP
Can’t remember
the correct spelling
of fiduciary? Need
another word for
synonym? So what
if your dictionary
and thesaurus are
back at the office
— just head over
to Dictionary.com,
where you’ll find
reference tools for all
of your on-the-road
linguistic needs.
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