How to control your PC from your iPad for free

Last week, the folks at Parallels unveiled Access, a remote-control utility for Windows and Mac that lets you access either of those desktop environments via an iPad app.

The program earned gushing coverage from the likes The New York Times and was reviewed favorably right here at CNET.

There's just one small wrinkle: Parallels Access costs $79.99 per year per computer. That's a pretty steep price even if you have only one desktop. Fortunately, there are alternatives that give you very similar functionality for a much lower price: $0. One of them, TeamViewer, is free for personal use. And it's available not just for iPad, but also for iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone 8. (On the desktop side, it's compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux.) Let's see how you can get your iPad (or other mobile device) connected to your PC without spending a penny.

On your desktop, download and install TeamViewer. You'll note that you have three installation options:

• Install A full installation of the TeamViewer client, with all available options.
• Install to control this computer later from remote If you want to be able to access your desktop remotely, without having to input a code (also known as "unattended access"), choose this option.
• Run only The software runs, but nothing gets installed. This is a great option if you want to keep TeamViewer on, say, a flash drive. But it doesn't allow for unattended access.

Whatever installation option you choose, be sure to choose "personal / non-commercial use" in the bottom half of the setup window.

Now install TeamViewer on your mobile device. Run the app, then enter the ID number shown in the desktop client, followed by the password. If you set up unattended access, you'll need only the password (which you created) for future sessions.

Once you're connected, you'll immediately see your desktop on your device screen. Things may look a little different if your desktop had to switch resolutions to accommodate the remote connection, but ultimately you've now got touch-powered control over your PC or Mac.

It'll take a bit of practice to learn how to use your fingers in place of a mouse. For example, finger-taps work the way mouse-clicks do, but only if you've dragged your cursor to where you want to click. Scrolling requires two fingers, same as with a lot of laptop touchpads. Zooming is a pinch affair, same as on the iPad proper.

For help and access to TeamViewer tools, tap the little round keyboard icon in the lower-right corner of the screen. It brings up a toolbar, which on the iPad looks like this.

TeamViewer may not "appify" your desktop programs the way Parallels Access does, but it does give you easy, cost-free remote access to your PC or Mac -- great for running programs you can't get on your phone or tablet, retrieving a file you left behind, checking your e-mail archive, and so on.

Google Nexus 7 (2013) with 4G LTE hits Play Store in the US

Google's latest Nexus 7 (2013) tablet with 4G LTE is now available through Google Play Store in US for $349 (Rs. 22,447 approximately).

Google announced the news on Twitter and also revealed that the Nexus 7 will come to T-Mobile stores in the U.S. next month. The tweet said, "Nexus 7 with 4G LTE is now available on Google Play in the US and is coming to US T-Mobile stores in October!" The new Nexus 7 LTE variant has arrived at the stores more than a month after the Wi-Fi variant of the Nexus 7 went on sale. Currently, the second-generation Nexus 7 comes with T-Mobile SIM. However, it comes unlocked that allows other carrier options on the tablet as well. However, there is no official word from Google on the device's rollout to countries like India.

The search engine giant launched the second-generation Nexus 7 in July alongside the unveiling of the new Android 4.3 Jelly Bean platform.

The Nexus 7 (2013) comes with a 7-inch full-HD display (1920x1200 pixels), implying a boast-worthy pixel density of 323ppi. It also features scratch-resistant Corning glass. It is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor clocked at 1.5GHz, and features 2GB of RAM, apart from 32GB of inbuilt storage (with no SD card slot). The new Nexus 7 also features a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera.

Previously, the Nexus 7 (2013) was diagnosed with various issues, notably the erratic performance of multi-touch functionality on the tablet's display. Google rolled out a firmware update for the Nexus 7 (2013), addressing many of these issues.

Nokia 208 Dual-SIM now available online for Rs. 5,299

The Finnish mobile manufacturer has quietly rolled out its new dual-SIM budget S40 phone, the Nokia 208 Dual-SIM, through online retailer for Rs. 5,299.

The Nokia 208 Dual-SIM is now up for pre-orders at Snapdeal, which has listed it incorrectly as Nokia Asha 208.

The Nokia 208 Dual-SIM comes with a 2.4-inch LCD QVGA display (240x320) and features a pixel density of 166ppi. The phone runs Series 40 software which has been popular with Nokia's Asha series. It comes with 64MB RAM and built-in storage of 256MB that can be expandable up to 32GB via microSD card. The Nokia 208 Dual-SIM sports a 1.3-megapixel rear camera while there is no front-facing camera.

The dual-SIM variant of the Nokia 208 comes with a 1020mAh battery, which as per the company's claims gives up to 12 hours of talk time on 2G network and standby time of around 480 hours. As the name suggests, the device supports dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) with dual standby. The phone will be available in Black, Cyan, Red, White, and Yellow colour options.

In addition to these, the Nokia 208 Dual-SIM will also come preloaded with popular social networking apps such as Twitter and Facebook. There is also Transfer app that helps users import contact details from other phones including Windows Phone 8 and most of Android smartphones. Mail for Exchange functionality is fully supported on the Nokia 208 Dual-SIM.

Earlier, Nokia unveiled the Nokia 208 Dual-SIM along with the Nokia 207 and Nokia 208 (single SIM variant). It's worth noting that Nokia 208 Dual-SIM supports only Micro-SIM cards, and not regular SIM cards.

Nokia 208 Dual-SIM key specifications

• 2.4-inch QVGA display (240x320 pixels)
• 1.3-megapixel rear camera
• Dual-SIM (GSM-GSM) Dual Standby
• 64MB RAM
• Expandable storage up to 32GB
• Series 40 software
• 1020mAh battery
• 114.2 x 50.9 x 12.8mm
• 90.59 grams

DOMO Slate X14 tablet with Android 4.2 launched for Rs. 4,990

DOMO has launched the Slate X14 tablet for Rs. 4,990, targeting students.
Commenting on the launch, Mazher Shaikh, Business Development Manager at DOMO said, "DOMO Slate X14 has been designed especially for student offering value for money features. With support for most 3G dongles, users can stay connected to internet on the go."

The DOMO Slate X14 comes with 7-inch LCD display with a resolution of 800x480 pixels. It is powered by a 1GHz Cortex A8 processor, that is coupled with a Mali 400 GPU and 512MB of RAM. The tablet comes with dimensions of 182x121x10mm and weighs in at 305 grams. It features 4GB of built-in storage which can be further expanded up to 32GB with the help of a microSD card. The tablet runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with Flash support,

Other specification of the Slate X14 include a 2-megapixel front camera, and such connectivity options as Wi-Fi, Micro-USB and 3G via external USB dongle. The tablet does not come with SIM support. The DOMO Slate X14 can playback 1080p videos, and runs on a 3000mAh battery.

Recently, Lava's budget tablet E-Tab Velo+ went up for pre-order online at Rs. 4,699. The Lava E-Tab Velo+ features a 7-inch IPS display (800x480) and is powered by a 1GHz Cortex A8 processor along with 512MB RAM. The tablet also runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. It sports a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and features 4GB of built-in storage that can be expanded up to 32GB via microSD card.

Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, USB and 3G support through external dongle. The tablet is backed by a 2500mAh battery, and includes a video player app, an audio player app and a 3.5mm audio jack.

DOMO Slate X14 key specifications

• 7-inch LCD display with a resolution of 800x480 pixels
• 1GHz Cortex A8 processor with Mali 400 GPU
• 512MB of RAM
• 4GB built-in storage, expandable up to 32GB via microSD card
• 2-megapixel front-facing camera
• 3000 mAh battery
• Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean

Nvidia Tegra Tab 7 leaked again, premium and budget variants hinted

Thanks to the FCC filing spotted by Engadget, Nvidia's rumoured Tegra Tab 7 tablet has made yet another appearance on the Internet rumour mills. However, Nvidia has not revealed any plans of launching an Android tablet, yet.

The latest FCC (Federal Communications Commission) listing confirms that the alleged Nvidia Tegra Tab 7 tablet is dubbed the P1640.

The listing hints that Nvidia may roll out two different variants of the 7-inch Tegra Tab tablet. The listing of the rumoured Nvidia tablet reveals some new features like stylus support, SD card support, HDMI and rear camera will be for premium model of the tablet, features that will probably not be available in the more affordable model.

Earlier, the tablet was spotted in a bunch of high-resolution images that emerged online, revealing the overall design of the tablet and also claimed that the tablet from Nvidia will come with a stylus.

Previously, AnTuTu benchmark results of the alleged Nvidia Tegra Tab 7 surfaced online. The results suggested that the alleged tablet from Nvidia is powered by a quad-core Tegra 4 SoC clocked at 1.8GHz and scored more than 27,000 on AnTuTu benchmarks. It also claimed that the tablet runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

The tablet is rumoured to come with a 7-inch HD display with a resolution of 1280x768 pixels, and said to sport a 5-megapixel rear camera. Other features include a Micro-HDMI port, USB port, audio output jack, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and even a SIM tray that hints that the tablet may come with 3G or 4G support.