Access Home or Office PC While Away

[Sharon Hill]

Sure, you probably have a PDA - a blackberry or Treo, perhaps - that lets you see your e-mail when you're traveling. But what if you need documents, or anything else saved on the hard drive of your home computer ? There are at least three applications that allow you to access everything stored on your PC, for $10-$20 a month (or less if you pay annually up front. ) The best known, and perhaps the one with the most features, is GotoMyPC.com . You can sign up for a free 30-day trial but you'll have to keep good track. You must give them your credit card for automatic monthly charge on the 31st day.

GoToMeeting is a product of Citrix Online, owners of GoToMeeting and GoToWebinars products. Included with any level GoToMyPC application is access to live customer service 24/7. Basic features include Unlimited Remote Access to 1 or more PCs , End-to-End 128-Bit AES Encryption, User Authentication,
One-Time Passwords, Inactivity Timeout , Keyboard Locking and Screen Blanking, Cut, Copy and Paste,
File Transfer , Guest Invite, Individual Usage Reports, Remote Printing and PocketView™ Wireless Access

You might also check out LogMeIn, offering the same trail (well, it says 30 days or 120 minutes, whichever comes first) but costs considerably less - $12.95 a month. The least costly at $10 a month is AccessRemotePC .