Get This App: Rowmote Pro

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All right, not everybody needs to control their computer from their iOS device—but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun. Evan Schoenberg’s Rowmote Pro is one of many apps that lets you turn your iPhone or iPad into a virtual trackpad for your Mac, but it’s the one that I’ve been turning to for years.

What I love about Rowmote Pro is that it provides a number of different options for interacting with your Mac. The built-in remote mode, which echoes the layout of Apple’s own IR remote control, is great for controlling media center software. I use it to manage Plex, the software I use for watching streaming content and videos on the Mac mini connected to my HDTV.

But a remote control doesn’t really help you when you realize you need to install the latest software updates on said Mac mini. That’s where Rowmote Pro’s built-in trackpad mode comes in handy—it’s certainly better than trying to scrounge up a mouse, futz with Bluetooth settings, or make sure my wireless keyboard has charged batteries.

I appreciate that Rowmote Pro allows you to use multitouch gestures like two-finger scrolling and pinching to zoom, but I really love that the app lets you choose to display a trackpad button—unlike other remote apps I’d tried, this makes it feasible to actually drag and drop files.

Rowmote Pro’s got plenty of other features, including full keyboard support (with an onscreen buffer so you can actually see what you’re typing), a quick launch list of applications on your Mac, the ability to put your Mac to sleep, and even a small version of your Mac’s Dock to let you quickly switch between apps. Oh, and did I mention that it’s universal? Because that keyboard is even handier when it’s on an iPad.

If you’re happy with just the basic media remote feature, you can always plop down $1 for the standard Rowmote, but for those multitouch trackpad and keyboard features, $5 is hardly too much to pay for the Pro version of Rowmote.

Developer: Regular Rate and Rhythm
Platforms: iOS
Price: $1, standard; $5, pro