Windows Remote Desktop mobile app to come to Windows Phone

The new Windows Remote Desktop application for mobile devices, which was launched last week for iOS and Android devices, will soon be available for Windows Phone, reports The Next Web. The report comes in response to a question as to why Microsoft would release the app for the competition but not for its own platform. No release date for the Windows Phone version was mentioned except that Microsoft is "working on" it.

Windows Remote Desktop is currently available for PC, Mac, and Android and iOS devices (including smartphones and tablets.) A "revamped" version of the Mac version was included with the Android and iOS launch. As to why a Windows Phone version was not released, "Remote desktop on phones is a relatively rare usage scenario," a Microsoft representative explained.

The app lets users access a Windows desktop system that is turned on and connected to any network, including the Internet. Users can access programs and files through the app and modify them. Although a desktop OS can be an unwieldy presence on the small screen of a smartphone, the functionality can come in handy when the desktop system holds something a user needs. It's not intended as a replacement for app synchronization, but as an occasional-use tool.

The Remote Desktop mobile app is currently available free of charge through the App Store and Google Play. It was one of a variety of new Windows-related creativity and productivity apps. It was launched on the same day as Windows 8.1, helping to round out an active week of releases for Microsoft.

SOURCE: The Next Web