It was only yesterday when Google announced an exciting new extension for Chrome: the Chrome Remote Desktop Utility. The name isn’t new for sure as this useful tool had made its presence felt ever since its beta launch, a year ago. Finally, the full version is out in public, free for your welfare. What exactly does this mean for you? Well, imagine controlling computers far away from your physical reach and using them to do useful operations like copying, modifying, downloading data or remotely configuring the system according to your needs. Are you troubleshooting an issue and are unable to get your hands on the system? Well, this utility allows you to remotely access computers on multiple operating systems like Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, or Chrome OS using Google Chrome installed in them. Unlike the in-built Windows Remote Desktop feature, this does not require a ‘Pro’ version to unlock the ability to host sessions. Stephen Konig, Chrome Product Manager, mentions the new features by highlighting “the addition of a real time audio feed (on Windows). This can be handy if you want to listen to that MP3 music collection you have stored on a computer at home. Now you can also copy-and-paste between your local and remote computers.”
To access this tool, what exactly do you need? First and foremost, Google Chrome! Whichever operating system you’re on, may it be Windows 8, Mac OS X, Linux with all its variations or even Chrome OS X, it is the innocently powerful Chrome Browser that connects you to this remote desktop utility. Usually, you’ll have to play with advanced and heavy software like Teamviewer or pay for the Windows Remote Desktop Pro feature, but now all this has been made possible by a free Chrome extension. Simply open the download link on the Chrome Web Store and click the Add to Chrome button at the top right corner of the window. The extension downloads and loads on to your browser, smoothly while detecting the computers you wish to communicate with. The Remote Assistance feature allows you to share your computers with others and vice versa to bring changes for good, while sitting at home.
By using either of the two buttons: Share (to provide access to trusted peers for accessing your system) and Access (for using the system of peers who trust you for useful operations), you can perform remote actions on fellow Chrome users. To top it all, you can now listen to music from other remotely connected computers for your pleasure (in Windows only). So, what are you waiting for? Spread the word and explore a more connected virtual space, for the better!