Hands On: Air Display (Win a Copy)

HicksNewMedia and THE Tech Scoop Readers, see below for information about how to get your own copy of this great app.

Air Display –

If you’re looking for a way to extend your computer display to your iPad (or iPhone) via your wireless network, Air Display is a great choice.  Downloading and installing the required software on my 32 bit Windows Vista laptop was very easy and in my brief tests the program, AirDisplay.exe, consumed from 8 to 10 MB of memory and used about 15% of CPU.  I’m a bit concerned about the latter number and would want to conduct more tests (diff machines) to see if that is common on different levels of hardware.  The test system is a laptop with 2 GB ram and 1.73 GHz processor (HP Pavillion DV6000) plus an iPad2 and an iPhone 4S.  I didn't notice any slowdown on my machine but still the percentage seemed a bit high.

It's very cool that Air Display works with both Windows and Mac and the remote software is available for both Android and Apple iOS.   They have most of the bases covered.

Value 3.5/5

The main issue I have in terms of overall value is the price.  At $9.99 it seems expensive when many apps cost just $0.99.

However, I'm able to leap over that hurdle since there is definite utility with this application.  I could envision running my fantasy football app on my laptop and viewing it on the iPad monitor.  The fantasy league software only runs on a PC so this secondary portable monitor would work out great.  The responsiveness is good but when viewing video there were points where the playback was a little choppy.  Again, this could have as much to do with the test system as the software itself.  For more productive or business-like use, you could have the iPad monitor show a twitter feed or a chat window or even some kind of dashboard.    And, you can carry it around with you on a lightweight device without cords.

Here are some additional examples they provide:

Some great uses for Air Display:

• General: Fill your Air Display screen with utility windows like Twitter, Facebook, email, or calendar.
• Graphic design: Make Photoshop and Illustrator usable on your laptop by putting your tool palettes on the iOS screen.
• Music: Use your iOS screen as a wireless control surface for Logic or Pro Tools.
• Programming: Use the extra display area for such auxiliary development tools as Console, Terminal, and the Debugger.
• Business: Move all of your iWork and Office palettes and inspector windows onto Air Display, and let your document fill the screen.
• Share: Use your iOS device's video adapter to share your screen on TVs, monitors and projectors in your boardroom or classroom.
• Amaze your friends by playing Flash animations on an iOS device!

Ease of use 5/5

It was very easy to download and install on my test systems.  It was intuitive and I had no issues what so ever.  Big thumbs up on this front.

Likelihood of usage 4/5

I’m very likely to continue to continue to use this app since there are many times when I would like to be able to run a PC program on my iPad.  Since that is not directly possible having the wireless connection and the portability make this a great option.

Graphics and Sound (no rating)

Normally when I’m rating the graphics quality of an application, it’s based on what the app designers put in to the app.  In this case, since this app is replicating my desktop or acting as a secondary monitor, it’s not totally applicable.  I can say that the quality of the display was very good and totally acceptable except for when streaming video.  My wireless router is a D-Link DIR-655 running the latest firmware and both the laptop and the iPad/iPhone were connected via wireless N and were in the same room as the router.  Conditions were optimal for good throughput.

Sound is not applicable in this case.  Although having sound transmission would be a truly awesome feature.

Overall  4.2/5

I like the app but have a little trouble with the cost.  It’s simple and it does what it is supposed to do, which is great.  One thing I really liked about the whole set up was the Avatron desktop software license agreement.  It was short, clear, easy to understand and make it clear they did not want your personal information.  I found this very refreshing in the age of multipage, restrictive and invasive license agreements.  Plus they didn’t try to install Google Chrome or some extra search bar.  I can’t say how many times I’ve tried some software just to have it try, by default, to install extra stuff.  The bottom line is that if you are looking for this type of application, Air Display is a good way to go.

How much and where to get it

The iOS app is $9.99 – find it here.

If you want to win your own copy of this application (I’ll send you a code) – Please follow the Rafflecopter instructions below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway