Ondrej Holzman Application Alfred has been a very powerful productivity tool on the Mac for many years, replacing the system Spotlight for many users. Now, somewhat surprisingly, the developers have also come up with a mobile Alfred, which serves as a remote control for the desktop version.
Alfred Remote doesn't bring any new features, it's really just an extended hand, thanks to which you can launch applications, perform various system commands or control music without having to reach for the keyboard or mouse.
This is the purpose of Alfred Remote - to make it easier to work on a computer where you have already used desktop Alfred using the touch screen of an iPhone or iPad, but although it may seem like an interesting idea, the actual use of a remote control for Alfred may not make sense for many users .
When you pair the desktop and mobile Alfred together, you get several screens on your iPhone or iPad with action buttons divided into sections according to what you control with them: system commands, applications, settings, folders and files, bookmarks, iTunes. At the same time, you can customize each screen remotely through Alfred on Mac and add your own buttons and elements to it.
You can sleep, lock, restart, or shut down your computer remotely from the system command menu. That is, everything that was already possible to do in Alfred on Mac, but now remotely from the comfort of your phone. In this way, you can launch any applications, open folders and specific files, or open a favorite bookmark in the browser with a single tap.
However, when testing the Alfred Remote, I couldn't quite figure out its charms. Controlling my computer with my iPhone sounds good when I can activate the Alfred search bar on my iPhone, but then I have to go to the keyboard to type something into it. In the next versions, perhaps a keyboard should also appear on iOS, without which it doesn't make much sense now.
I can remotely open a folder, I can open a favorite page on the web, or launch an app, but once I make that move, I have to move from the iPhone to the computer. So why not start Alfred directly on the Mac with a simple keyboard shortcut, which is faster in the end?
In the end, I found the already mentioned system commands to be the most interesting, such as putting the computer to sleep, locking it, or turning it off. Not having to get up to your computer can be really handy at times, but then again, Alfred Remote only works on shared Wi-Fi, so the idea of being able to remotely lock your computer when you're not at home falls flat.
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However, this does not mean that Alfred Remote is useless. A lot depends on what kind of lineup you work in. If you are used to actively using your iPad while working on your computer, or if you are wondering how you could use it more effectively with your Mac, mobile Alfred can really prove to be a handy helper.
Keeping your iPad next to your computer and just tapping on apps and perhaps bookmarking the web can make the whole process faster. However, Alfred Remote can bring real acceleration, especially for more advanced scripts and so-called workflows, where the strength of the application lies. For example, instead of complex shortcuts that you would otherwise have to press on the keyboard to start the given action, you add the entire workflow as a single button to the mobile version, and then call it up with a single click.
If you often insert the same texts, you no longer have to assign a special shortcut to each of them, after which the desired text is inserted, but again you just create buttons for each excerpt, and then you just click and insert complete texts remotely. Some may find it convenient to use the Remote as a remote control for iTunes, through which you can directly rate the songs.
At five euros, however, Alfred Remote is definitely not an application that everyone who uses this alternative to Spotlight on a Mac should buy. It greatly depends on how you use Alfredo's capabilities and how you combine the use of Macs and iOS devices. Launching applications remotely can be fun for a few minutes, but if there is no other purpose than effect, Alfred Remote is useless.
On the attached video, however, you can see how, for example, the mobile Afred can work in practice, and perhaps it will mean even greater work efficiency for you.
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many, or a free VNC app :-)
I have a mac mini connected to a plasma as a media center, with audio optics to an amplifier. With regard to video, the plasma on is logically okay, but I would like it for audio, for example when playing Spotify. I wouldn't have to turn on the TV. I solved it for a while with Teamviewer, but it didn't always work 100%. Now I solve it with a long usb cable from a macbook. It's a shame that the app can't be tested for a short while.