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ControlPad turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a wireless trackpad and keyboard. It can work with Windows, OS X, and Linux. No installation is necessary for OS X and some versions of Linux (like Ubuntu).Since it leverages VNC for remote control, it can be used with other operating systems that support VNC.

Personally, I use ControlPad to manage my old PowerBook that I use as a home theater PC (HTPC). Normally, I don’t have a keyboard or mouse hooked up to it so I often put off doing any sort of maintenance on it. ControlPad makes it easy for me to quickly connect to it and run updates or check on things.

You can find it on iTunes [ControlPad iTunes link].

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Directions

• Configuring Your Windows Computer
• Configuring Your OS X 10.5 and 10.6 Computer
• Configuring Your OS X 10.4 Computer
• Configuring Your Ubuntu Computer

Screenshots

Configuring Your Computer – Windows

1. Download a VNC server. ControlPad recommends TightVNC. You can find it at http://www.tightvnc.com/.
2. Install TightVNC. Choose options as you see fit. If you plan on using VNC for other purposes, you may want to run it as a service.
3. Start the VNC service, if necessary. Start -> All Programs -> TightVNC -> Launch TightVNC Server.
4. The first time you start the server, you will need to configure the password.
5. Add the computer to ControlPad using the IP address of the computer and the password you configured. TightVNC adds a tray icon, if you hover over the tray icon, it will display the IP address or addresses.
6. You will likely need to configure your firewall by adding an exception for the TightVNC server or adding an exception for TCP port 5900.

Configuring Your Computer – OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and 10.6 (Snow Leopard)

1. Navigate to “Sharing” under “System Preferences”. Apple Menu -> System Preferences… -> Sharing
2. Once in “Sharing”, select “Screen Sharing”.
3. Select the button “Computer Settings…”.
4. Check the checkbox that reads “VNC Viewers may control screen with password:” and enter a password. Click “OK” afterwards.
5. Click the checkbox next to “Screen Sharing” on the left. Make sure it is checked On. If it was On before and you changed the VNC setting in step 4, you may want to toggle it on and off just to make sure settings were correctly stored.
6. Make a note of the IP address that is displayed in the sentence that begins with “Other users can access your computer at …”. The “vnc:” and the “/”’s at the beginning and end are not needed.
7. Add the computer to ControlPad using the IP address of the computer and the password you configured in step 4. ControlPad should also automatically discover your computer then next time you run ControlPad. You may choose to add it this way also.

Configuring Your Mac – OS X 10.4 (Tiger)

1. Navigate to “Sharing” under “System Preferences”. Apple Menu -> System Preferences… -> Sharing
2. Once in “Sharing”, check the checkbox next to “Apple Remote Desktop” to enable it.
3. It should automatically bring up settings related to “Apple Remote Desktop”. If not, click the “Access Privileges” button.
4. Check the checkbox that reads “VNC Viewers may control screen with password:” and enter a password. Click “OK” afterwards.
5. Make a note of the IP address that is displayed in the sentence that begins with “Others can manage your computer using the address …”.
6. Add the computer to ControlPad using the IP address of the computer and the password you configured in step 4. ControlPad should also automatically discover your computer then next time you run ControlPad. You may choose to add it this way also.

Configuring Your Computer – Ubuntu

1. Navigate to the “Remote Desktop” configuration panel: System -> Preferences -> Remote Desktop
2. Enable “Allow other users to view your desktop”.
   Enable “Allow other users to control your desktop”.
   Enable “Require the user to enter this password:”
   Enter a password and close the dialog box.
3. Add the computer to ControlPad using the IP address of the computer and the password you configured in step 2. ControlPad should also automatically discover your computer then next time you run ControlPad. You may choose to add it this way also.