Vectir 3.7.1 is Released Featuring Remote Desktop Mouse Mode

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Vectir 3.7.1 with support for a new remote desktop mouse mode is now available. From Vectir Remote Control client version 3.7.2 there will be two remote desktop modes. The first mode “Touchscreen” will operate exactly as the remote desktop has worked up until now. The new “Mouse” mode lets the user drag the mouse pointer to the desired location and then tap to click. Panning the screen in the mouse mode is achieved by dragging three fingers. Pinch to zoom is common to both mouse modes. In the new mouse mode a custom mouse cursor is rendered locally in the Vectir client app. There are two new remote desktop settings for choosing the mouse cursor size and color. A new setting has also been added for remote desktop long press functionality. The two options are ‘drag item’ and ‘right click’.

The Spotify plugin in Vectir 3.7.1 has also been updated to fix problems with the latest version of Spotify. Album, artist and playlist search and play is now working again along with remote volume, shuffle and repeat commands.

For compatibility with the latest remote desktop mouse mode users should install Vectir client version 3.7.2 or later. This is available now for Android and should be available by the end of the week for Windows Phone. In-app purchases for Vectir full version licenses is also now possible with the latest Vectir Remote control Android app.

Vectir 3.5 is Released

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Vectir 3.5 featuring sub-remotes and new system power options is now available. The sub-remotes feature makes it possible to load remote profiles from within remote profiles. As quite a few users have been waiting for this feature for some time the next blog post will explain this feature in detail.

Before going into more detail about the new features in Vectir 3.5 it should be mentioned that this version has a new dependency on the Microsoft .net Framework version 4.0. This introduces a new minimum operating system requirement of Windows XP SP3. If anyone is running Windows XP SP2 or earlier turn off the Vectir server auto-update feature and keep using Vectir 3.4. The Vectir mobile apps will remain backward compatible with Vectir server 3.4. If you are running Windows XP SP3 or a newer version of Windows and don’t have version 4.0 of the Microsoft .net framework installed, the Vectir installer will start the .net 4.0 web installer for you.

The Windows plugin has been updated in Vectir 3.5 to include new power source, battery charge, and monitor power state data sources. A new system power remote profile has been built around these features and is now included as a default remote. For users upgrading from earlier versions this remote profile can be downloaded from the system power remote profile page and imported into the Vectir PC software. A new full screen mouse remote profile is also included in the latest release.

Another new update in Vectir 3.5 is the addition of a custom file browser open command. In previous versions the file browser in the media player remote profiles would open media files in the default Windows application for the file type. A new folder called ‘File browser custom open command’ has been added to the ‘Menu Commands’ folder of remote menus. If a custom file browser open command is added to this folder, the file browser will offload the file open request to the custom command. The default remote profiles have been updated to add a custom file browser open command where necessary. For example, the VLC remote profile now includes the VLC ‘File Browser Play’ command in this folder. This also solves the problem of multiple VLC instances opening when launching media files associated with VLC.

In addition to the VLC file browser open command mentioned above, the VLC remote profile has also been updated to include a sub-remote button for opening the system remote profile. This gives quick access to arrow keys or the mouse when navigating movie menus in VLC. Updated VLC remote profiles are available on the VLC remote profiles download page.

The remote profile designer has been updated in Vectir 3.5 to give more options for how text is rendered on button controls. A font picker dialog has been added to allow users to choose the button font. Horizontal text alignment and offset properties have been added to give more control over where text is rendered on button controls. Some simple text effect options have also been added. The new system power remote control gives a good example of how these properties are used.

Version 3.5 of the Vectir Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry 10 apps is required for the sub-remotes feature. This version should already be available in the Android and Windows Phone stores. It will be available for BlackBerry 10 as soon as it has passed certification.

Summary of updates in Vectir 3.5:

  • Sub remote support added (load remotes from within remotes)
  • Power source, battery charge, and monitor power state data sources added to Windows plugin
  • New text rendering options added to remote profile button control
  • Custom file browser open commands
  • System power remote profile added
  • Full screen mouse remote profile added
  • VLC remote profiles updated to include System sub remote
  • Profile rendering memory usage reduced
  • New dependency on .net 4.0. Installer will start .net 4.0 install if required.
  • Minor bug fixes

Vectir 2.5.0 is released

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Incendo Technology is pleased to announce the release of Vectir 2.5.0 – the latest version of our PC remote control software.

Vectir 2.5.0 features a new file browser menu type. This feature allows users to browse their computers hard drive directly from their mobile phone and open selected files. A file browser menu may be attached to any remote profile. This allows quick and easy launching of files associated with the profile from an optional customisable base directory.

Another new feature in Vectir 2.5.0 is the inclusion of a mouse touchpad control in the remote profile designer. This control when loaded on a touchscreen mobile phone will allow the user to control their PC’s mouse just like a laptop touch pad.

To take advantage of the new features listed above, users must be running the latest version of the Vectir mobile software (Bluetooth 2.5.0 or WiFi 2.4.0).

Summary of updates in Vectir 2.5.0:

  • File browser menu type added
  • Remote profile menu designer updated
  • Mouse touchpad control added to remote profile designer
  • Winamp unicode track select bug fixed
  • Minor bug fixes

Instructions for updating earlier versions of Vectir to work with file browser and touchpad features:

First of all make sure you have Vectir 2.5 installed. The easiest method is to use the auto-update option (Help > Check for updates).

You will then require profiles compatible with the new features. The file browser and touchpad features are available in the latest system profiles available for download from the remote profiles download page. Import the profiles from File > Import. An alternative (and faster) method is to run the device setup wizard again (Tools > Setup Phone or Hardware Device). Note that your original profiles will not be overwritten and the new profiles will be in a new group and the profile names will have (2) appended to them if profiles with the same name already exist. Once the profiles are imported, you can load the new system profile and start trying out the new features.

Alternatively, if you wish to update existing profiles or create new ones to take advantage of the new features, here are some instructions to help you get started.

Touchpad profile
Edit an existing profile or create a new one. In the Remote Profile Designer, you will notice a new TouchPad control has been added to the toolbox. Add this control to your design, position and size it appropriately then load the profile on your phone and test.

File browser
Edit an existing profile menu or create a new one. On the Menu Designer dialog, set the menu type to File Browser. Optionally set a base directory to load when the profile loads. Click OK when finished then load the profile on your phone and test.

New Features Under Development

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Even though there hasn’t been a major update since early April, Vectir developments are still progressing and some new features will be available soon. Here is a summary of the main updates that will be in the next release…

Media Player Artist and Album Search
New menus will be added for iTunes, WMP and Winamp remote control that let users search for tracks by artist and album. Currently it is only possible to search by track name or playlist name.

View Album Art on Phone
This feature will let users view album art for the playing track on iTunes and WMP remote profiles. This feature will have to wait until a later release for Winamp remote control.

Touchpad Mouse Control Mode
This feature will let users with touch screen mobile phones use their phones screen as a touchpad for controlling the mouse on the PC. It will work very similar to the touchpad on a laptop computer.

Improved Mouse Performance
The mouse controller and Vectir wireless protocol will be updated to give faster and more accurate mouse remote control response.

The current estimate is for the next release to be available in mid June.