Parallels Access lands on Android, lets you pin Windows/Mac apps on home screen

After launching on the iPad nearly a year ago, Parallels is today launching Parallels Access on Android tablets and smartphones running version 4.0 or newer. Parallels Access is a remote desktop client that allows you to access your Mac or PC via the touchscreen of your Android device. The software is also launching today on the iPhone and bringing new enhancements to the iPad.

In our review of the iPad version last year, we noted how blown away we were with the speed and performance of Parallels Access. The software makes accessing and using a computer via the iPad’s touchscreen a breeze, and it provides a huge convenience factor for those times when you need to access something on your home computer but do not have the machine with you.

The application is far and above other remote desktop client applications because of its integration with Android, iOS, OS X, Windows, its speed, and its overall reliability. Parallels Access utilizes gestures, Android’s native keyboard with editing, “SmartMagnification” and “SmartTap” to make the computer feel responsive and alive on your Android device. The application allows you to use your Mac swiftly and connects over the internet…

Earlier this month in San Francisco, Parallels executives previewed the new Android application for me. The application quickly loaded up a selection of different computers connected to the demo Parallels Access account. The computer that we chose in the demo was based in Russia, yet it loaded up quickly over an LTE Personal Hotspot connection. Moving between applications was fluid and manipulating the connected PC’s content worked quickly.

Another impressive feature in Parallels Access, which was previously available on the iPad variant, is an OS X-Launchpad like menu for selecting applications.

This app launching interface is custom designed by Parallels for the Access app and it is native, not simply a remote representation of Launchpad. In fact, as you can see in the image above, it even works on the Android version. The effect of this interface is essentially another app launcher on your Android device, but one which accesses and launches apps from your computers. This is very cool, and you have to actually use it to fully grasp the true power of the software.

Navigating between multiple applications on the Android version is also intuitive with a gesture swipe interface and customer touch controls (as seen above). The gesture controls and quick navigation between open apps previously existed on the iPad version.

Another important feature is wake-on-LAN mode. This feature will allow you to access a computer that is in sleep mode as the application can now use the computer’s internet connection to wake up the machine. Other new features in the 2.0 update include the ability to login to your Parallels account via your Facebook username and password and enhanced resolution support for the new platforms.

While Parallels Access on Android does not get the file browser feature now found in the iOS version, it does gain an exclusive pin-to-home-screen feature. This allows you to actually place app icons for computer apps on your Android device’s home screen and launch them without having to open the Parallels Access mobile app. You can see a screenshot of that above. The effect is quite neat.

As we detailed in our review of the iPad version last year, the setup process is simple. You need to download the Parallels Access agent on your computer, create a Parallels Access account, and login with the same information on both the computer app and the iOS or Android app. This process does not change with the new versions. Before downloading the Agent app for your computer, you need to signup for Parallels Access on the Parallels website and choose a subscription plan.

A one year subscription costs $19.99 and a two year plan costs $34.99. Parallels, however, is offering a two-year subscription for $29.99 until June 30th. Based on my experience with Parallels Access, the price is definitely worth it. Parallels is also offering optimized plans for business accounts. The application itself on both Android and iOS is free, and runs on iOS 7+ and Android 4.0+ devices. The standard one and two year subscriptions allow connections to up to 5 computers, but all 5 machines need to be registered on the same account. The Agent works on OS X 10.8+ Macs and Windows 8+ PCs, but a build for the in-beta OS X Yosemite is not available for those wondering.

Parallels Access further unlocks the capabilities of Android devices by allowing them to serve as points of access to your Mac and Windows computers, and the intuitive and native functionality makes usage a breeze. I highly recommend trying out the software.