There are a couple of ways to remotely view and control your Android from a desktop, but none of them are particularly easy to use. Some require root access, some require subscriptions, and some aren't really worth using due to low framerates and overall quality. The mind behind Rom Manager, Voice Plus, AllCast, and other popular Android apps has been working on a better way to remote control multiple Android phones and tablets for a while now, and like almost everything Android the work was discovered late last night and leaked before it was finished.
The app is called Vysor, and while it's not quite finished yet we've been using it for a little while now and can't wait to see the finished product.
Unlike your average Android remote app, Vysor is a Chrome app first. You launch in Chrome, turn on USB debugging on your phone or tablet, and connect to the computer. Once ADB connects to your machine, Vysor is installed and your mobile screen shows up on your desktop. Your mouse and keyboard can now control your Android, complete with keyboard shortcuts for back, home, and multitask. In our testing it works great on Mac and Windows, and aside from the occasional need to play with USB connection mode (thanks, Installer Mode nonsense) Vysor works as soon as you plug the cable in after the initial setup.
Everything about Vysor is beta right now, so expect things to not always work as advertised while it's finished.
Framerate isn't the best, you won't be playing fast-paced games or anything, but for most day to day tasks it's smooth enough to be enjoyable. You'll also find the screen on your Android stays on for the transfer to your computer to work, so if you're doing something that drains the battery faster than the connection to your PC can charge it you'll have a problem before too long. Dropping the brightness helps a lot, but your usage is going to vary from device to device.
As cool as a nice, free remote control service is, Vysor Share is where the real fun is. Your remote session can be shared to someone else with Vysor installed on their Chrome instance, and that user has the same ability to view and control the existing Vysor session. In his scrambling to properly announce this service after the leak, Koush explains this feature came from his long desire to remotely deploy and observe code on hardware that wasn't sitting right at his desk. It's a cool way to do exactly that, though the lag you experience in Vysor increases in obvious ways with everything streamed over the Internet.
Everything about Vysor is beta right now, so expect things to not always work as advertised while it's finished and prepared for an actual launch. In the mean time, if you've been looking for a new way to remotely view and control Android phones and tablets you should absolutely give this a shot.
