While some of the latest in touch-enabled tech, like the Acer Aspire Z3 or the Samsung Ativ-Q, is impressive enough to have us considering postponing that weekend getaway for a new touchscreen laptop, you can still take your vacation and have the touchscreen experience thanks to a $4 iPad app.
With Actions for iPad, you can transform any PC or Mac into a touch-based product. The app isn’t some crazy kit that allows you to slap a touchscreen onto your traditional PC; it’s a way to feel as if you have simplistic touch control on your desktop or notebook by using your iPad as the touchscreen.
Once you load the app onto the tablet, you can link the app with your PC or Mac. After linking, you’re presented with a preset of common OS shortcuts. From this basic shell, you’ll be able to open a webpage, put the PC to sleep, launch programs, open folders, manage content, and perform a variety of other basic tasks.
It doesn’t stop there though; Actions for iPad is fully customizable. It lets you change the color of tiles (for quick and easy organization), remove tiles you don’t need (or add ones you do), and even gives you in-depth access for some programs and tools that require a little more than just a simple “open or close” function. For example, the app showcases a nifty set of Twitter tools. From your iPad, and all without touching the mouse on your desktop or notebook, you’ll be able to create, reply, and even edit Tweets.
The app also allows you to speed up tasks that can otherwise be annoying to do with a mouse. Simple swipes of the fingers and specialized gestures will allow you to copy, paste, cut, and select text. The interface is incredibly simplistic in design and looks easy to use.
If you have an iPad and want to fiddle around with controlling your desktop or laptop, check out Actions for iPad, available from the Apple App Store for $4.
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