iTap vs. Air Mouse : A WOiP Head 2 Head

Using the iPhone and iPod Touch as a wireless remote is something many have thought of and there are plenty of options in the App Store to do just that.

Two applications, however, stand out in terms of price and quality: iTap and Air Mouse. They both do what they say, and do it well. And each have key points that make them worth a serious look at.  

Air Mouse

Air Mouse is competitvely priced and offers some great features. The biggest feature, well the one they are most proud of, is the fact that the user can wave their remote in the air like a magic wand and control the movements of the pointer on the computer screen. Sounds great! After a bit of research I have found, however, that the mouse is quite difficult to control and takes a bit of skill and practice to get used to. That feature aside, the app still has a lot to offer. The layout is a simple portrait oriented mouse pad and keyboard combo. You heard right, this application supports text input via remote– a handy feature if you plan on using it for more than just starting and stopping movies!

The app boasts a common mouse setup with left and right buttons as well as an area in the center for a type of "scroll wheel" that many mice come equiped with today. A low learning curve, if you don’t count the "magic wand" feature, means that almost any user would feel comfortable using this app and pick up on it quickly.

iTap

iTap’s interface is a bit different. Still easy to pick up on, the folks behind iTap boast their application can utilize the multitouch controls many Macs come equiped with today. Two finger scrolling, up, down, left, and right all come standard on this app; something that will give many mac users the warm fuzzies (I know it did me 😛 ). In the settings portion of this application under, where else, the settings app, there are a tremendous number of ways to customize the speed, sensitivity, and comfortability of this app.

The most recent update now allows the track pad to display the familiar one-button from older Macs, or show the new multitouch trackpad found on the newer macs. The best thing about iTap is that it adjusts input controls (left and right click) according to which trackpad you choose! Oh, and of course, this applcation supports text input as well as some extra goodies such as a directional pad, multimedia buttons, and volume control right from the keyboard. But, as the lord giveth, he taketh away, because in order to access the keyboard and functional controls, the user must leave the trackpad for a dedicated input screen.

Decisions Decisions…

Well, you might have been able to make a decision based on these short rundowns which app is for you, but at this point I’d have to say the winner is….

Both of them.

Now, before you think to yourself "this is bull****" and run through the rest of your feed reader, hear me out.

Both are extremely polished apps. Both do what they say, and do it well. Both are competitively priced. But it has become clear to me that one of these apps is better for the Mac user, and one is better for the PC.

Air Mouse does not support multitouch, (currently) a very PC-like quality. The multiple button and scroll wheel have me reminicing of my PC days of late. While Air Mouse’s functional keyboard onscreen is something that may make Mac users want to take a second look, I strongly feel they will be more comfortable with the layout and familiarity of multitouch control that iTap offers.

My sense pitting them against one another is that ITap has been built from the ground up with the Mac user in mind, and Air Mouse, well, is a great application and addition for any PC user. Me… I use a Mac… and iTap.

If anyone has had any experience with either of these apps please let us know what you thought in the comments!
 

You can get Air Mouse HERE in the App Store for $5.99.

You can get iTap HERE in the App Store for $3.99.