Ok, so it's not that expensive, but $10 (5.99GBP)? Seems a little pricey for a remote viewer client (though LogMeIn will run you $30, by comparison), especially considering RealVNC's "Personal Edition" desktop software costs 30 bucks. Fear not, because there is a free version of the RealVNC software for Windows, and while it lacks a lot of the nifty features the full Personal Edition has, the Android viewer client doesn't support most of them anyway.

If you want a completely free Android VNC experience, I suggest If you want a completely free Android VNC experience, I suggest TightVNC for PC or Chicken of the VNC for OS X , combined with the equally free android-vnc-viewer (though you'll probably spend a little more time configuring them).

You can find the market page for the RealVNC Viewer for Android here. RealVNC has provided a breakdown of the viewer's features, so I'll leave it to their Market page's blurb to enumerate them:

===Features=== * Interact with your computer as though sitting in front of it.

* Give connections user-friendly names, and see desktop previews.

* Pinch to zoom in to a specific area, or out to see the whole picture.

* Easy navigation, scrolling, dragging, and selection using standard touch, tap, and drag gestures.

* Mouse button mode for precise control over mouse button and scrolling operations.

* Easy text entry using on-screen keyboard with preview.

* Important non-character keyboard keys (function, modifier, and so on) available on a scrolling key bar.

* Automatic performance optimization.

* Support for screen resolutions up to 5120 by 2400 pixels (though the actual resolution is limited only by the memory of your device). Users connecting to VNC Enterprise Edition also enjoy the following significant benefits: * Connections encrypted using up to 256-bit AES technology.

* Authentication credentials protected by 2048-bit RSA public keys.

* System authentication to connect using computer log on credentials.

* Enhanced performance.

* Support for non-US keyboards.

* Transfer text between applications on your computer and device.

This app is probably a must-have if your workplace uses VNC Enterprise - which is quite popular, actually (my old office used it, at least). One caveat, RealVNC's desktop software isn't OS X-friendly (unless you're using VNC Enterprise), so you would have to use an alternative VNC server (eg, OS X's built-in Remote Desktop) for the RealVNC Android viewer to work with your Apple machine. Here's some pretty pictures:

Here are RealVNC's setup instructions:

1. Download VNC Viewer from the Android Market.

2. If the computer you want to control is running Mac OS X 10.4 or later, enable Apple Remote Desktop/Remote Management (see below for more information). If not, install and start a VNC-compatible Server.

3. If you are connecting over the Internet (for example, via 3G), configure firewalls and routers protecting the computer to allow and forward network communications to it. Start with www.realvnc.com/products/android/1.0 for more information. If you are connecting over a Wi-Fi-enabled private network such as a LAN or VPN, you should be able to connect without further configuration.

4. Find out the network address of the computer. If you are connecting over the Internet, this will probably be that of a router. You will also need a port number if the VNC-compatible Server is listening on a port other than the default for VNC, 5900 (note this is not necessary for Apple Remote Desktop/Remote Management).

5. Start VNC Viewer, identify the computer you want to control, and connect!

Finally, here's a fun little video of RealVNC in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvtITtQQJ18