Via the BBC, of all places, I read yesterday about the free remote desktop utility, LogMeIn. And after giving it a test-drive today, I’m smitten.

Available for both Mac and PC, LogMeIn is a remote control facility for your computers. After registering, you download and install an application on each machine that you want to be able to control. Then, when you suddenly realise you’ve left that important file on your home PC, you can log into the logmein.com site, select the relevant computer name, and take complete remote control of your other machine.

The site works over HTTPS, so even through a corporate firewall I was able to take control of the iMac sitting on my desk at home and blast out some unexpected heavy metal at my wife. It also syncs your clipboard, allowing copy+paste over the remote connection.

The screen updates slowly as you switch between applications—I wouldn’t want to attempt any actual work remotely—but for the kind of things I am likely to want to do (email stuff to myself, retrieve files, or manage downloads) the service is ideal.

They also offer a paid version from $13/month for 1 PC, which adds the ability to sync files, drag and drop files between machines, and share printer connections.