Some feedback on Access

Discussion in 'Accessing your Mac' started by peterinjapan, Aug 29, 2013.

  1. peterinjapan

    peterinjapan Bit poster

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    4
    First of all, congratulations to Parallels for this innovative idea. I have some feedback for the developers which will hopefully be addressed quickly.

    First and most annoying, it's nice that we can use the iPad as a window to a proper Mac or PC, and type using the Bluetooth keyboard. HOWEVER, you somehow managed to not support the arrow keys at all. This means while editing, the very reasonable act of using up, down, left and right cannot be used anywhere, not in apps, not in the Finder. I can use the onscreen keyboard, but the point is to let me work, not frustrate me to tears.

    Similarly, you don't appear to support command-option-control through the Bluetooth keyboard, which means the shortcuts I've set up through Keyboard Maestro don't work, and even something simple like selecting a file in Finder and hitting command+O to open it cannot be used. Leaving this out is just cruel.

    Another serious problem: The on-screen jerking I see in Photoshop CC and Dreamweaver CC is no fun. I can a movie if it will help. Basically, in Dreamweaver (the main app I sometimes need to type in casually) the text insertion point jerks around (to the right then back again) while I type. Also, there's an uber-frustrating "Cut Copy Paste..." bar pretty much all the time wherever the cursor is. How can I get rid of this? It's like the screen is registering finger clicks somehow which makes everything unusuable.

    Hoping to see a stand by Parallels that these problems will be addressed swiftly. Frankly it's hard to consider buying, er, subscribing without being able to the most basic tasks without frustration.
     
  2. lotw

    lotw Product Expert

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    158
    From my testing with Cinebench shows that the FPS drop quite a bit with Parallels Access, even more than they do with Parallels Mobile.

    Some of the problems I ran into was the Screen resolution not resetting back to the correct one after disconnecting from the app. Another problem was it would select screen elements as text selection. Also had the keyboard come up a few times when I didn't need or want it to.

    I agree with the subscripting problem, but for other reasons for me. Price is too high for what it does, VNC and Parallels Mobile beat the performance hit. Plus VNC and Parallels Mobile I can make sure don't go outside my network, direct connection. Another thing they should consider is including in the year membership the newest version of Parallels. So you get Parallels Access and Parallels Desktop.
     
  3. JohnNash

    JohnNash Member

    Messages:
    42
    More Feedback

    First Impressions - Great product, seriously. This is what I envisioned using when you guys rolled out the last Parallels IOS app.

    My Feedback:

    1. Apps run smoothly and using them is really easy on the iPad. I get the impression that it's using a ton of BW on my wireless network, wonder what the experience would be like remote?
    2. If I could make a suggestion, can you tag the app names or something with the name of a VM that is hosting them. An issue I ran across is that if you have multiple VMs with the same app installed, you cannot tell which app is hosted on which VM and end up starting the app off of the wrong VM just because you don't know which is the one you want to use? Make sense? I have multiple VM's with Word installed on them (for example) and would launch the wrong one just about every time I tapped on it.
    3. When typing in an app in Access, the screen needs to be aware of where the cursor is. I had a lot of issues yesterday in Word for Mac where the text I was working on would scroll under the keyboard and I couldn't see what I was typing. To make it worse, when I scrolled down to see the text, it would then "jump" back to a place I couldn't see it again when I started typing.

    Otherwise, seriously nice product.
     
  4. lotw

    lotw Product Expert

    Messages:
    158
    I agree with that VM problem you are having, saw you other posts. I haven't tried that yet, as I don't run my VMs that way, I keep them like a separate machine. Full BT Keyboard support does need to be fixed, they had that problem on the Parallels Mobile app too.

    They also need a phone version. I have actually used their old app more on my phone then on my iPad. Phone is always with me, iPad is usually only when I am home or know I will be somewhere a while.
     
  5. JohnNash

    JohnNash Member

    Messages:
    42

    I actually found a way around the issue with duplicated apps, although it's not really optimal. Simply disable app sharing of the VM with your MAC.

    However if you have an APP here and an APP there.. then you're kinda SOL.
     
  6. JohnNash

    JohnNash Member

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    42
    BTW - for anyone curious about what I'm talking about:

    IMG_0307.PNG
     
  7. lotw

    lotw Product Expert

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    158
    For that Instance it would be nice if it would separate on different pages for each VM with the title of that page at the top. For instance you could have a Windows XP, Windows 7, and Windows 8 VM all called that with the same apps installed on all three and in PA the launcher would say Windows 7 and then show those apps you linked, then another page for the next, etc.
     
  8. WilliamFS

    WilliamFS Bit poster

    Messages:
    1
    I have the same problems with screen resolution not resetting to the original after disconnecting, as well as the keyboard coming up when I didn't want it (particularly when I have an external keyboard attached).

    I also am frustrated with the arrow keys not recognized on my external keyboard.

    When remotely working, performance is very slow.

    It is too expensive for me to use and that is a deal-breaker for me.

    Otherwise, nice app.
     
  9. lotw

    lotw Product Expert

    Messages:
    158
    You should just try using a VNC client and see if that works for you.

    To me its not really expensive, less then $7 a month, but it what you get for that price. You actually receive nothing over and upgraded Parallels Mobile app (which they no longer support). So when you look at it that way, it isn't worth $7 a month to access you computer when their are 1000s of other ways to do it for free.
     
  10. GraemeJ

    GraemeJ Bit poster

    Messages:
    6
    Parallels really need to get on this keyboard problem!!! Arrow keys work well in Slashtop, and all modifier keys work in Screens VNC. Access has some really great things going for it (notably the iPad gesture-mimicking) but the lack of full keyboard support is really hurting the product (especially at the current price point). Come-on Parallels, please fix this - you'll make a lot of us immensely happy :)
     

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