Searchlight – Review

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Date Released: 2008-11-08

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Price: 0.00

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Yet another application in the increasingly crowded genre of apps that allow you to access your computer remotely, Searchlight allows remote access to Macintosh computers either from other computers or directly from an iPhone.

The iPhone application for Searchlight is free. It does, however, require the Searchlight server to be running on your home/work computer. That, is anything but free. A limited home version  that allows two devices  (think one laptop and one iPhone) to access your home computer runs $49. An unlimited version is a whopping $399. That makes  this the most expensive application of its kind with regard to an iPhone accessing files on a home computer.

Having demoed the application, however, I must say that it is a very good case of "you get what you pay for".

Setup could not have been easier. Once the server was running on my iMac I fired up the application on my iPhone, logged in to my computer using the same information that I use when logging in directly on the desktop, and I was set. That’s it. Nothing fancy or complicated — I just input my username and password and I was good to go.

The user interface on Searchlight is perhaps the nicest and easiest to use that I have tried. The simple search window offers three variables that allow you to refine your search significantly. First, there is the search window into which you put your search criteria. This can include a single word or a long phrase. The second brings up a scrollbar from which you can choose the type of file for which you are looking. You can search contacts, documents, events, HTML files, images, movies, music, PDS, presentations, and more. Or,  you can simply ask the application to search everything for the word or words that you put into the search criteria. Finally, the third search variable asks where you want to search. In this case, I had the choice of either searching everywhere on my computer or in my particular home folder.

Not only is the interface the nicest that I have seen but the search was as quick and as complete as anything I’ve experienced thus far. It worked perfectly on my iPhone and it worked just as well on my iPod touch. If the ability to access every file on your computer matter where in the world you might be is important this application is a worthy contender. Yes, it is expensive, but it works phenomenally well.

Quick Take

Value:  If you need a superior application for quickly searching and accessing your files this is worthwhile. If your needs are not as serious you may do better with one of the many free or low priced options that are currently available.
Would I Buy Again:  I haven’t actually taken the plunge and purchased the application but I’m seriously considering doing so.
Learning Curve:  Zero. That’s part of the beauty of this application.
Who Is It For:  Anyone who needs serious access to their home computer.
What I Like:  Setup was easier than any other application of used and it worked more smoothly and quickly than just about anything I can remember trying so far.
What I Don’t:  At $49 the application isn’t cheap. Then again, it isn’t intended merely for access from your iPhone to your computer but from one computer to another, as well.

Final Statement:  If you don’t find the $49 price prohibitive this is a great application.