Wyse Technology on Thursday unveiled PocketCloud Explore, a new Android application that lets users find, access and edit documents on their remote PCs using their smartphones.
Mobile workers increasingly find themselves using smartphones and tablets in conjunction with their home and work PCs, and they sometimes lose track of where files are stored. PocketCloud Explore creates a de facto cloud that spans a user's mobile devices and PCs, allowing them to locate and move files between them as needed.
While PocketCloud Explore can't run applications remotely, users can upload and download files as often as they wish, which makes it a less expensive alternative to public cloud storage services. The PocketCloud Explore interface also includes a share button for attaching edited documents to e-mails, according to David Nagy, director of product marketing for Wyse's mobile cloud business unit.
"The idea of a true native interface clearly made a lot of sense," Nagy said in an interview. "This allows you to search across all your computers and have a unified view of all your files."
Wyse, which launched its PocketCloud remote desktop application in 2010, is branching out into remote storage and access as part of a broader strategy to offer users a "personal cloud" that includes integrated content management, Nagy said.
In the coming weeks, Wyse will launch a beta of a product that adds public cloud to the mix. In doing so, Wyse will compete more directly with companies like Box.net. However, Wyse plans to leverage public cloud as a feature, as opposed to the main focus of its personal cloud, Nagy said.
"In our personal cloud, there will be a public cloud component for pieces that users feel need to be stored there," Nagy said.
Wyse PocketCloud Explore for Android is priced at $4.99 and is available on the Android Market.
