Mirroring your Mobile Device

Mobility is king.  Every prospect will inevitably ask "Do you have a mobile application?"  If your software has a mobile app or even a mobile interface, you'd be doing your product a disservice by showing PowerPoints with screen shots.

PowerPoints are great backups, but that's just it -- they're backups.  Imagine if you mailed in your software demo by showing screen shots?  You really should be working mobile applications into your demonstration.  When I joined NetSuite, I sat in on a number of demos as part of my ramp and mobile was an afterthought and not positioned as a differentiator.  As part of my checkpoints, I demo-ed via WebEx our mobile app directly from my iPhone.  We quickly worked it into our golden demo flow and impressed our panelists.  Technology sells -- Everyone wants to know how you did that.

I will be outlining my preferences for mirroring your mobile screen -- both for iOS and for Android -- on both Macs and PCs.

AirServer for iOS

How it Works
AirServer uses AirPlay technology (the same technology on the AppleTV) to turn your computer (Mac and PC) into an AirPlay receiver.  Download the appropriate version (7 day free trial with e-mail address) for your computer, install it, enter the activation code (in your e-mail), and connect your iOS device and your computer to the same wireless network.  Turn on screen mirroring on your iOS device to your computer.

Pros

• It's fast
  
• Apple's technology: it just works
• Fullscreen mode

Cons

• Some workplaces do not allow this to work
  
• You have to be on the same network

Additional Troubleshooting

• If you're on the same network and you don't see the AirPlay server, the WiFi router may not have multi-cast enabled.  Multi-cast allows AirPlay to work.  Most enterprise workplace WiFi setups do not have this enabled for security purposes.  In certain conference rooms they may even have a specific WiFi just for AirPlay connections.  To get around this, make sure your iOS device has cellular service and setup a WiFi hotspot on your phone.  Connect it to your computer as well and it should work as expected.  Remember, you're now on 4G.

Mobizen for Select Android Devices

How It Works
Install the Mobizen application on your Android device (rule of thumb: Samsung devices will work).  You may be asked to install your device's plugin.  Create a user name and password.  Your Android device should be connected to the internet -- unlike AirPlay, it does not need to be on the same network as your computer.  On your computer browser, go to the Mobizen website and log-in.  Your Android device should vibrate and you can now see what is on the screen.  Click on Full Screen (center console) to focus just on the screen.  I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 2014 so I am good to go:

Pros

• It's free
• It does more than screen mirroring
• Controls your device remotely

Cons

• It is updated frequently and web site won't connect to device unless your device updates the app (painful to download 14MB on 4G at a client site minutes before meeting)
• Picture quality has a lot to be desired depending on bandwidth
• Very limited selection of (or rather specific) devices that allows for internet connection.  While USB connection is supported (like my Droid Ultra), it requires almost an expert to install

There are other applications out there that do similar things -- for instance, Reflector and X-Mirage are AirServer competitors.  I am sure they both work, but I've always used AirServer without fail.  In Yosemite, there is now a feature to mirror your device's screen to your computer via USB, but mobility and being tethered to another device sends a mixed message.

The ChromeCast app also has a feature to mirror your Android screen to a ChromeCast receiver, so you can set up LeapCast on your computer.  That definitely requires a computer expert to navigate, so I am not even going to bother.

So there are options, but these have been the easiest for me.  In a future post, I will be walking through the best white boarding apps so you can have a digital whiteboard to tell your story remotely or in a room without a whiteboard.