TeamViewer 8 Beta supports newest OS X and Windows releases
German remote-support developer TeamViewer GmbH has publicly released the first beta of TeamViewer 8, its cross-platform, free-for-personal use remote support and control tool.
Version 8, which is currently only available for Windows and Mac, debuts alongside TeamViewer Touch for Windows 8, a dedicated full-screen app for Windows 8 users wishing to connect to other machines, while the new desktop beta comes with support for multi-touch gestures, Mac Retina displays and the ability to record both sound and video during a remote session.
The desktop TeamViewer 8 app supports the latest multi-touch gesture technology on supported displays, while providing non-touch users with access to Windows 8 features such as Charms on the remote machine via the remote control toolbar.
Version 8 adds support for printing locally from remote connections, allowing users to print to the printer on their own desktop via TeamViewer. TeamViewer 8 also adds a new button for Outlook users, making it possible to plan online meetings via the Outlook calendar, which can then be sent as invitations to other users.
When using TeamViewer as an online collaboration or meeting tool, the session can now be recorded for perfect documentation. Version 8’s support for recording sound and video from the remote machine -- either via a meeting or remote-control session – is restricted to commercial license users only.
TeamViewer 8 also debuts a brand new, web-based management console. It comes with integrated Web Connector for accessing remote machines via the user’s web browser and also includes enhanced TeamViewer Manager features, including the ability to log out remotely from your account should you forget to do so while using the desktop software. Another security enhancement is the automatic locking of remote computers should a connection be closed or interrupted, preventing unauthorized access to that machine.
Other major new features include session handover, allowing users to invite colleagues to remote control sessions – you can then give them partial or complete control of the session. Users can now also comment after closing a remote session, which TeamViewer envisages will be useful for billing purposes. This information is then displayed via the TeamViewer Management Console.
Users can now also share selected groups with other TeamViewer contacts, opting for both read-only and full read/write access to this information.
Mac users get two enhancements: support for high-resolution Retina displays, plus the ability to set up a personalised TeamViewer Quick Support for Mac session via the user’s TeamViewer account.
The new beta release comes around two weeks after the last minor update to the Windows build of TeamViewer 7. That release added the automatic install of updates, removal of the username requirement for TeamViewer accounts and a host of other minor fixes and improvements.
TeamViewer 8.0 Beta is available as a free-for-personal-use download for Windows and Mac. Also available free on non-commercial terms is TeamViewer Touch for Windows 8. For Linux users and those unwilling to test new beta software, TeamViewer 7 is also still available, but note that while TeamViewer 8 users can connect to PCs running older versions of TeamViewer, the reverse isn’t true.