Popular remote desktop company Parallels is now releasing a smartphone version of its mobile Access software that is said to improve remote access via phone-sized devices greatly. Some feel the technology is much more suited for a tablet environment where your desktop system can take up more real estate, but Parallels hopes to change all that with the new iPhone and Android handheld optimized apps.

While the Android version will run on tablets as well as smartphones, the entire system is specifically designed to make viewing and interacting with a Windows or Mac PC from a smaller mobile device a better experience. Jack Zubarev, the President of Parallels, said the company has worked very hard to create a "truly simple and effective experience," for smaller mobile devices. Along with many of the same features as the previous iPad release, the company has placed a strong focus on creating a system that would allow individual desktop apps to run properly and in a more suitable fashion for smartphones. "Parallels Access enables people to interact with full-featured Mac and PC apps with touch gestures just like the apps were made for their iPhone, iPad or Android device," said Zubarev in a press release.

The new Access for iPhone and Android also comes along with some other new features as well. Desktop apps that use a microphone will now be able to access the mic on your mobile device and users will be able to change the screen resolution to customize the display for certain situations and devices. Along with Facebook login, iOS users get a new file browser to search remote machines and Android users will be able to drop shortcuts to apps from a remote machine directly on to the home screen of their mobile device.

We are also getting an official price drop on the service as well. Normally $80 a year for a personal subscription, it is now just $20 a year or $30 for two years. Both the iPhone and Android apps are available now as free downloads.