Tips and Tricks: Syncing Kindle Fire to Your PC

In an effort to expand and save memory space for the Kindle Fire, we've been exploring many different options. First we looked at Portable Wi-Fi Drives, then we got into Amazon's Cloud Drive and Dropbox. WiFi drives aren't that cheap though, and using cloud services to move files onto your Fire can still take up a lot of space. I've been searching and searching for a better way to go about accessing files remotely, and I think I've finally found it.

Here's the best way to save space AND use media files on your Fire: Don't put them on it. How is that possible?  Let me introduce you to Splashtop.

Splashtop is a remote desktop app that allows you to stream media from your PC to any device with the app on it. The cost is negligible (2.99), especially considering how much space, time, and hassle it can save you. Even Einstein would be impressed by that.

Description: You're out and about with your Android device and you suddenly realize that you need to access a file sitting on your home computer. You're stuck, right? Not if you have Splashtop Remote Desktop, an app that brings your entire computer to your phone or tablet.

Note: If you have an Android 3.x tablet, it is recommended that you download Splashtop Remote Desktop HD. This version features enhanced performance and is optimized specifically for Android 3.x/Tegra-based tablets.

I first heard about this app from CNET, which has a great video guide for how to operate this app. It's only a couple of minutes long, but I'll relay the steps you need to take. Of course this necessitates Wi-Fi access as well.

First, install the Splashtop App on your Kindle Fire and the Splashtop Program on your PC/Mac.

Install, open the program, and choose a security code. Enter it into the Fire app as well. If you're close to your PC, like around the house, you can input your IP address to get you connected. If you're out in the world some way far away, use Splashtop's Finder, which will connect your Fire and PC through a Google account.

Now you're directly connected to your PC with your Fire! And you can access anything at all from movies, to pictures, to PDF's, to music. Again, do check out the CNET video for how to use mouse actions with your fingers and such.

In case I haven't made it clear enough, from now on this is going to be my #1 method of getting remote media onto my Fire. I'll close with a user review from M. Sherill that I think sums up how I feel about Splashtop. 

"I have been trying out so many different applications to sync my Kindle Fire to my desktop, and none really did all I wanted them to do, and some are costly once past the trial period. This application is a true GEM!!!!! Very easy to set up on the Kindle and the desktop. I went immediately to my desktop from the Kindle and it was like being on my desktop! There will be no need to sync two or three different programs now to get all I need. I use the Palm Desktop as I love having a calendar and contacts, memos, and tasks all in one place. With Splashtop - my whole computer is there!! Right now, I would give it a 10 if I could! Definitely a must have!!!!!!!"

Hope this helps everybody out. Check back later for some free apps!