Microsoft rolled out Windows 8.1 to the public today, and along with the desktop OS, the Redmond company also released a companion Remote Desktop app for Android devices. This new Remote Desktop app allows you to connect to a PC and control it with your Android phone or tablet.

The Remote Desktop app for Android uses the same Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) that Microsoft has used to connect its Windows desktop machines with its server products. It’s easy to use — turn on the  Remote Desktop option in the Windows Control Panel, fire up the Android app, enter in the relevant settings like the IP address of the target machine  and connect the two devices. Features of the app include:

• Access to remote resources through your Remote Desktop Gateway
• Rich multi-touch experience with remote desktop protocol (RDP) and RemoteFX supporting Windows gestures
• Secure connection to your data and applications with breakthrough Network Layer Authentication (NLA) technology
• Simple management of all remote connections from the connection center
• High quality video and sound streaming with improved compression and bandwidth usage

The app is designed primarily for business users, allowing them to work remotely by giving them the ability to connect to their Windows PC. Home users may also use the Remote Desktop app to control an in-house media server or connect to their home PC while they are traveling. Not surprisingly, the Remote Control works better on the larger screens than it does on smaller screens.

The Remote Desktop app for AndroidS is available for free in the Google Play Store. It’ll work on any device running Android 2.2 or higher and requires 4.4MB of storage space.