I have previously written a review or two for LogMeIn Ignition, discussing some weaknesses of the software, but also talking about the issues there are reporting issues and requesting features from the company.

The recent version of Ignition has added fantastic new features, and fixed some of the defects I’ve talked about in the past. Blogging and tweeting about the issues I’ve found has also gotten me a much better response from the company than I ever received by going through their help desk or forums. It’s good to find that there are people who care about their products at the company.

The new video and audio features are a wonder. The quality isn’t quite as good as Splashtop, but Ignition is a much nicer remote control solution to use. Audio and video quality are high on a WiFi network, but only marginally useful over 3G. Also, I really wish there was an audio-only feature for use on cellular networks where the video was stopped or muted so the audio could use all the bandwidth.

I’m also very happy that the constant failures that occurred during WiFi <-> 3G network changes, which locked the application and required you to force-quit it, have been resolved. Good work guys!

I’m still seeing another couple of bugs that haven’t been resolved in quite some time. The application still blames your phone for connection losses that happen due to normal iOS memory management and multitasking. The errors still constantly ask you to turn off application features (resolution, HD video) even though there is nothing wrong.

You also will likely see some errors that blame the date/time settings on your phone for a bug that occurs on network connections. I’ve reported this one to their help desk a number of times, but they are apparently ‘working on it’. In case anyone is listening, here’s the debug log for the problem, and a screenshot of the error.

The other new feature that has come with the new version is a changed pricing model. Ignition is now completely free. All of the best-in-class remote control functionality I’ve raved about in the past is now completely free. The newer functionality is available for a per-computer subscription cost. You now get a lot more functionality for the same price or less than it came at before. The full Ignition app costs more now (although I’m a happy camper because I bought it at the old price), but you also get the video features without having to pay the subscription costs. If you don’t need all of the features the subscriptions offer, Ignition is still a value at $99.99.

I know there will be lots and lots of complaining about the cost here, but we’re talking about a fantastic product, not a flash-in-the-pan single-feature hit app. You don’t mind paying for a high-quality Apple product that Just Works. This product Works. And we should pay developers for that, or at least respect their right to ask us to pay for their best work. Especially when so much of the good stuff is free.