
- Alternative to dropbox ipad software#
- Alternative to dropbox ipad free#
- Alternative to dropbox ipad mac#
From within the app itself, you can directly view most document formats (txt, rtf, docx, pdf, and pages files) as well as graphics images.
Alternative to dropbox ipad mac#
Using the Dropbox apps for the iPhone/iPod touch and iPad, the files that you copied to the Dropbox folder on your Mac are almost immediately accessible on your iOS device.
Dropbox works great at the iOS device end. Compared to most other apps that allow wireless transfers, such as FileMagnet, there is no need to pair a Mac application to an iOS app each time you want to transfer a file to a given device. The trade-off in terms of convenience is more than worth any loss of speed. While wireless transfers may be slower than USB, the speed difference should be trivial for the typically small documents discussed here. There’s no need for a USB cable with Dropbox. This last point is worth restating: You don’t have to separately transfer the same Mac document to both your iPhone and iPad one transfer to Dropbox makes the document available to both of them. At this point, the document is available to every device you own that has Dropbox access (as well as to the devices of other users to whom you give access). Having done so, the document is wirelessly transferred to Dropbox’s server.
Copying a document to the Dropbox folder is as simple as dragging the document’s icon to the Dropbox window in the Finder. There is no separate user interface to master. Once launched, it integrates with the Finder. Dropbox on your Mac is typically set to launch at login.
Dropbox has a seamless interface on the Mac. Because Dropbox is free, it outshines paid alternatives that might otherwise be in the running - such as MobileMe’s iDisk (which requires a $99/year MobileMe membership).
Alternative to dropbox ipad software#
If so, this saves you from having to acquire additional Mac software specific for iOS file sharing. Because Dropbox is a popular and versatile utility, for reasons that extend beyond iOS syncing, you may have already obtained this software for other purposes.
Alternative to dropbox ipad free#
It’s free (and you may already own it). It’s a nearly ideal vehicle for shuttling files between your Mac and your iOS device. Here’s why…ĭropbox is the primary workhouse behind this file sharing combo. You typically still need to connect each shared iOS device to DiskAid on your Mac via USB.ĭropbox and Documents to Go offer a better way. However, DiskAid mainly substitutes its own simpler interface for iTunes. A more convenient alternative, one that bypasses the need to navigate to iTunes’ semi-hidden File Sharing section, is DiskAid ( Get DiskAid 4 for iOS File Sharing). As I have previously explored in painful detail ( File Sharing with an iPad: Ugh), this is a clunky and annoying method - especially when used in combination with Apple’s iWork apps for the iPad. In contrast, Apple’s officially supported method for file sharing requires using iTunes - with your iOS device connected to your Mac via USB.
With my two new best friends, you can wirelessly transfer a file to your iPad, edit the document and send it back to your Mac - all with a nearly transparent minimum of fuss. Most recently, the combination of two apps - Dropbox and Documents to Go (DocsToGo) - have raised the bar for the ease and flexibility of getting this job done. Beyond that, however, the improvements are primarily due to innovations from third party developers. Apple has helped out by extending the iPad’s “Open in…” feature to the iPhone and iPod touch in iOS 4.0.x. The situation has shown signs of improvement over the months since the iPad was first released. Or at least not nearly as simple as it should be. Upon your return, you want to transfer the edited document back to your Mac. You want to transfer it to your iPad (or even your iPhone) where you intend to edit it while on the road.