Wednesday, August 14, 2013

File management on iOS

One of the challenges getting started with an iPad is that you have years (decades) of files saved on your computer that aren't on your iPad. Not to mention the filesystem (or lack thereof) on iOS can be a challenge for those of us used to saving all of our documents in folders as opposed to iOS's app silos. 

The best way to bridge this gap: using a cloud-based storage service for your files. In my training sessions last week I talked about Dropbox, because that's what I use. But much of what makes Dropbox useful would apply to any number of online services, including Microsoft SkyDrive or Google Drive. In a nutshell, you would install one of these apps on any computers you use, save your work-related files in that app's folder, and then the accompanying iPad app will let you access all those files on your iPad. The helpful "Open In..." command in iOS lets you open, for example, a PowerPoint or Word document in Keynote or Pages.

Jason Beyer found this helpful overview of the different options and their distinguishing characteristics, and these charts from last spring are useful. I know Jason and Kathy are planning on offering training sessions to get more in-depth, but I'd recommend just trying one of these out first and seeing what problems you run into. They are all pretty easy to get up and running, but I'm happy to help if you have any questions. 

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