File sharing with PC

[tbarr]

I just purchased my first ipad 2 today. I have read a lot about the cloud storage possibilities however my work computer is firewall protected and won't allow me to get dropbox etc. I use Microsoft Office Excel, Word Powerpoint etc a lot and would like to be able to share these files with my ipad to work while travelling etc. Not sure the best route to go. First do I need to purchase Docs to Go, Quick Office etc. and which one. Secondly if I plugged in the ipad to the computer would I be able to send spreadsheets and presentations to my ipad using the usb and itunes.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Jockscrap]

I am sure you'll get lots of more techy replies than mine, but this is what I do.
Any docs I want on my ipad, I email to myself from my pc. I bought Keynote, Numbers and Pages from the app store so that I can not only read the docs (which you don't need the apps for), but can also edit the docs and store them easily. I can then email them back to myself to get them on to my pc if that's where I need them. I have used the file sharing method, where you save them to iTunes, from where you can retrieve them, but it is more hassle than emailing them and not as immediate.

 

[pavad]

Don't you have access to firewall settings? If you have then try to make exception for your iPad.

 

[giradman]

Hi tbarr - welcome to the forum!

First, there are plenty of threads on Office Apps in the forum and several w/ excellent comparison comments, so some searching might help - as a starter check out this multi-page discussion HERE.

Personally, I am using the iWork Suite by Apple which includes Pages (like Word), Numbers (similar to Excel), and Keynote (like PowerPoint) - these will all import files from their MS equivalents and save in the same format or as PDF files; of course, none have the power of desktop apps - each is $10 at the Apple App store; the others you mentioned have also been highly recommended by others in different threads.

Concerning transferring your files between your office computer & the iPad, a number of options likely would work, e.g. files can be e-mailed or if your iPad can obtain a Wi-Fi connection w/i your office network, then yet another choice. A VPN connection might be another consideration. Good luck!

 

[Tim SPRACKLEN]

One of our members carried out a survey of Office apps for his company; you can see his conclusions in this thread...

http://www.ipadforums.net/new-member-introductions-site-assistance/22431-hi-all.html

Another comparison was undertaken here....

http://www.ipadforums.net/iwork-forum/36629-office-app-comparison.html


The Apple iWorks Office suite for the iPad has a set of useful Help pages that show their capabilities here...

Pages is Word compatible and can read .doc and .docx files and save in .doc and .pdf

Keynote is PowerPoint compatible and can read .ppt and .pptx files and save in .ppt and .pdf

Numbers is Excel compatible and can read .xls and .xlsx files and save in .xls and .pdf

Apple - Support - iOS Apps - Welcome


Tim

 

[ipadbraincell]

I just bought a Seagate GoFlex 3TB NAS from Maplins for £179.00

Gives you remote access and no ongoing charges unlike 'cloud' options.