Goodreader Vs. pages recommendation

[Greygoose_ipad]

I'm attempting to purchase a program that will allow me to have a file structure thats similiar to my windows experience. I want to have the ability to create folders on the IPAD and put documents into those folders for off line viewing. I'm finding that each of these programs offered seem to do some of what i'm after, but would like some recommendations from anyone who has already purchased these products.

Heres what i found so far:
- dropbox would work ok, but you cant mark a folder as a favorite (for offline viewing). you have to mark file by file as favorites to see your content offline. I already have a skydrive cloud account for cloud management for online document storage. I dont mind so much being online to get to my documents, but i dont want to have to read them from a server each time i want to view them. So this option really doesn't do it.

- pages seems to be very focused on document creation (which i'm not quite so interested in. my focus in on storing email attachments or other documents into the native file system). it doesn't appear to have that option. it allows you to email the document, but not store it locally on the device. its also ten bucks, but i'd happily pay it if it would do what i want.

- goodreeder -This application looks like it will do the trick for me, but i cant be sure. i want to verify that i can: 1. save email attachments into a folder that i create. 2. i would like to be able to connect to my skydrive hotmail account and download many of the documents i have stored in the hotmail cloud directly onto the device for offline viewing. i want to download them into folder that i create on the native file system. hard to beat for 99 cents if it will do what i want.

Can anyone make some recommendations before i go about purchasing.

thanx

Greygoose

 

[Somerled]

Pages is the Mac equiv to Excel. It is a spreadsheet program. While it is good, it is not Excel. It is not to be compared to GoodReader. They are completely different. GoodReader is not an editor, it is a viewer. Some things can be annotated (PDFs) but you cant just go in and fully edit documents.

I would recommend you check out Documents to Go Premium. It will allow the creation and editing of Office documents and connects directly to DropBox. I use it all the time. In fact, I have been using Docs2Go since I had a Palm Pilot. They were the first on the mobile platform to open and edit Office documents. It is $15 and you get all the office tools (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) as well as reader ability for many many other formats including PDF and the popular image formats. A note on the Dropbox storage with Docs2Go - It syncs up when it connects online. You have copies on the iPad you can work with when you are not connected, and then changes are synced up when you do connect. I have my Dropbox supporting 4 different machines. all my documents are synced up and current. This is a much better buy - to get the iWork suite (includes Pages) you will spend $30.

 

[Gabriel1]

Pages is the Mac equiv to Excel. It is a spreadsheet program. While it is good, it is not Excel. It is not to be compared to GoodReader. They are completely different. GoodReader is not an editor, it is a viewer. Some things can be annotated (PDFs) but you cant just go in and fully edit documents.

I would recommend you check out Documents to Go Premium. It will allow the creation and editing of Office documents and connects directly to DropBox. I use it all the time. In fact, I have been using Docs2Go since I had a Palm Pilot. They were the first on the mobile platform to open and edit Office documents. It is $15 and you get all the office tools (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) as well as reader ability for many many other formats including PDF and the popular image formats. A note on the Dropbox storage with Docs2Go - It syncs up when it connects online. You have copies on the iPad you can work with when you are not connected, and then changes are synced up when you do connect. I have my Dropbox supporting 4 different machines. all my documents are synced up and current. This is a much better buy - to get the iWork suite (includes Pages) you will spend $30.

I think you will find that Pages is the Apple equivalent to Word, Numbers is the Apple equivalent to Excel.

The Archangel

 

[Somerled]

I think you will find that Pages is the Apple equivalent to Word, Numbers is the Apple equivalent to Excel.

The Archangel

Hehe - yep... I dont use the iWorks on any device and was going by a non-existent memory. Still, though, everything else applies, just replace Pages with Numbers, or Excel with Word...

 

[Greygoose_ipad]

Pages is the Mac equiv to Excel. It is a spreadsheet program. While it is good, it is not Excel. It is not to be compared to GoodReader. They are completely different. GoodReader is not an editor, it is a viewer. Some things can be annotated (PDFs) but you cant just go in and fully edit documents.

I would recommend you check out Documents to Go Premium. It will allow the creation and editing of Office documents and connects directly to DropBox. I use it all the time. In fact, I have been using Docs2Go since I had a Palm Pilot. They were the first on the mobile platform to open and edit Office documents. It is $15 and you get all the office tools (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) as well as reader ability for many many other formats including PDF and the popular image formats. A note on the Dropbox storage with Docs2Go - It syncs up when it connects online. You have copies on the iPad you can work with when you are not connected, and then changes are synced up when you do connect. I have my Dropbox supporting 4 different machines. all my documents are synced up and current. This is a much better buy - to get the iWork suite (includes Pages) you will spend $30.

great information and thanx for the quick response. but that opens up a can of worms;

can i save documents in the documents to go application and set up an embedded folder structures within it to keep my documents organized. are the documents that you've saved in documents to go available to you when your offline? (then they simply sync with dropbox when your online)? If so, that would probably work well. I'm currently using skydrive from hotmail for my online storage of docs. i equate drop box to skydrive. either service requires you to connect and upload documents (which are not available offline). dropbox is siimply a storage location in the cloud (just like skydrive).

So let me clarify what i'm hearing. With documents to go i can have a folder structure that is similiar to my windows experience, i can store imported documents and attachments from email into this folder structure, and have access to these folders when the device is offline. is that correct?

Is goodreader basically the same thing with the same functionality (but without the ability to edit documents)? all the demo's i've seen show that it can do just about everything your talking about including a link to dropbox. Does good reader only view pdf's requiring me to download a converter and convert everything that isnt pdf into pdf's. the reason i ask is becuase skydrive will open all my office type documents and let me edit them (draw back is i have to be online to do so....but i'm willing to put up with that for now). what i really need is a viewer that gives me instant access to the documents on the file system without having to go to a cloud (dropbox or skydrive) to see them.

also note, i'm trying to stay away from using itunes all together and simply doing this through wi-fi.

thanx again for the information and quick response. this is just the type of dialoge i was looking for. This forum rocks!!

GreyGoose

 

[s2mikey]

Its worth looking at QuickOfficePro HD as well. They have something "sort of" like what you want to do. Ive had the app for about a month now and really like it but you'll have to see if it will work. Just another option for you.

 

[Somerled]

If you set up Dropbox on your PC, you set up the folder structure you want.

Then, install Docs2Go and connect it to your Dropbox account and it recreates the folder structure for you on the iPad within Docs2Go. Docs2Go will operate more like SkyDrive than GoodReader will. With the added benefit that you do not have to be online so long as you have synced at least once with Dropbox.

I have GoodReader as well, and it is my first recommendation to anyone who has an iPad. But it is not a full blown editor. I would get it as well.

 

[Greygoose_ipad]

If you set up Dropbox on your PC, you set up the folder structure you want.

Then, install Docs2Go and connect it to your Dropbox account and it recreates the folder structure for you on the iPad within Docs2Go. Docs2Go will operate more like SkyDrive than GoodReader will. With the added benefit that you do not have to be online so long as you have synced at least once with Dropbox.

I have GoodReader as well, and it is my first recommendation to anyone who has an iPad. But it is not a full blown editor. I would get it as well.

Can you explain what the purpose of goodreader is for you if you have docs2go? sounds to me like docs2go does everything goodreader does (giving you a folder structure on the local OS and viewing capability while adding the capability to edit). I was surprised to hear that you would have both (unless you bought good reader first and decided you needed something for editing). If you would have bought docs2go first, would you have still purchased goodreader (and if so.....why)?.

i originally thought goodreader was .99, then on further review, it looks like they had a price hike to 4.99. for the extra 10 bucks, if it does everything goodreader does, its probably worth it. for .99c i was planning on giving goodreader a try and waiting to see if i needed something more. not the case with a 4.99 app.

thanx

Greygoose

 

[Somerled]

I like the PDF functions in GoodReader better than Docs2Go. I have a lot of manuals on my iPad for various equipment I use at work and GoodReader works well.

 

[Greygoose_ipad]

I'm going to make the leap of faith here and consider a direct sync with docs2go a "no go" with my skydrive account and figure that dropbox is my only option with this app. is that correct?

is there a way to tailor the dropbox / docs2go combination. for instance, i may have 15 folders created in dropbox, but i only want 5 of those folders to sync with my docs2go. can that be configured?

thanx again

Greygoose

 

[Somerled]

Skydrive does not appear to be supported by Docs2Go, more likely due to Microsoft not releasing any SDK for it. Dropbox is not your only option; Google Docs, Box.net, Dropbox, iDisk, Public iDisk, SugarSync are all supported in Docs2Go.

Whatever is in your Dropbox folder gets synced. If you dont want 5 folders out of 15 synced, take them out of the Dropbox folder.

 

[Greygoose_ipad]

one last question. if i drop 50 photos into a "photo" folder within dropbox , if i've synced before adding the photo folder, will the sync automatically take place and the files be available to me offline (or do i need to manually do a sync after adding the photos before offline viewing is available). I'm making a leap of faith that photos will be viewable in doc2go, so please correct me if i'm wrong.

thanx

Greygoose

 

[Somerled]

you would need to open Docs2Go to allow the sync.

 

[Greygoose_ipad]

if i remove the folder from dropbox, do the files continue stay on ipad (but just dont synced?) inside of the structure i created in docs2go? or does the structure automatically change since the folders are no longer there?....or is there some configuration i would have to do to stop an auto sync from happening?

thanx

Greygoose

 

[vmalmberg]

I receive emailed meeting agendas from work with embedded PDF and word docs. Can't read them on iPad. Suggestions?