Syncing Files to iPad without cloud apps

[sdrc]

Allrighty folks.... first post so we will see how it goes....

I have searched high and low trying to figure out the best way to sync files to my iPad.... Let's start with NO CLOUD. I don't want to have to be connected to Wifi to look at the docs. I am fine with doing a manual sync when I need to. So please don't reply with Dropbox, SugarSync etc. These are nice apps but they won't work for me.

Ok.... on to what I have tried so far... Found Phone Sync but it does not allow access to the location where Docs to Go or File Browser saves files. Looked at File Browser which I think is very close but it does not sync. Just a drag and drop via iTunes.

So on to a question:

How can I sync files to my iPad so they are stored locally on the iPad in a directory structure for off line viewing?

Open to any suggestions!

 

[OUTL4W]

DiskAid?

 

[sdrc]

So incredibly close! Actually I will buy this one for sure. Thanks for the suggestion!

If this app did syncing from desktop to device it would be perfect!

For now this will do.

Any other ideas out there?

 

[Hasty]

GoodReader (cheap) has a usb utility for windows that allows drag and drop when connected. Fast and efficient for docs and pdfs. It's worth looking at the devs website to see all it will handle. Btw the usb util is free to download but takes some finding on the webpage.....

Personally I like and use the app a lot and best of all it's continually being improved.

 

[NYC Adam]

I would say Goodreader as well. Also have Quickoffice but it is currently not performing up to snuff. I don’t use a cloud either, I simply send myself an email with the doc, spreadsheet, etc attached and open it on the ipad when I do have Wifi access. If you tap the document after installing Goodreader one of the options will be "open in goodreader" which you touch and then it....opens in goodreader and is automatically saved on the iPad for offline viewing...I have done this with PDFs as well and large and small files and it works like a charm.

Hope this helps -

 

[sdrc]

GoodReader is not bad either. Only thing I am missing is that ability to sync the files rather than drag and drop. That is the biggest item for me.

The use case is that I edit a bunch of files on me desktop that I need on a trip. Before I leave I hook up the iPad and run the sync so it just picks up the changed files and sends those over.

Thanks for all the ideas. At least I am closer than I was this morning!

 

[DontUnderstandMyIpad]

You can synchronize files/folders into goodreader over wifi (no Internet required).

You have to set-up goodreader as a network drive, for this to work.

On Windows 7, this can be done as followed:
www.itechtalk.com/thread3673.html
On Mac, instructions can be found here:
www.goodreader.net/gr-man-tr-wifi-mac.html

This will make the goodreader folder show up under Computer as a separate hard drive and you can then simply drag/drop/paste/cut files/folders, as you would with a thumb drive, or if you want to be efficient use programs such as allway sync to synchronize documents automatically.

Here, for example is my current sync setup:

On the laptop runs Allway sync, it syncs between C:\User\Me\Documents\iPad docs\ and Z:\ (Z is Goodreader showing up as a network drive), every minute Allway Sync checks for changes in these folders, and if found any changes copies them over to the other folder. So all I have to do to synchronize files is start wifi-transfer in goodreader and the rest is done automatically.

 

[sdrc]

Sounds like a reasonable config. So do you then use Goodreader to view Word, Excel, PPT, TXT, PDF etc or does Docs 2 Go see those files?

 

[DontUnderstandMyIpad]

You can either open these files in Goodreader directly, or use Goodreaders Open in... feature to open the file in an app of your choice. The Open In... feature is probably better, if you want to further edit the files on your iPad and thus require more advanced apps, such as Pages.

 

[sdrc]

YOU ARE THE (um err man? woman? monkey?) !!!!! This is exactly what I am looking for! iPad file syncing without the cloud!

Thanks for all the advice!!!