app for downloading PDFs for offline viewing that doesn't require computer?

[shoelessone]

hi all, I've searched quite a bit for the answer to this question but have not found an answer or solution.

I'm backpacking around Asia and have been wanting to read a few PDFs, but 99% of the time have no wifi or other connection. I have air shareing etc but don't have a computer to connect to to dled PDFs with. I have insta paper but it stupidly doesn't seem to work with PDFs.

Is there an app hat allows you to enter a URL for a PDF then downloads it for offline viewing? Mail app sorts works for this but not long term.

Thanks!

 

[alansmallen]

If you have the PDF on your computer, you can use airshare. Really easy to use and cheap for the amount of stuff it does. Might still be free.

 

[ZiggyPastorius]

hi all, I've searched quite a bit for the answer to this question but have not found an answer or solution.

I'm backpacking around Asia and have been wanting to read a few PDFs, but 99% of the time have no wifi or other connection. I have air shareing etc but don't have a computer to connect to to dled PDFs with. I have insta paper but it stupidly doesn't seem to work with PDFs.

Is there an app hat allows you to enter a URL for a PDF then downloads it for offline viewing? Mail app sorts works for this but not long term.

Thanks!

If you have the PDF on your computer, you can use airshare. Really easy to use and cheap for the amount of stuff it does. Might still be free.

Referring to the OP's title and the bolded parts, that really didn't answer the question, at all.

Anyways, I think the only way to download files other than photo files and such at the moment is through jailbreaking and having downloader, or whatever that plug-in thing is called.

 

[alansmallen]

WOAH. Totally missed that. Apologies.

 

[jalpert]

It would be nice if you can do it in safari. Much like how you can save images, it would be nice if you could save docs to a docs app.

 

[kidlazer]

It would be nice if you can do it in safari. Much like how you can save images, it would be nice if you could save docs to a docs app.

OH GOD!! I cannot wait until we can do that. But as of now, i'll be patient!

 

[odelay]

You can do this with the iStorage app. Enter the URL of a file and view or download it to the iPhone to view offline. Also can access your MobileMe iDisk with it. Although I have tried it and it seems quite unstable at the moment.

I'd love to have the iDisk access functionality in one of the better apps like Files or Air Sharing.

 

[PeteB]

Using AireShare to put PDFs on the iPod while in range of a computer would be the best bet. While on the iPod, the PDF files will be permanant until you delete them.

However, the big problem is the usability of the PDF reader. If you're going to be reading fairly large PDF files there's a couple of potential issues:-

1) The internal reader can't handle large or complex PDF files (it'll just run out of memory and crash the device)

2) If you're reading large PDF files (that won't crash), it's impossible to navigate the PDF other than somewhat tedious scrolling - hyperlinked ToC doesn't work, and you can't jump to specfic pages. You can't even scroll the document as a whole, you just have to flick pages manually.

 

[SnowLeopard2008]

You can try Instapaper Free. Not sure if it can download pdf files... maybe load pdfs in safari and then save it? but other than that, air sharing is pretty neat.

 

[MikeatOSX2008]

iStorage

I'm a fan of iStorage:

I bought (downloaded) 12 file-managers, up/downloaders, files-viewers to find the "swiss knife" (AirSharing, Caravan, DataCase, DropCopy, FileMagnet, Files, FileSync, Folders, FTPOnTheGo, iStorage, PicVault, MobileFinder). iStorage is an app which comes nearest to this wish.

In my first attempt I downloaded an Apple update (.dmg) and a wmv video file to my iPhone and successfuly sent theses files to my Mac via FTP and vice versa on the Mac I fetched them from my iPhone with WebDAV (all via WLAN). Great!
I sent files to my homepage server far away and downloaded files from there to my iPhone (last via slowest telephone line, not WLAN).
Pictures can be copied to and from iPhone's own pic folder to the iStorage documents folder and then be viewed, edited or sent to wherever you want. And pics can be viewed better than with other file managers (except PicVault).
Yes and it can view pdf Files and more.

Text files can be edited like with Caravan and MobileFinder.
Don't really know which features I didn't use yet.
Sorry to say, that there is no start / folder-hiding password like within Files, Folders and PicVault.
And: iStorage‘s own web browser can handle bookmarks, but often cannot open several web-sites. Hope that will be better in the next version, when more people buy that great app.