Gmail as storage

[Crosbie]

I've been trying to set up my gf's iPad suitably to enable her to work with documents as simply as possible - which includes storing them in a sensibly accessible way and making them available to all apps on iPad, including printing ones.

It seems as if an email account is the only thing that serves this purpose. (In fact, it's almost as if that's what's supposed to happen. I even wonder whether some such functionality is up Apple's sleeve somehow.)

So, my thought is to open a new gmail account, called something like mygfsdocs@gmail.com, to which she can upload any docs she wants to work with, and then re-access them in whatever app she chooses, including printing apps.

Can anyone see any reason why this won't work?

Anyone got a better solution for this, let's face it, basic functionality?

 

[M87]

Why not use dropbox? I believe the ipad app supports opening files in other apps.

 

[Crosbie]

Why not use dropbox? I believe the ipad app supports opening files in other apps.

Because you can't always export files to Dropbox? Every app I've seen allows emailing of files, and gmail is about as universal as you can get.

I'll check out the drop box app... Free?

 

[chrisiw]

Google

I have used Google Docs right from the start, and found it very good, I have never had any problems or security issues with it, and it is the way forward I believe, its so nice to have all your stuff on any computer that you go on just by signing into your account.
Chris

 

[Crosbie]

I have used Google Docs right from the start, and found it very good, I have never had any problems or security issues with it, and it is the way forward I believe, its so nice to have all your stuff on any computer that you go on just by signing into your account.
Chris

Is this well integrated with the iPad? How does it play with Pages and printing apps?

 

[chrisiw]

Is this well integrated with the iPad? How does it play with Pages and printing apps?

I have not got my iPad yet, so only used it on my MacBook, but understand it works very well

 

[Crosbie]

I have not got my iPad yet, so only used it on my MacBook, but understand it works very well

Okay, thanks for your thoughts Chrisiw.

Any other opinions? Anyone using this method? What are other pad users working with?

 

[DoFoT9]

Okay, thanks for your thoughts Chrisiw.

Any other opinions? Anyone using this method? What are other pad users working with?

unfortunately, googledocs currently is not supported to work on the iPad. you simply cannot access ANY part of googledocs from the iPad/iPhone from what i know, there is no app either.

i can vouch for googledocs itself though - i regularly use it and thoroughly enjoy it!

 

[Crosbie]

unfortunately, googledocs currently is not supported to work on the iPad. you simply cannot access ANY part of googledocs from the iPad/iPhone from what i know, there is no app either.

i can vouch for googledocs itself though - i regularly use it and thoroughly enjoy it!

Right. Well that sounds like that's not going to work terribly well for my purposes.

So back to the question: gmail as a repository for assorted files that'll be available to all apps on iPad?

 

[DoFoT9]

Right. Well that sounds like that's not going to work terribly well for my purposes.

So back to the question: gmail as a repository for assorted files that'll be available to all apps on iPad?

unfortuntaely i have no idea as of yet. my iPad is arriving tomorrow. i plan on integrating DropBox + GoodReader (or whatever its called) + word doc program in the hope that it will work.

 

[Crosbie]

unfortuntaely i have no idea as of yet. my iPad is arriving tomorrow. i plan on integrating DropBox + GoodReader (or whatever its called) + word doc program in the hope that it will work.

Goodreader is pretty cool for keeping docs ready to preview and open up with other programs - in fact, it's becoming the defacto 'Finder' for iPad. (Again, why isn't there a native one?)

The crucial problem is that it can't be written to (directly) by, eg, Pages. I don't think Pages will export to Dropbox either. (It won't even export to iDisk, I believe.)

 

[DoFoT9]

Goodreader is pretty cool for keeping docs ready to preview and open up with other programs - in fact, it's becoming the defacto 'Finder' for iPad. (Again, why isn't there a native one?)

The crucial problem is that it can't be written to (directly) by, eg, Pages. I don't think Pages will export to Dropbox either. (It won't even export to iDisk, I believe.)

yea its a bit annoying, but nothing we can do about it. if apple has chosen to do it this way then i am sure that there would be some nice justification for it (e.g. you might end up with different documents etc and will waste time syncing them).

im sure there is a way to do it somehow though

 

[Crosbie]

yea its a bit annoying, but nothing we can do about it. if apple has chosen to do it this way then i am sure that there would be some nice justification for it (e.g. you might end up with different documents etc and will waste time syncing them).

im sure there is a way to do it somehow though

I'm waiting to hear it... Ideally in about 6 hours' time.

Perhaps there will be a MobileMe/iDisk solution to which you can upload files via email. Perhaps Apple have an update for Pages in the tubes.

At present it means I can't propose a convincingly straightforward way for the gf to do her little bits of work on the train... and isn't 'convincingly straightforward' supposed to be the cornerstone of Apple products?

 

[chrisiw]

I have got an iPod Touch, and I can view my Google Docs on it, their is an App for that, never tried to edit on it though or make a new Doc

 

[chrisiw]

Have a look at this Guys, I think this will do it!!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/documents-to-go-office-suite/id317117961?mt=8

 

[Crosbie]

Have a look at this Guys, I think this will do it!!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/documents-to-go-office-suite/id317117961?mt=8

That is a pretty nifty looking app in terms of functionality - though note the gripes in the comments about getting the premium version instead.

However, it doesn't edit .pages files - which is the osx format most of the gf's files are in!

And it's another app-exclusive solution...

 

[DoFoT9]

I'm waiting to hear it... Ideally in about 6 hours' time.

Perhaps there will be a MobileMe/iDisk solution to which you can upload files via email. Perhaps Apple have an update for Pages in the tubes.

At present it means I can't propose a convincingly straightforward way for the gf to do her little bits of work on the train... and isn't 'convincingly straightforward' supposed to be the cornerstone of Apple products?

true! i hope they announce something along those lines would be wonderful timing!

at the moment im not aware of a method, sorry

 

[ZBoater]

I use Documents to Go and it is AWESOME. It integrates with GoogleDocs, DropBox AND MobileMe. It also supports Box.net and something called SugarSync (never heard of it).

Apple is behind the curve providing good integration with MobileMe..

 

[chrisiw]

I use Documents to Go and it is AWESOME. It integrates with GoogleDocs, DropBox AND MobileMe. It also supports Box.net and something called SugarSync (never heard of it).

Apple is behind the curve providing good integration with MobileMe..

Great news!! Thanks for the info

 

[DoFoT9]

I use Documents to Go and it is AWESOME. It integrates with GoogleDocs, DropBox AND MobileMe. It also supports Box.net and something called SugarSync (never heard of it).

Apple is behind the curve providing good integration with MobileMe..

nice one. can it edit the documents?

 

[fedcastellon]

Documents to Go is the best of all

 

[DoFoT9]

Wirelessly posted (nokia e63: Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; U; CPU OS 3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/531.21.10 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.4 Mobile/7B367 Safari/531.21.10)

Documents to Go is the best of all

Worth the investment?

 

[Bossone]

I've been trying to set up my gf's iPad suitably to enable her to work with documents as simply as possible - which includes storing them in a sensibly accessible way and making them available to all apps on iPad, including printing ones.

It seems as if an email account is the only thing that serves this purpose. (In fact, it's almost as if that's what's supposed to happen. I even wonder whether some such functionality is up Apple's sleeve somehow.)

So, my thought is to open a new gmail account, called something like mygfsdocs@gmail.com, to which she can upload any docs she wants to work with, and then re-access them in whatever app she chooses, including printing apps.

Can anyone see any reason why this won't work?



Anyone got a better solution for this, let's face it, basic functionality?

When I want something on there fast, I do the same thing and it works well.

 

[metropolitim]

Documents to Go, no Pages to Go

nice one. can it edit the documents?

Yes, you can. There are a ton of great readers for the iPad, but this is the only one that can edit, and even create, Google docs, Word .docx, etc.

It also has exactly the integration with Google Docs AND iDisk that you wish Apple had with Pages. It's sad to have no real round-tripping between desktop, mobile and iDisk. It's one thing to have limited features in an app - you expect that for $10. But stripping out formatting, comments, etc. makes it unusable unless your entire creative process is staying on the iPad.

So, OP, your best bet is going to be spend the $10 for Pages AND the $25 for Documents To Go. More than you may have been planning, but in its own way, pretty short money for such a big set of solutions.

 

[DoFoT9]

Yes, you can. There are a ton of great readers for the iPad, but this is the only one that can edit, and even create, Google docs, Word .docx, etc.

It also has exactly the integration with Google Docs AND iDisk that you wish Apple had with Pages. It's sad to have no real round-tripping between desktop, mobile and iDisk. It's one thing to have limited features in an app - you expect that for $10. But stripping out formatting, comments, etc. makes it unusable unless your entire creative process is staying on the iPad.

i read the awsome reviews that it has! and i think you just convinced me to buy it i cant see anything else that can edit my DropBox/gmail/AFP/FTP connections that i all use from my normal computer. if this works then it will be awsome