In November I encouraged you to check out Dropbox or MobileMe as alternatives to sending files as bulky e-mail attachments. Today I’d like to share another practical use for these tools–if you have a compatible, Internet-connected mobile device, you can access your important files from just about anywhere.
I spent several days over the past couple of weeks traveling throughout the Pacific Northwest. I had flights to keep track of, a rental car agreement, and other travel-related documents to help me get from Point A to Point B. As I was printing them out, as I normally do, I had an idea–why not just keep digital copies handy on my iPhone?
So that’s what I did. To cover my bases I put PDF copies of my itinerary in folders on my Mac that sync with my Dropbox and MobileMe accounts. (I could have also copied files in other formats, like Word or image files–PDF worked best for me.) Then instead of rummaging through my bag for this information, I just pulled out my phone and pulled up the appropriate document. It worked great, and next time I travel I’m not going to mess with printing anything.
To access files on MobileMe from an iPhone, you’ll need a MobileMe account and the free iDisk app for the iPhone or iPod touch. A basic Dropbox account is free, as is the iPhone app. The Dropbox version of this solution adds some other nice touches, like the ability to save files to your phone for viewing while not connected to a network (such as when you’re on the plane). If you don’t have an iPhone or iPod touch, you can use the mobile version of Dropbox to access your files.
From last week: Mobile documents, creating PDFs on a Mac, Google privacy. Oh, and the iPad. | Stratepedia Blog | February 1st, 2010
[...] Tuesday, I shared some tips for using Dropbox or MobileMe to access files from your smart phone. This is very handy when [...]