Macworld Forums: Review: File storage and viewing apps for iPhone - Macworld Forums

Post your comments for Review: File storage and viewing apps for iPhone here

I started off with Mobile Finder which also needs to be on the same wifi network but found it wasn't meeting my needs and I'm now using SugarSync which stores my files online so I can access them anywhere - it's like a potential version of MobileMe.

a key feature for me with FileMagnet is that phone numbers in rtf docs are highlighted and just have to be tapped to call
so i can transfer over my day's worth of jobs with contact numbers - makes my life a lot easier like that
this works with RTF or HTML files with FileMagnet - any idea if the other apps offer the same functionality?
All in all I'm very happy with FileMagnet - only used for RTF docs (TextEdit does for me) PDF - such as the London Tube map and jpg from laptop (I really hope Magnetism studios, as promised, get FileMagnet to pass files to email or ftp - as then us snappers would have a back-up plan for sending pics when our main way is playing up
An update to stop the odd 'Out of Memory' message would also be welcome

I have to give a thumbs up to FileMagnet. All I really am looking for is to be able to view files from my Mac on the go and I think FileMagnet is the best for that. It is super easy to use.
It doesn't seem as good as the native iPhone apps at viewing PDF's however. Takes longer to process them for viewing after opening and scaling. I'm betting this will improve with future updates.

Although I understand that it's a different kind of product, I'm a little surprised that SugarSync isn't at least mentioned, as an alternative approach to dealing with accessing and viewing your Mac files from your iPhone. If only as a sidebar, or final note, or something like that.
It's all well and good to do a "comprehensive" review of products that do approximately the same thing, but what I depend on sites like iPhone Central for is context and the big picture. There's more than one way to skin a cat; what are the advantages and disadvantages of the approach taken by the reviewed applications, vs. a product / service like SugarSync? Since another commenter also finds SugarSync a good solution to this problem, it certainly seems valid to consider it part of that bigger picture...which is unfortunately lacking in the article itself.

I just Files. It seems to have some problem staying connected, but my biggest gripe is its limited magnification. It won't magnify beyond 2 reverse pinches (what are those called?). That is just not enough.

That should have been "I USE Files..." damn my own fingers!! :-)

stretches

I am really surprised Mobile Finder was not reviewed. It'd cheaper than all 3 of these, DOES let you edit text files, and supports all of the attachment file types the iPhone/touch natively can open. Website is active and lots of new features on the pipeline. Mobile Finder gets my vote for best value and future.

"Stretches" thanks. so 2 stretches is not enough and that seems to be all i can get Files to do. Beyond that the image magnifies slightly and then just snaps back.

jg167 said:

"unpinches? Spreads?"

I'd agree with you about Mobile Finder as it is good but I ended up going for SugarSync as well because, once my files are uploaded, I can access them from any computer with internet access. I still use Mobile Finder for important files just in case the internet is down.

I've purchased Files and I'm sorry to say that at this stage, this App is not stable enough. You can hardly transfer more than one file (smaller than 1 Mo) at a time.

Thanks for the helpful review, Dan.
I was looking for an article like this before I bought one of these apps, and the best I could find were reviews on the apps store page. Muddling thru those was a very time-consuming process, and of questionable value since the reader doesn't know if the 'reviewers' are to be trusted. One poster even compared the three apps, but missed important aspects that Dan covered. So thanks again.
FWIW, I went with Files, and am pretty happy with it.
My one peeve: I found the instructions for set-up a tad confusing as they didn't clarify the following point: you can access your iPhone files from a network-connected computer via browser to download files from your iPhone, but you cannot uploading files FROM your computer TO the iPhone using a browser. Instead, you'd be better off using FIles in the following manner: go to 'Finder', choose 'Go', and choose 'Connect to Server', entering the provided server address on your iPhone. This method is the most 'universal' as it allows for both downloading AND uploading files (unlike browsing, where you can only download).
I simplified (edited) the readme.doc by boiling it down to simple 'step-by-step' instructions, and now I don't even need them as it's pretty intuitive, once you understand how it operates.
I'm sure the techno-mumbo-jumbo is helpful if you're a power user of network admin, but I bet the needless complexity just gets in the way of using the software for the 'average' user. The KISS (keep it simple, stupid) principle is ALWAYS a good thing to remember when doing technical writing!