Dropbox

One thing people find annoying about the iPad is the necessity to sync the device to transfer files onto it, because it doesn't have a USB port. Syncing with multiple computers is also a pain, so the tendency is to pick one computer with which to sync (work or home). So how do you transfer files onto or off the device if you are not at the computer with which you normally sync?

The simple workaround is to email the file to yourself, then open the email on the iPad or computer you wish to transfer the file to. This becomes difficult if the file you are trying to transfer is large. You could open a Mobile Me account, but you will have to pay a subscription fee. You could configure a server running WebDAV but that sounds like far too much work! Or you can open a Dropbox account.

A Dropbox account is storage space in the cloud and files stored in Dropbox are accessible anywhere via the web. You download a small program onto your desktop machine, and it configures your dropbox account as a virtual drive. Any files stored in that virtual drive are accessible anywhere. What's more there are iPad/iPhone apps for Dropbox too, so you can access the contents of your Dropbox account directly on the iPad. Dropbox is free for a 2GB allowance, and subscription thereafter. A really useful feature is that you can configure Dropbox folders as public so anyone can see the contents. So say you wanted to share files with your students on their desk/lap tops or iPads/phones. All that is necessary is to configure a public folder and from there they can download files directly onto their own device. This really does extend the utility of the iPad and I strongly recommend using Dropbox (or any of the methods listed). And no, I have no relationship with dropbox other than as a user!