ReaddleDocs, Readdle‘s file manager and document viewer for the iPad, has relaunched today as Documents, a free update for existing customers that introduces a refreshed interface and some new features.
In terms of functionalities, Documents basically shares the same capabilities of ReaddleDocs. The app can open the same file types, it can organize items in folders, sort them, and display them in icon view or list view. Unlike the OS X Finder, sub-folders in List view aren’t opened in the same column, but they’ll require you to open a different view that will display a Back button with the name of first level. As with ReaddleDocs, buttons to create a new folder, sort by name/date/size, and change views are displayed in a bar at the top that you can reveal by swiping down. A shortcut to create a new text file has been placed in a sidebar that you can reveal by hitting the Edit button.
To understand what Documents does, you can read our original review of ReaddleDocs 3 for the iPad. There are a series of web services supported by the app (including Dropbox) that you can access in the Network tab on the left. In the sidebar, the app also offers access to iCloud storage (which doesn’t come with List view), a built-in browser (to download webpages or part of them just like ReaddleDocs 3), and “Recents”. This last section provides quick access to the last five opened documents: as you re-open one, it will go to the top of the list again. (more…)
LogMeIn, the powerful remote desktop sharing tool that offers a variety of other services for professionals and businesses, released a series of updates in the past week to enhance support for file management in Ignition, the iOS app we’ve reviewed here on MacStories, and bring full OS X Lion support to LogMeIn Free, Pro and Ignition desktop users. With a blog post this morning, the company has announced a compatibility update that resolves the issues when trying to connect to a machine running Lion, rumored to be publicly released next week. I have tested the update (which can be installed by opening LogMeIn’s preferences, then About->Check for Updates) on my two Macs running OS X Lion GM and I successfully managed to log in (both via screen sharing and file manager) from my iPad, iPhone, and the web. (more…)
Zen Viewer is a beautiful file manager for iPad with a unique interface design we reviewed a few weeks ago. The app impressed us with its original approach to file management on the tablet: Zen Viewer makes great use of the iPad’s large screen by providing a split view that allows you to easily browse files, and preview media like songs in the upper panel. From our review:
The first thing to understand about Zen Viewer is the column interface with “Library” on the left and “Files” in the other panel. Files is where all your imported documents will end up in, and you can choose to organize them at a later time in the Library. Files is your “everything bucket”, whilst the Library is meant for organization purposes and management. You can move, copy and paste files by just hitting the gear icon in the Files toolbar and selecting the items you want to move or copy in a different location (like a folder in the Library).
The app went under two updates in the past weeks, and whilst the second one is aimed at fixing bugs discovered in the previous releases, the first update introduced the possibility to stream audio and video files through AirPlay to an Apple TV or compatible AirPlay speakers; Zen Viewer can now also receive files from other apps (like iFiles or GoodReader) thanks to the addition of the “Open In” menu. Similarly, Zen Viewer can send files to other apps installed on your iPad.
You can find Zen Viewer at $2.99 in the App Store. If you’re looking for an innovative and great-looking iPad file manager, Zen Viewer is one of the new apps of 2011 to try out.
Of all the features Apple is expected to implement in iOS 5, one has gained particular interest from iPhone and iPad users recently: better file management options for documents and files created inside applications, and a way to get these files out of an iOS device quickly. Many have speculated iOS 5 will get some sort of direct integration with the Finder, with Lion’s AirDrop feature leading to think that, eventually, iOS will be able to easily communicate with a Mac nearby. But for now, we’re “stuck” with a variety of apps from the App Store that aim at providing what Apple left out — a way to group documents together, manage them, share them, edit them.
In the past months, we reviewed several of these apps with most of them being iPad apps meant for a larger screen and easier file viewing. iFiles is my app of choice with lots of features and deep cloud integration (something that’s vital for my daily workflow), but I was also impressed by the quality of Berokyo and Cloud Connect Pro, two apps to manage files in a visual grid and access documents stored on external Macs, AirPort Disks and servers, respectively. iFiles, for many reasons I outlined in my review, still wins the file management space for iOS with a universal app for iPhone and iPad, built-in WebDAV server and Rackspace / Dropbox integration.
Today we take a look at Zen Viewer HD, the new kid on the block of file managers and viewers. The app is on sale right now in the iOS App Store for $0.99, and it’s quickly climbing the charts of Productivity and Top Paid apps. What differentiates Zen Viewer from its competitors is the unique design that brings a Finder-like column view to the iPad (the app doesn’t have an iPhone version) and a bottom tabbed toolbar to access a series of functionalities with a couple of taps. Zen Viewer is a powerful application that can preview almost any kind of file, from PDFs and images to .mp3, .rtf, .xls, iWork and HTML files. (more…)
