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Two-Way Tools: iPhone to Desktop to iPhone

Two-Way Tools: iPhone to Desktop to iPhone

The following tools push information and data in both directions—back and forth between your desktop and iOS device.

Files

Downloading and creating files on your iPhone used to mean they were stuck there; when it was first released, the only good way to get a file from your desktop to your iPhone was to email it to yourself. Fortunately, a couple of iOS apps elegantly solve the problem of file transfer, helping you move various files you need between your iPhone and your desktop.

Dropbox

We love file-syncing utility Dropbox on the desktop, but it’s also a great tool for moving files between your iPhone and your desktop computer. Currently you can only create folders and directly upload pictures or videos from the Dropbox iPhone app, but many third-party apps integrate with Dropbox to allow you to do a bit more. For example, previously mentioned Plain Text will let you create text files in iOS that sync to Dropbox, and Scanner Pro will scan documents and upload the results to Dropbox. There are tons of Dropbox-compatible apps for iPhone, many of which are listed in the Dropbox App Directory. [Free, iTunes App Store]

Air Sharing

While Dropbox helps you add files to your Dropbox, you don’t necessarily want to put everything in there. Plus, the Dropbox app still isn’t much of a file manager—it can’t read every kind of file (like ZIP archives, for example). Air Sharing solves both problems by reading many file formats and letting you copy files to and from your iPhone, wirelessly, by turning your iPhone into a WebDAV disk. Air Sharing is $3 and definitely worth it (here are some quick setup instructions for Windows users), but if you’d prefer a free alternative and don’t mind copying files over USB (with an iPhone sync cable), USB Disk is a good alternative. [$3, iTunes App Store]

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