App Review: ReaddleDocs for iPhone

ReaddleDocs Forum Review by msbaylor. (Visit the thread for video and more pics. For more Forum Reviews, see the TiPb iPhone App Store Forum!)

ReaddleDocs is a document viewer that basically covers all the ways of getting the document onto you iPhone – so there is no way that you cannot have your documents on hand.

When you purchase ReaddleDocs, you also receive 512MB of storage space on their server. This allows you to upload any documents to the server via any browser and then sync them with you iPhone via any data connection (EDGE/3G/WIFI).

When you tap on the “Online” tab, you select the server you want to connect to and then you have the ability to sync with the server so that any new documents that you have retrieved via the iPhone will backup to your server and vice versa.

Besides using your Readdle Storage space, you can also connect to your MobileMe iDisk or connect to a WebDAV enabled server.

A second way of getting documents onto your iPhone is by forwarding your attached document in an e-mail to you ReaddleDocs e-mail address (given to you when you create your online account). Then, again, you sync you iPhone with your account.

A third way, is to use the built-in browser and navigate to a document then tap on a button to download the document to your iPhone.

A fourth and final way is to transfer the documents from your computer to your iPhone via WiFi.

When viewing your documents, you can edit them - delete, move, create folders, rename folders, rename documents, mail documents, and add a document to a zip achieve.

All documents that can normally be viewed on the iPhone can be viewed via this application as well.

I really like the icons that it uses to represent the type of file
(red icon for pdf files, blue icon to doc files, etc.)

Interface

Within the app you can view all your documents, view your online documents (through whichever server,) use the browser, view recently opened files and adjust settings for the app.

I think for the most part those screen are self-explanatory.

I also like the document “reader” interface. When viewing files such as *.doc, *.rtf, the viewer is simple – you can scroll through your document like you would in the iPhone document viewer, however, you have and “add” button at the top, which allows you to insert bookmarks for that document. I find this incredibly convenient when reading a large document or e-book. The toolbar at the bottom of the screen allows you to view and edit bookmarks, e-mail the document, scroll through a document quickly using the slider and a full screen button.

If you turn the iPhone to the landscape position, it automatically goes to full-screen and rotates the document accordingly.

When viewing an *.xls document, you have all the same features as above. At the top of the document, you can change between the sheets. You might also notice that when switching between sheets, arrows will appear at the bottom of the screen. These arrows are much like the arrows you would use in the browser.

When viewing images, you can view them much like you would in your photo reel, just tap the arrows to move through the pictures within that folder. You can also mail the documents via this image viewer.

Besides viewing and retrieving documents, you can also view the device photos (which might prove a faster way of delete picture on your iPhone if you have to do it that way.)

Settings

In the setting screen, you have the ability to view or hide the “device photos” folder, setup mail settings – mail from and mail signature; allow WiFi network drive and apply username and password; several different viewing options including “view HTML as book”; you can also enable a passcode lock; and setup the document encoding.

Issues Encountered

There is no way to move the images to your iPhone photo reel or set as wallpaper functions, while the picture is on my iPhone in a sense, I cannot actually do anything with it unless I email it to myself and do it that way. I don’t always have a data connection when I am traveling so it would be nice to move the images over to do what I wish with them.
When viewing the a PowerPoint document, the slides seems to form one large “page” (see screen shot).

Conclusion

In my opinion the Pros out weigh the Cons and the price tag of $9.99 is completely worth it. To have the ability of getting my document on my hand held and having them at my finger tips is worth it. I was on a film set when I was asked to operate a Sony F900 camera. Luckily, I was able to go to a website using the browser interface and download the manual on my iPhone and had the ability to quickly skim through it and figure out how to use the camera.

Pros

  • Multiple ways of retrieving documents onto your iPhone
  • 512MB of server storage
  • nice document viewer
  • document logos make finding documents easier
  • Ability to sync iPhone with server & vice versa
  • Book marking in documents

Cons

  • In doc viewer, tapping bottom of screen makes doc auto scroll, can be annoying at times
  • Can’t handle large documents (over about 8MB)
  • Viewing *.xls (or of the like) documents doesn’t always format correctly
  • Viewing *.ppt (or of the like) format into one long page

TiPb Review Rating

TiPb Forums Review: 4.0 Star App

[ReaddleDocs is available for $9.99 from the iTunes App Store.]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

App Review: ReaddleDocs for iPhone

MobileMe Discontinues .Mac HomePage

Dot Mac Switch to Me.Com Underway?

Before MobileMe there was .Mac, and before there was iWeb, there was .Mac HomePage. Well, good thing the latter has been replaced ’cause Apple is officially declaring them EOL (end of life) come July 7. After that date, whatever is there will remain there forever (or until Apple gets tired of it and yanks them down). So get with converting to iWeb or rolling yourself something custom.

Full text of the mailing after the break…

Dear MobileMe member:

On July 7, 2009, the .Mac HomePage web application will be discontinued. As of this date, you will no longer be able to create new pages or edit existing pages using HomePage. Any pages you’ve already published will remain live at their current web address for as long as you like. If you need to make changes to your existing pages, please do so before July 7.

Instead of HomePage, we recommend the other sharing features of your MobileMe membership. With MobileMe Gallery, you can share photos online directly from iPhoto or the web application at www.me.com. And using iWeb on your Mac, you can create custom websites and blogs and publish them to MobileMe.

We apologize for any inconvenience this change may cause. For more information, please read this FAQ. And thank you for being a MobileMe member.

Sincerely,

The MobileMe Team

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

MobileMe Discontinues .Mac HomePage

Apple discontinues .Mac HomePage

Image representing MobileMe as depicted in Cru...
Image via CrunchBase


On July 7, 2009, the .Mac HomePage web application will be discontinued. As of this date, you will no longer be able to create new pages or edit existing pages using HomePage. Any pages you’ve already published will remain live at their current web address for as long as you like. If you need to make changes to your existing pages, please do so before July 7.

Instead of HomePage, Apple recommends the other sharing features of your MobileMe membership. With MobileMe Gallery, you can share photos online directly from iPhoto or the web application at www.me.com. And using iWeb on your Mac, you can create custom websites and blogs and publish them to MobileMe.

For more details, visit Apple’s .Mac HomePage FAQ and instructions for migrating from HomePage to MobileMe Gallery or iWeb.


Apps for Less: MobileFiles, Zombieville USA, Days of Thunder

This has been a good week so far for cheap apps on the App Store. Here are some of the highlights for the week.

If you are a MobileMe subscriber this first app is definitely one to check out, especially at the low price of FREE. MobileFiles [iTunes Link] is a very nifty app that allows you to access, view, and share files from your iPhone. The file viewing is pretty good, offering support for .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, .tiff, .gif, .svg, .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx, .pdf, .htm, .html, .mht, .txt and .mp3. All files are viewed on the iPhone beautifully and even landscape mode has been included. You can also choose to download these files directly onto your iPhone itself for some easy offline accessibility. Keep in mind this is free only for a limited time so grab it while you can.

This next one happens to be one of my favorite games available for the iPhone, Zombieville USA [iTunes Link]. This one is still on sale for the low price of $.99 but this sale can end at any minute so be sure to get in on this deal. For a quick overview and a brief gameplay video on Zombieville USA, be sure to check out our Quick App from just a few days ago.

Lastly, we have one for all of the NASCAR fans out there. Days of Thunder [iTunes Link] is the first stock car racing game for the iPhone and it’s now on sale for a limited time for only $.99! Use your iPhone’s accelerometer to speed your way through six racing circuits, defeat your competition, and win the championship. This is a game any racing fan will appreciate!

Enjoy!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apps for Less: MobileFiles, Zombieville USA, Days of Thunder

From the Re-Organized Forums: TiPb Forums New Look

If you’re a regular in the forums, you may have noticed the changes that have taken place. We’ve moved things around a bit to make the forums a little more organized. So today’s From the Forums will be a little different.

Since the forums have been re-organized, we’d like to point out a few forum sections that have changed for all of you to take advantage of.

  • iPhone Forum - This is for general chat about the iPhone 2G and 3G, including iPhone news and rumors.
  • iPhone Help - Stuck? Need help? Have a neat trick you’ve found? This is the place to go!
  • iPhone Jailbreak Central - Trying to Jailbreak? Wondering if it’s safe? Considering unlocking? Hack away here. Also discuss Jailbreak Apps here as well!
  • iPhone Apps and Games - A place for discussion for any and all iPhone applications and games, including Web Apps.
  • iPhone Sync: Exchange and MobileMe - Discuss how to get your iPhone synced up to the cloud, whether it’s via Exchange or Mobile Me. You can also discuss how the iPhone interacts with other email systems here.

To get in on some forum action be sure to register, we swear it will only take a few moments of your time.

See you on the forums!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

From the Re-Organized Forums: TiPb Forums New Look