Apple News, Analysis and Podcasts

 One of the advantages of having an iPhone or iPad is to stay connected while away from the computer. Out of the box, the iPhone comes with email, calendar, and a web browser to help. There are many more ways to make the iPhone or iPad more valuable. Here are some essential iOS applications that can be used to stay in touch while out and about. All of these have both an iPhone version and an iPad version.

Dropbox
Staying connected means having your files wherever you go. Apple does not provide a solution yet, but Dropbox does. It will sync seamlessly in the background to all of your computers. When you are away from a computer, the app allows access to all the files in the Dropbox folder on any device. A good example of a use for this is to bring along a hiking map in Dropbox, instead of toting the whole hiking book along on the trip. Dropbox does come with disadvantages, since it is not a full featured file browser like Finder. Many of the standard Finder tools like "rename", and "file move" have not been added. Even with these issues, Dropbox is still the only solution giving you access to your files on the computer anytime, anywhere. Dropbox is free with a 2GB storage limit.

Goodreader
For those times when you want to store files on the iPhone or iPad; Goodreader by Goodiware is a must. Goodreader allows you to transfer wirelessly by creating a network drive. When the network drive is connected, you can use the iOS device like any other drive or folder. Unlike Dropbox, Goodreader allows you to rename and move files around like Finder on the Mac. You can also access your files in the Dropbox account inside the app. It does not have any syncing features similar to Dropbox. With it's built-in browser, Goodreader can download files and webpages to the iPad or iPhone. This gets past a shortcoming of the iOS safari app, which does not have any downloading features. Recently, the developers have also added many PDF reading and annotation features, making it a nice reading app. Goodreader is not universal, so it has separate iPhone and iPad app. Both versions are $.99, which is cheap for the features that are included.

1Password
Remembering all those internet passwords is near impossible these days. That is where 1Password by Agile Web Solutions comes in. With one long master password, 1Password stores all of your other passwords in a AES 256-bit encrypted file so you don't have to remember them. This application also has a random password generator so setting up new passwords is a breeze. 1Password is available for the Mac, Windows, iPhone, and iPad. 1Password allows you to sync your passwords between all of your computers and devices by storing their files in a Dropbox account. These files are seamlessly synced in the background, keeping all devices up to date without manual syncing. With 1password, you never have to remember all your internet passwords again.  1Password Pro may be an expensive app at $14.99, but it is universal and well worth the price.

Nebulous
Nebulous by Nuclear Elements is a text editor for the iPhone and iPad. There are lots of text editors out there, but Nebulous has two big advantages over the rest. Unlike Simplenote, Nebulous syncs with your Dropbox account, which lets any desktop text editor access those same files. Nebulous is used to edit or create files in Dropbox wherever you are. The days of writing inspirational ideas on a napkin are over. The second advantage over other Dropbox text editors is the addition of a macro toolbar. This toolbar blends in with your current keyboard and adds customizable keys for macros or frequently used items like "TAB", "Left arrow", or ",". Nebulous is a universal app that costs $1.99, which is cheaper than most of the text editors in the App Store. There is a free version to try out and it is supported by ads. This application turns your iPhone or iPad into a full featured text editor.

Instapaper
Links are the new monetary system for the internet. Finding a way to keep track of all those links from device to device can be difficult, but not with Instapaper. By using a javascript based link, sending links to your Instapaper account is a snap. Once in Instapaper, you can view those links on any device or computer. The web site is clean and easy to read on any web browser, compared with other linking sites like readitlater or delicious. The Instapaper app for the iPad and iPhone have another added feature. It downloads linked web pages for off-line viewing. No need to pay for an internet connection on the next airplane trip to read the latest articles. Keeping all the incoming links in one place is essential and can now be done seamlessly with Instapaper.  Instapaper charges $4.99 for the universal app.

Reeder
Staying up to date with the latest news is essential in today's world. RSS feeds keep you up to date with the least amount of time and the best RSS reader for the iOS is Reeder. Using Google's Reader on the desktop and Reeder on a iOS device is a killer combination. Reeder syncs with Google's RSS Reader service to show only the content that has not been read. Reeder also provides an easy way to send links to twitter, email, and Instapaper among others. A more in-depth review of Reeder can be found here. Reeder is used to find new content and Instapaper is used to read it when you get time.  Reeder is $2.99 for the iPhone version and $4.99 for the iPad version.

These applications add an impressive list of new functionality to the already well connected iOS device. These applications bring desktop files to the iOS device. They provide a way to jot down ideas while away from the desktop. They help you stay current with the latest on the internet. Add a comment if you have an essential app used on an iOS device.

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