iPod touch offline tips please
December 11, 2011 4:08 AM   Subscribe

What is the easiest way to dump and or sync a directory (or two) of documents to my iPod Touch (v4?) 32Gb iOS 5.0.1 for access when offline. I want to use my iPod Touch as my sole computing device when travelling abroad and was hoping there was a way to dump a bunch of data onto it. pdfs, txt files, .docs, pngs, jpgs, travel details, notes, reading material etc. Generally I wont' have Wi-Fi access so I want offline apps / offline storage tips.

There are a few older threads from 2009 but I thought perhaps there are new apps that can do this?

I"ve tried Dropbox but it doesn't cache all the documents on the iPod Touch. (unless you "star" them and even then its not so certain that you will have that particular document).

I"m trying out Evernote but have just about hit that 60Mb monthly limit on day 1. I've also been using Simplenote which is good for text notes but can't handle anything more.

For maps I've been using CityMaps2Go which allows you to buy maps of individual cities and gives offline access.

For language translators I"ve got a few of the Accio offline language translators and quite like those (and they are cheap).

I actually use the iPod a lot - every day. but just not for music. Apple doesn't seem to favour that though.
posted by mary8nne to Technology (13 answers total) 7 users marked this as a favorite
 
Response by poster: Oh and emailing docs to myself is not really an option as the iPod Touch mail app does not cache all your email. It will only cache some fixed amount of recent mail I believe.
posted by mary8nne at 4:10 AM on December 11, 2011


There are a couple dedicated file managers out there for the Ipod touch, I personally use dropbox but a friend of mine really likes ReaddleDocs, which works offline and supports a bunch of different file types.
posted by snowysoul at 4:17 AM on December 11, 2011


There are tons of apps for this. I use GoodReader, which is one of the most comprehensive in terms of function and the most popular. It stores and plays pretty much any kind of file, from media to images to PDFs to music, videos, etc.
posted by zachawry at 4:36 AM on December 11, 2011 [1 favorite]


On the iPad, Dropbox does not download all of the files. Instead it downloads a file only when you click on it, and thus you have to be connected at the time. If it does the same on the Touch, it won't meet the OP's needs.
posted by yclipse at 4:55 AM on December 11, 2011


I've had good results with DocsToGo by Dataviz (used it before I got my iPad and Dropbox). You have to install it on your desktop as well as the Touch, but then you put whatever files/folders you want transferred into the DocsToGo folder, and it transfers them over Wifi when you tell it to sync. Then the docs are on your Touch. So as long as you sync it before you leave you have everything. You may want to check into it.
posted by MultiFaceted at 5:12 AM on December 11, 2011


With Dropbox you can mark documents that you want available offline.
posted by richrad at 6:24 AM on December 11, 2011 [1 favorite]


PlainText will automatically sync a directory of text documents through its particular Dropbox directory, but it's a one-trick pony. I use GoodReader for most everything else. It has a very robust FTP client built in.
posted by Devils Rancher at 6:36 AM on December 11, 2011 [1 favorite]


I use Air Sharing ($9.99, universal ipad/ipod) for this kind of thing. It allows me to drag and drop files using itunes, or via wifi.You can use it as a file system and view documents, email,print, share, or send it for another app for viewing.

I had to travel in October, and it was a true help. I set a couple of pdfs (airline/car rental details) and epub (travel guides) there, and later during the trip was able to read them on iBooks as needed.
posted by Aya at 9:17 AM on December 11, 2011


GoodReader is your answer. It can display many document types, not just PDF, and it explicitly lets you store some documents to view them. There are a bunch of different ways to transfer the documents into GoodReader. One way is in iTunes, to go to Apps / File Sharing and you can copy them just like ordinary files. GoodReader also has a variety of network transfer methods, including a DropBox sync that I think lets you say "keep these on my iPhone always".
posted by Nelson at 10:16 AM on December 11, 2011


On the iPad, Dropbox does not download all of the files. Instead it downloads a file only when you click on it, and thus you have to be connected at the time

No, that's not how it works. Each Item can be permanently cached (until) deletion on the iPod (or iPad , I have both) by simply pressing a star icon next to the desired item while in edit mode. It works each and every time. Dropbox is the easiest way to do what the O.P. is asking. I second Good reader as the second easiest way. Good reader is an excellent alternative.
posted by Poet_Lariat at 11:52 AM on December 11, 2011


I use Bookman, which is free and good. I believe it works with Dropbox (which you should get too).
posted by Sebmojo at 12:30 PM on December 11, 2011


Thirding GoodReader. I've used several such programs and it's the most complete of all the ones I've tried. It has excellent Dropbox and FTP support and also support for Box.net.

Box.net had (may still have?) a promotion going where if you logged in to their service with their iOS client during a limited time they would increase your account space to 50GB for free. If you can still get into that, then you could use GoodReader with it and have that much more space for your documents. By way of contrast, Dropbox offers only 2GB of free space by default. (You can get more by jumping through some hoops, but it's doled out in dribbles of 250 or so MB a shot, and there's really not a huge amount you can get this way.)

GoodReader is $4.99, but for a change I think it's worth the price.
posted by JHarris at 1:26 PM on December 11, 2011


I first used AirSharing for that sort of thing, but last I looked, GoodReader was at least as capable, and much cheaper.
posted by Good Brain at 1:30 PM on December 11, 2011


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