FileMagnet (mentioned briefly by Dave in his iPhone apps I actually use post yesterday) is a low-cost wireless file transfer tool for iPhone and iPod Touch. It requires you to install a companion desktop application, also called FileMagnet, which acts as the conduit for file transfer.
Usage is simple enough: drag files you wish to copy into the desktop app's window. Then open FileMagnet on the iPhone, and as long as the two machines are on the same WiFi network, they will find each other over Bonjour, and wirelessly connect. Then your files are smoothly and wirelessly transferred over. Transfer will also happen every time you sync the device, if the desktop app happens to be running.
FileMagnet is a handy place for reference materials, such as Word docs, spreadsheets, PDFs and images, that you're likely to need to carry at all times. It handles entire folders full of files, too.
There are a few problems right now, all of which are addressed on the official FileMagnet FAQ, mostly with a promise that they'll be fixed soon:
- FileMagnet cannot display iWork files (yet)
- The desktop app requires Leopard (but a Tiger version is on the way)
- You can't email files, or indeed do anything with them except view them (an email feature is coming)
Like a lot of iPhone and iPod touch apps, it's in its early days. Some features are lacking, or not as perfectly functional as you might like. But the developers are aware of the limitations and working on fixes and new features, and personally I think it's a decent value application with bright prospects for future development. I'll be watching out for updates with interest.
FileMagnet is $4.99, and available through the App Store.
UPDATE: Joshua Keay from Magnetism Studios has been in touch to say that that FileMagnet supports Tiger right now. He added that support for rotation and more file types is on the way in the next build, which will be a free update.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
7-23-2008 @ 8:17AM
What the Frack?! said...
is there a file size limit for the PDFs? I heard around 10MB?
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7-23-2008 @ 9:58AM
rootman28 said...
I have used it to store PDFs as large as 27 MB (repair manual for my motorcycle in case I have a breakdown on the road).
7-23-2008 @ 10:52AM
Aelver said...
From what I've read, and what others have said ... it's not so much a hard limit as it just gets unstable with >10M files. This is the only thing holding me back from buying it.
7-23-2008 @ 8:48AM
Gar said...
I have used it every day since it showed in the app store... set up was as easy as you mentioned. No Landscape view is an issue though - to read PDFs and documents your scrolling back and forth. As well, being able to categorize or sort the items on the iPhone. I'm sure these will be top items for them in the next rev. Resizing images with a tap or squeeze is supported - with this you don't have to upload your desktop images via a Web site like most other options require (no chance work pics fall into the public and no additional charges).
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7-23-2008 @ 8:53AM
riddlu said...
I love this app but there’s one thing that it just must have. Syncing photos from Camera Roll.
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7-23-2008 @ 8:53AM
Goobi said...
I just hope that they allow editing of at least basic txt files. Actually I hope for Apple to release a $9.99 iWork for the iPhone with syncing from the desktop client. That would be super awesome!
All in all though at $5, this app looks to be worth it.
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8-01-2008 @ 3:25AM
Per Sillrén said...
Then you should try Caravan. It does what FileMagnet does but you don't need an app on your desktop. Instead just turn on FTP file sharing in System preferences (or if you run Windows, install e.g. FileZilla). You can create and edit text files both on your iPhone and on your FTP enabled computer - directly from the iPhone, wherever you are.
7-23-2008 @ 9:13AM
Mel said...
This is the closest I can get to writing notes on the desktop and taking them with me on the touch. Great app & I look forward to its development.
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7-24-2008 @ 10:02AM
Pentaral said...
You can use notes in Mail.app to take your notes on the road with your iphone or Touch. In some respects it works better than FileMagnet because the formating is retained and the notes are far easier to read than a RTF file in FileMagnet.
FileMagnet does have a lot of potential though.
7-23-2008 @ 9:22AM
Jash Sayani said...
I prefer SSH.
It just works the way I want it to !
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7-23-2008 @ 9:40AM
P said...
Does anyone know if this works over a wireless Computer-to-Computer network? (the ones you can set up if you click on the Airport icon on your mac)
I have an airport enabled iMac but no actual wi-fi network and would really like to use this app...
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7-23-2008 @ 10:39AM
Joshua said...
FileMagnet does indeed allow you to set up a computer-to-computer network on your Mac and then connect to it via the iPhone. It's a great option for when you're on the road!
Additionally, FileMagnet already supports Tiger (via an updated version of the Uploader app released last week)!
Support for rotation is on the way, along with the ability to viewiWork and more document formats. Stay tuned! Watch the skies! Free update on the way!
Josh
http://www.MagnetismStudios.com
7-24-2008 @ 10:02AM
Rilindo Foster said...
I have the opposite problem - I have a wifi network, but my iPHone can only see the File Uploader when I switch over to computer-to-computer wireless. Not really optimal, actually. :|
7-23-2008 @ 11:33AM
david said...
This is a great app for $5. I use it all the time to carry photos and documents to show people, to the airport to show officials or travel agents. It supports most standard formats. It's insanely simple to use too. Although it does lack a couple of features, I'm sure they are coming. Even without those useful features, the program has been worth every penny.
I also use the internet sharing through the airport to connect when I'm not near an internet connection but need to transfer files.
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7-23-2008 @ 11:56AM
anson said...
Will reserve judgment until DataCase is released (soon, IIRC). Most importantly, that app does not require a Mac OS client. It's advertised as having landscape mode but also shares the limitation of not being able to view iWork documents. I guess we'll see which is the better app in a week or two...
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7-23-2008 @ 12:22PM
Chris said...
Any word on a 2.0 compatible DropCopy? I had that on my jailbroken 1.1.4. Combined with mobile finder it was a great way to work with files onthe iPhone.
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7-23-2008 @ 12:53PM
Stephen Lang said...
Hey TUAWer's,
How is viewing text and RTF's with this app? Is there any way to adjust font size, or is it unnecessary?
Thanks!
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7-23-2008 @ 1:12PM
Mario said...
I bought it and tried using it but it's very unstable on my iPhone and crashes constantly, probably due to the face that I'm trying to view large files. There is no easy navigation - no jump to page ... button so you have to scroll from page no 1.
It's also difficult to zoom on the text that spans the whole page.
As far as RTF and text files - I found that Stanza is great for that. It is basically an ebook reader, that let's you store ebooks on the phone, remembers the place in the text, you can do landscape, change text size, jump to page etc. It's a free app for now - they will be charging for that in the future. I highly recommend trying it.
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7-23-2008 @ 5:32PM
Joshua said...
Good news — the new version of FileMagnet is indeed compatible with both Tiger and Leopard. It's a free download right now from http://magnetismstudios.com/filemagnet/
Enjoy!
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7-23-2008 @ 5:32PM
Matthew said...
A demo video of the application can be found at:
http://magnetismstudios.com/files/filemagnet.mov
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