TUAW Review: DataCase for iPhone

If you've been looking for a way to turn that 16GB iPhone into a wireless flash drive, there's a new solution available for you in the App Store: DataCase for iPhone (link opens iTunes). The developers, Veiosoft, missed their original release date of July 28th thanks to Apple's annoying application approval process, but you can now buy DataCase in the App Store for US$6.99. Unlike FileMagnet, DataCase doesn't require that an app be installed on the Mac, and it can also be used with a PC or Linux machine.

Read after the break for more information about DataCase for iPhone.

To use DataCase, install the app on your iPhone 2.0 device (or iPod touch, of course), tap the icon, make sure that Wi-Fi is enabled on your iPhone, and then fire up your Mac, PC or Linux box. From your Mac you browse for the iPhone using Bonjour (see screenshot below), and by double-clicking the iPhone icon (Ratatouille) you have access to two default volumes on the iPhone -- Drop Box and Shared Files.

Drop Box is exactly that, a write-only location into which others on your network can drop files for you to view. Shared Files is a read-and-write volume, so you can either receive or distribute files. Create up to 16 volumes with individual permission settings. Coming from Windows or Linux, you can use an HTTP or FTP connection to transfer files. Once the files are on the iPhone, you can view them natively if they're in MS Office, text, or PDF formats.

The iPhone app has a very simple interface consisting of a toroidal lozenge (see below) with a folder icon in the middle. Tapping the folder icon displays the available volumes on the iPhone and their contents.

You may not like the Wintergreen LifeSaver interface (I'm not fond of it), but it does tell you how much relative space is being used and how much is available. At a recent ACN meeting in Denver, I demoed this application and just about all of the Apple consultants in attendance wanted the app for carrying and transferring files. Who needs a flash drive anymore when you have DataCase and an iPhone?

View Tags

Source: http://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/14/turn-your-iphone-into-a-wirel…

Categories

Software iPhone App Store

If you've been looking for a way to turn that 16GB iPhone into a wireless flash drive, there's a new solution available for you in the App...

Add a Comment

Sign in »

51 Comments

Filter by:

Fabian

What video formats does Datacase support exactly..? mp4, divx, m4v ???

How about Audio formats, can we get a list?

The tech support page for DataCase is very sparse on this type of information.

September 18 2008 at 1:22 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

antiorario

Sorry to be a PITA (actually no, I love it), but a lozenge, by definition, can't be toroidal. If we're talking strictly about geometry, that is.

August 27 2008 at 8:39 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

mkumemr

I was loÃ¶king forward to this app but here it just does not work. when I connect, the iPhone shows the "allow connection" window but then the app crashes. any idea what is wrong? Seems for most people the app works...

mk

August 17 2008 at 4:13 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to mkumemr's comment

pizzle

Same for me. Never gotten it to work correctly over wifi.. Perhaps because I turned off http and ftp access in the Settings? But I have long since deleted the app and use Files instead.

August 26 2008 at 2:20 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Bronson Elliott

If you are looking for something that connects through USB rather than via WiFi, try looking at DiskAid (http://www.digidna.net/diskaid/). It's freeware and there's a Mac & Windows client.

August 14 2008 at 7:42 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Slartibartfast

I said I'd jump on this when they gave us a preview and I jumped all over it today. It was the first App I purchased.

My second app just came now, Mobile Chat 3 is now on the App Store! Tis a good day!!!

August 12 2008 at 8:01 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

ThePete

Doesn't seem like much of a "review". I mean, doesn't a review have to have some details as to what works well and what doesn't? Telling us how a bunch of tech-heads all want this app doesn't really tell us why this app is better (or worse) than everything else out there.

August 12 2008 at 7:23 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

alex

I really want this app!!! But I need to find a "work around" for here at work where I do not have wireless access to my desktop. I realize I can install a wifi carde in my desktop - but that won't fly here in "corporate america" ... so how about this ad-hoc method??? ...

Not sure if something like this exists >> purchase a wireless USB adapter, plug it into work desktop and this will act as an access point.

I know these USB adapters work when trying to access a router ... but I wonder if they will behave as an access point????

August 12 2008 at 3:21 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

dinobots

I got filemagnet but hardly use it. I prefer just using Phoneview it is not over wi-fi, just using USB cable. I like simply because i can add photo or grab. Its pain in the butt to add pictures using iPhoto. And its faster too.

August 12 2008 at 1:31 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

DocTT

Questions. Can any of these apps:

1) Display pdf file larger than 20mb

2) display jpg file in full screen

I have Magnetfile. It works great but can't do the above

August 12 2008 at 1:19 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

John

But the big question is--

When/If/Will they offer local based encryption?

If your iPhone/iTouch gets stolen/lost/broken, you could lose some very sensitive data.

Wake me up when something like that is offered!

August 12 2008 at 11:36 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply