GoodReader is bringing syncing back

GoodReader was one of a handful of apps which had figured out how to do USB syncing to iPhones, but their solution was in violation of Apple's iPhone SDK rules. Apple eventually required all 3rd party iPhone apps to remove this functionality. Some apps, like GoodReader, could sync via iTunes but it was very limited. Wi-Fi syncing was also an option, but it was slower and prone to configuration issues.

GoodReader has released a free utility named GoodReaderUSB which, as the name implies to any who haven't suffered a traumatic blow to the head, allows you to connect to GoodReader via USB. The software is free and available for Windows (XP, Vista, and 7) and Mac OS X (10.4, 10.5, and 10.6).

The interface is simple enough, and if you have more than one iDevice you can connect more than one at a time. In my initial testing it worked as expected. The UI is fairly straightforward and allows for drag & drop access, folder creation, and deletion.

GoodReader is available for iPad and iPhone/iPod touch. There's a free "lite" version but the app is easily worth more than the $0.99 asking price. One of the "hidden gems" of GoodReader is that it's not just a reader, but will allow you to download just about any file to your iPhone or iPad by pasting in the URL. I use it for downloading PDFs and then sending them to iBooks on the iPad.

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Source: http://goodreader.net/gr-man-tr-usb.html#GRUSB_ShowDetails

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iPhone SDK iPad

GoodReader was one of a handful of apps which had figured out how to do USB syncing to iPhones, but their solution was in violation of...

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Dave

I'm very glad that they brought this feature back, but I wonder how they managed to avoid Apple's Cease and Desist hammer.

July 02 2010 at 4:31 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to Dave's comment

thekevinmonster

Previous versions used private APIs on the device to grab files that were copied into subfolders of the DCIM folder that gets presented to a desktop computer as a mounted drive. That's a no-no.

This version appears to use only desktop software to do it. Inexplicably, when I installed iPhoneBrowser (which uses the same component as the GoodReader desktop app), I got access to iBooks, Stanza, and some other app on my iPhone (but not GoodReader, although their own app worked.)

I'm not sure if the terms of use stuff for the app store say anything about a desktop program being able to do things to the device that Apple hasn't blocked but doesn't 'allow'.

July 03 2010 at 7:52 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Greg

While using Goodreader, go to Manage Files, then select the file you want and copy it. A dialog will ask you which app you want to copy it to.

July 02 2010 at 4:25 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to Greg's comment

Kevin

Thanks so much!

I wonder how many people will stick with good reader now that iBooks is out for iPhone and iPad with pdf support. Personally, now that iBooks supports this and syncs my place to my account, I can't see why I'd want to go back

July 02 2010 at 10:24 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Kevin

How do you "send" them from good reader to iPad?

July 02 2010 at 4:04 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Joost Schuur

Even better, in MobileSafari, prefix the URL of a PDF with 'g' to trigger loading iron GoodReader.

July 02 2010 at 4:00 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

samsonsu

That's the reason of jailbreaking! I just scp/sftp my files to the phone.

July 02 2010 at 3:56 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

3 replies to samsonsu's comment

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