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Alternatives to AirDrop between iPhone and Mac
Like a lot of you, one of the first things I did when I had both OS X Mavericks and iOS 7 (in beta form) on my devices was to try AirDrop. I mean, it's been in OS X for a while and it was added to iOS 7, so of course you're going to be able to zap files back and forth between your iPhone and Mac, right? <crickets> Yeah, that was a major disappointment, and something we'll probably have to wait for Apple to add to the next versions of OS X and iOS. In the meantime, there are several third-party solutions you can use to give you the ability to "AirDrop" your files from a mobile device to your desktop. DeskConnect (free) Not only does it have a great price -- free -- but it also works very well. You'll need to create a free account with DeskConnect, so apparently they're using some sort of online caching of information being sent between your devices. On the iOS device, DeskConnect displays an easily understandable interface that has four buttons: send photo, send clipboard, send websites and send documents. Documents are stored for 30 days, so you'll always have recourse if you sent something between devices and then accidentally deleted it. The share clipboard feature must be turned on (it's not a default setting), but works great. Instashare (US$2.99 for OS X, free iOS app with ads or $0.99 without ads) This is a solution that both Shawn "Doc Rock" Boyd and I use, since he turned me onto this pair of apps a while back. Installing Instashare on your Mac adds an AirDrop-like icon to your menu bar. Click on that icon to bring up a blank window upon which you can drop files and folders, and they're immediately sent to your "Trusted Devices." However, the app was supposed to allow sending of clipped text between devices, and I could never get that to work... and the online help files are less than helpful. Pastebot ($3.99 for iOS, free Mac companion app) Pastebot's been out for a while, more as a "clipboard manager" for iOS than anything else. However, developer Tapbots created an OS X companion app called Pastebot Sync that runs in the background on your Mac and lets you send text and images back and forth between devices. Neither of the Pastebot apps has been updated lately, but they both still work with no issues. Do you have any other suggestions for cross-platform AirDrop alternatives? If so, let us know in the comments.
myPhoneDesktop controls and sends information to your iPhone or iPad
Sometimes an app is more than an app -- it's about being excited about the underlying technology and why it makes it easier for users to get done what they want to get done, without extra steps that stand in the way. myPhoneDesktop [US$1.99] is that kind of app. It transforms the way you move data from a Mac to an iPhone, simplifying the process along the way. I tested it on an iPhone 3GS and a Mac. Imagine you are sitting at your Mac, looking at: a URL Directions on Google Maps a YouTube video of a cat vs. a lobster (well, crawfish) a phone number of someone you need to call an app in the App Store on iTunes that you want to download a picture you want on your iPhone Most of the time when I am faced with that situation I send myself an email to my "@txt.att.net" address, but that's fairly inelegant: launch mail program, copy information, type address, click send. Not only that, but when I get the message on my iPhone, then I have to manually do something with it. I also have the Pastebot app [$3] installed, but I have to make sure that's running on my iPhone before it will receive any data from my Mac. And again, it's not going to do anything with that information, it's just going to copy it. Here's how I do that with myPhoneDesktop: Select URL, text, phone number, picture Press and hold ⌘, press C twice. Boom. Off it goes over the Internet and appears on my iPhone moments later. But myPhoneDesktop can do a whole lot more than just simply sharing text. Read on for more...
Fifteen lucky TUAW readers will start 2010 with a free copy of Pastebot
It's no secret that TUAW bloggers love Pastebot, the new and tasty iPhone / iPod app from Tapbots. Dave Caolo even referred to Pastebot as "his mistress," and I find that I'm using it constantly to move text and images between my Macs and iPhone. Well, Tapbots wants you to join in on the goodness, so we're going to have a quick giveaway here at TUAW. We have 15 Pastebot promo codes to hand out, and you can enter the giveaway! Here's the scoop: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older. To enter leave a comment telling us how Pastebot will help you keep a New Year's resolution. The comment must be left before Saturday, January 2, 2009, 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time. You may enter only once. Fifteen winners will be selected in a random drawing. Prizes: Promo Code for one copy of Pastebot (Value: US$2.99) Click Here for complete Official Rules. If you didn't read my review of Pastebot last month, be sure to read up on the features of this unique and useful utility.
Pastebot, another useful and beautiful bot from Tapbots
Over the past couple of years, I've had the pleasure to write about iPhone / iPod touch apps from Tapbots. First there was Weightbot, a beautifully designed app for tracking your weight. Next came Convertbot, a unit converter calculator that featured an innovative and extremely useful interface. Now Tapbots has introduced a third app to their stable of products; Pastebot [US$1.99, iTunes Link], which is a combination of clipboard storage and (with a companion Mac app called Pastebot Sync) inter-platform cut and paste. Launching the app brings you directly into the Clipboard. As with all of the Tapbots apps, the user interface is not only functional, but a treat to the eyes. To add items to the clipboard, you simply use the iPhone's copy and paste function to copy something. It can be text or a graphic, a URL or a photo. When you copy the item, then launch Pastebot, the item is automatically added to the Clipboard. The Clipboard items have a frame around them with a small circle up in the top right corner. When that circle turns blue (it looks like a blue LED), the clipboard item is selected and ready to perform some action on. Tapping again slides a small toolbar out of the bottom of the frame.
