How to Share Files Easily Between Your iPhone and Your Computer

Want to use your iPhone as a backup portable drive to move files wirelessly back and forth between computers?  We've got two options for you--one free app, and one pay one.

Discover--Discover works by creating a webDAV network share that uses the iPhone's IP address to map your iPhone as a network drive.  The benefit of using this web-based method is that it means Discover can work with any operating system with an HTTP Internet connection.  Once connected, you use a web browser-style interface to transfer and manage files.  Functionality in Discover is limited, and it's ad-supported unless you pay $5.  But if you need a quick, easy-peasy method move files to and from your iPhone, Discover will probably do everything you need for free.

Air Sharing--Also a webDAV-based wireless file sharing program, Air Sharing (pictured right) appears on your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer as a shared drive and lets you drag and drop files between your computer and your iPhone.  Functionally it's similar to Discover, but the interface is cleaner and connections are easier to establish and maintain.  Air Sharing will run you $4.99 in the iPhone App Store.

Both apps will get the job done, so whether it's worth it to shell out for a file-sharing app will be down to ease of use.  Give the free version of Discover a shot and if it does what you need, then all's well that ends well.  If you find yourself wanting a more polished interface and more connection options, then consider upgrading to Air Sharing.

--Aric A.

Comments

[Danny on April 17, 2009 at 06:22 AM]

Air Sharing is only $4.99 as of April 17, 2009. The beauty of Air Sharing is the ability to read documents and files on the iPhone. It lets you open documents, movies and audio files on the iPhone. I have not tried Discover, but it does this as well, apparently. I was lucky enough to get Air Sharing when it was free and it's in the top ten of my most used apps.

[Spencer on April 17, 2009 at 06:46 AM]

I use Airshare. It work wonderfully. Of course, it does not run in the background. When you switch to another app, you lose your connection.

[Aric A. on April 17, 2009 at 10:07 AM]

@Danny--Thanks for the correction. I've made the update to the post.