Whenever I'm out of the office, it never fails that I need a file I don't immediately have access to.  A typical example is I'm at a conference or job site and a prospective client wants some info about my company.  Instead of saying they need to wait until I get back to the office to send something, I've been looking for a way to have a couple of files on my iPhone.  That way when I get a call, I can just email the information.

So I've been trying out a few iPhone file storage apps to hold everyday documents.  The ones I looked at were GoDocs, Box.net and Dropbox.

Very similar to my last post on note-taking apps, all of these apps provide tutorials or help documents to get you started.  And good news!  They are all available for the iPad.

GoDocs ($3.99) is a great app if you use Google docs on a regular basis.  I have a few assignments where the team is using Google docs to report project results and this app gives me access to those files.  You can view files online or offline.  And I really like the ability to email files.  I didn't see a way to edit a document - hopefully that will come in future versions.

Dropbox (Free) provides a lot of flexibility when it comes to storage.  It's easy to use - simply drag/drop files.  It also supports multiple file formats.  If you have a group of people who need access to a file, Dropbox also has a collaboration feature. 

One thing that was interesting about Dropbox is the ability to earn extra storage space with referrals.  So if you're part of a group looking for a file storage app and leaning toward Dropbox, be sure to check out their referral program details.  You can also share a referral link with your Facebook and Twitter friends
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Box.net (Free) offers many of the same features as Dropbox (i.e. drag/drop files, multiple file format support and collaboration options).  A couple of additional noteworthy items include being able to email a file link and the ability to edit documents.  The free version gives you 1G storage and a premium versions can boost that storage to 10 - 15G for a fee.
 
Having a good file storage app can make life easier for any workshifting situation.  The three things that seem to set file storage apps apart are (1) how much storage space you need, (2) what file formats you work with most often, and (3) if you need editing capability.

 
What kinds of file storage apps are you using?  Leave us a note in the comments.



Photo Credit: jazzmasterson