A Big Week for iOS: PDFs in FileMaker Go and File/Cloud Access in iWork

It's been a big week in the iOS world. The major news comes from FileMaker Go and the three iWork apps (Numbers, Pages, and Keynote). What's most important is the common thread: the ability to integrate iPad even more closely with other platforms using tools such as email and cloud computing as implemented both by MobileMe's iDisk and by any WebDAV server to which you have access. Together with iOS 4.2 with its support for printing (coming in November), a number of the to-do items for iPad and iPhone have been knocked off the list. 

FileMaker Go version 1.1 (a free upgrade to the apps for iPhone and iPad) supports new features including:

• . creating PDFs from the current layout -- including photos from the database -- and emailing them or saving them on the device
• . emailing databases
• . importing records from FileMaker databases
• . adding photos from your device photo album or camera

With version 1.2 of the iWork apps, there are a number of new features in each one and some across-the-board changes. The biggest is the ability to share files without tethering the device to a computer running iTunes. In July, release 1.1 of the iWorks apps implemented that file transfer mechanism (see this article). Now, although the tethering is still available through iTunes, you can connect wirelessly to a MobileMe iDisk or a webDAV server.

As before, this is done from the list of your presentations, documents, or spreadsheets (not from within one of the documents). In 1.1, these commands were:

• . Send via Mail
• . Share via iWork.com
• . Export (this is through iTunes)

In all three cases you have a choice of a native iWorks document, PDF, or the comparable Microsoft Office document type (Word, Excel or PowerPoint).

Now, the commands have been added to and the wording is standardized:

• . Email Presentation (or Document or Spreadsheet)
• . Share via iWork.com
• . Send to iTunes
• . Copy to iDisk
• . Copy to WebDAV

The last two options require no cables: the connection is wireless. The basic functionality is the same, but it's now much simpler.

There's now a matching import button with three options:

• . Copy from iTunes (this is the old way)
• . Copy from iDisk
• . Copy from WebDAV

This replaces the import button at the top right of the documents library which implemented only the Copy from iTunes functionality.