Filer 2.1.0 has been released to the App Store today.
This update brings support for MobileMe iDisk and WebDAV connections, as well as browser enhancements, media playback improvements, and bug fixes.
Filer Lite 2.1.0 is currently in review and should be released shortly.
appadvice conducted a roundup of several download utilities for the iPad, and Filer came out on top as the “Essential App”.
The very best app to help you download your files is called Filer. The new version 2.0 integrates with Dropbox and allows you to download files in the background…The app includes a bunch of other great features that make it an essential app for any iPad.
Great roundup, thanks guys!
P.S. Filer 2.1.0 is coming very soon, packed with bug fixes and tons of new features.
FLAC Player 1.0.1 has been released to the App Store. This is is a bugfix update, addressing the following issues:
The next free update (FLAC Player 1.1.0) will add much-requested features such as repeat, shuffle, embedded FLAC Artwork, and more.
First though, Filer will be getting an update to 2.1
After many months of development, I’m pleased to announce that FLAC Player 1.0.0 is now available in the App Store. FLAC Player is the first app for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad to deliver lossless playback of FLAC audio files.
Designed around albums and live concert recordings, FLAC Player enables music lovers to use FLAC on their iOS devices without converting, sacrificing quality, or convenience.
Filer 2.0.5 was approved earlier today and should be in worldwide App Stores within 24 hours.
This update adds VGA/TV-Out for Video files, restores background audio playback with iOS4, adds some UI enhancements, and fixes bugs.
Downloader Lite will be brought up to date as Filer Lite shortly.
Yesterday the blog at GSMArena posted an interesting article about Filer. It’s a good writeup, particularly this part:
it’s just an awesome app that deserves a pat on the back…
Seriously, though it’s a good profile, and I appreciate the review. Interestingly, there’s a definite focus on the iTunes USB sharing features of iOS 4 (that were introduced in 3.2 on iPad):
Yeap, the most interesting thing about it is the so-called iTunes USB sharing – a new feature, which has obviously been introduced by iOS 4 and the latest iTunes.
I’m not going to argue whether or not that’s the most interesting thing. Certainly when this feature was revealed in the iPad SDK, I knew exactly where it would fit . However, I’m sure plenty of other developers did too. Prior to this, the only way to get files onto an iDevice was through WiFi networking, USB hacks that impersonated a digital camera, or jailbreaking. WiFi was the slowest and least reliable, the USB hacks were quickly banned from the App Store, and jailbreaking is a cat-and-mouse game.
As a long-time Windows Mobile / Pocket PC user, there was a common filesystem and there were definitely ways to throw files on your device and use them later. Not brilliant or simple ways to do it, but it could be done. When I started developing Filer (Downloader), the point wasn’t to make something that downloaded files, it was to have a place to put stuff that didn’t fit into the iTunes tethered ecosystem. A year ago, the network was the only legitimate way to do this, so that’s where I started. Get a URL, download it, done. Need to get it out, download it the other way.
iTunes USB sharing makes getting files in and out fast, reliable, and easy. At first glance, it marginalizes apps like Filer. But in the last year, I’ve updated the app to focus more on doing things with your files once you’ve got them (Manage, Zip/RAR, Dropbox, save to photos, etc), and there was a definite shift, hence the name change.
Now, getting files onto the device is not something I have worry about as much, and I can focus on making the rest of the app better. As I continue to develop Filer, there will be more competition on innovation and usability and distinguishing features. USB Sharing is an OS feature, not an application.
Beyond the obvious applications in file managers, USB sharing enables another class of apps that just wouldn’t be feasible. My next app will use this feature heavily, but it’s not a file manager. It just operates on big files that aren’t very WiFi-friendly.
So thanks to GSMArena for the post, I think they nailed the idea behind Filer. But knowing what users want is tricky. I think Apple also made a good decision here. There’s no spiderweb of files or registry hiding away on your phone, and you can blow away an app and all its files in about 5 seconds.
Today I packed up the old site and moved to squarespace. So far I like it here. It’ll let me focus on content instead of markup, and spend more time focusing on software. I’m definitely on board with that.
Most of the content has been simply migrated, but I did add some new screenshots with commentary. If you want the filer tech specs, visit the Filer product page. If you want to see what it does, hit up the screenshots.
A Lite version of Filer is coming soon to replace Downloader Lite 1.30.
Filer (formerly Downloader) 2.0 is out in the App Store now.
As of July 23 2010, Filer is back in the App Store
Filer 2.0 has been released. This is a long-awaited update bringing iOS4 support, Dropbox integration, and many other enhancements (including a new name and icon).
Check out the product page or go straight to the App Store