Handling Zip Files on the iPad

We all receive zip files from time to time in email, usually when someone needs to send us a lot of documents all at once.  While it's a pretty easy process to unzip these folders when we receive them on our computer, but the iPad does not have an automatic way to do this.  Fortunately, my go-to app GoodReader ($4.99, download in iTunes) can handle zip files just fine.  Here's how to do it.

• In the email, press on the zip file and then select Open in GoodReader.  GoodReader will open, and the file will be available in My Documents.

• There are two ways to open the zip file:
  • Press on the zip file itself.  A message Unzip this file? will pop up - press Yes.  The file is automatically unzipped.
  • Press Manage Files, then select the zip file and press Unzip.  The result will the same.

That's all there is to it!  From now on you'll have access to all of the documents that were stored in that zip file.

Tip of the Week: Syncing Your Photos with your iPad (or iPhone)

If you have photos that you'd like to store on your iPad (or iPhone), for use at trial, mediation, or for your own reference, it's a snap to transfer photos between your i-Device and your computer.  Just plug in your iPad, click on it in the left-hand menu, and click on the Photos tab.  

Simply click Sync Photos From.... and then select the location where which you want to sync.  If you want to sync from all folders within the My Pictures folder, for example, just make sure the All Folders button is selected.  If you want to be more selective, you can choose the folders from which to sync - click the Selected folders button, and then place a checkmark by those folders to be included. That's it!  Next time you sync your iPad, photos from those folders will be transferred to your Photos app on the device.

If you'd rather sync your photos wirelessly, then of course there's an app for that.   Check out Camera Sync ($1.99, download from iTunes), which will connect to your Dropbox, Box.net, iDisk or even your Flickr or Amazon S3 storage locations.   Just like iTunes, it will automatically move pictures between your Picture Roll on the iPad and your computer.  Because you're doing this online, it might take you some time to do it.

Encrypt Your iPad Backups for Better Security

Each time you sync your iPad, it creates a backup that lives in iTunes.  It's a backup of everything that's on your iPad - which means that if you have confidential client information, there's another copy (and maybe multiple copies) of that sensitive information on your computer.  How do you protect that backup file?Fortunately, iTunes gives you a way to protect these backups by encrypting them.  In addition to being more secure about your data, you're also saving some time; if you ever have to restore your iPad from a backup, all of your passwords that you're saving on the device will be retained, whereas they won't if you're not encrypting your backup.

To set the password, connect your iPad to your computer.  Then, click your iPad's name in the sidebar, and navigate to the Summary tab.  At the bottom are Options; check Encrypt iPad Backup at the bottom.  

A dialog box will pop up asking you to enter a password.  From now on, if you try to restore your iPad from a backup, you'll be prompted to give your password first.  The backup data is also encrypted, meaning that anyone who might get ahold of your computer will be unable to view any of the files in the backup.

iPads in the Law Office: The ALA's Take

I was pleased to be interviewed for a recent article for Legal Management, the publication of the Association of Legal Administrators.  In iPractice or iReject, I and a bunch of other iPad experts talk about the use of iPads in the workplace.  It's a good read - check it out.

Better File Management with Dropbox

Thanks to Josh Barrett over at Tablet Legal for pointing out a new feature in a recent update to one of my favorite and most-used apps, Dropbox.  Now you can send a file from any app to Dropbox just by pressing the "Open In..."  button.  Dropbox will automatically open, and you'll be given the option of to which folder you want to save the file.

As Josh says, this solves part of the iPad's email problem; you can now save email attachments to Dropbox from the iPad, where previously you could only do it from your computer.  Now, if only the iPad would allow us to attach files from our Dropbox, we'd be all set, right?