In my last post I shared Genealogy Gems Premium Member Cherie’s questions which revolved around using her iPad for Genealogy. I 
answered her first question about using Dropbox, and today I’ll answer her second question:
answered her first question about using Dropbox, and today I’ll answer her second question:“How much confusion/trouble, etc., is there in working between a Windows platform on your computers, an Android platform on your phone (if that’s what you have), and an Apple platform on your iPad? My daughters are urging my to get the iPad, but everything else I work in is either Windows (computers) or Android (smartphone). Basically, I’m looking for comments from users of, especially, iOS and Windows. How easy is it to transfer and/or sync info between the two?”
I have the exact scenario Cherie describes: a PC, Android phone, and iPad. But it’s no problem!
Many apps are available across the various platforms. And as in my last post, Dropbox holds the key to super easy file sharing among your computing devices. I also have an iMac which I don’t use that often, because I personally prefer the PC. However, even though the iPad is an Apple product, it is a different, and easier, animal to deal with. In my book Turn Your iPad into a Genealogy Powerhouse, I start you off by explaining the “tablet mindset,” which focuses on tasks and apps. Once you embrace that concept, the transition is a breeze.
By having Dropbox on your computer as well as the apps on your phone and tablet, you’ll be able to easily share all of your files between devices. Simply save the file to Dropbox on one device (and I recommend setting up various folders within Dropbox for further organization) and then open Dropbox on your other device and the file will be there waiting for you. And the real beauty of Dropbox is that if you alter the file on your tablet, as soon as you resave it the file will be synchronized through the Dropbox service and updated on all devices. You’ll never find yourself working on an outdated copy of a file again!
You can learn more about using Dropbox with your iPad in Chapter 7 and throughout my new book Turn Your iPad into a Genealogy Powerhouse.
