GoodReader for the iPad is a Must-Have for Lawyers

As a lawyer, one of the first things I looked into after purchasing my iPad was whether the device could support my document management needs. My practice is document intensive and although I do just about everything on my Mac, there is still one task that I resort to doing the old fashion way: reading lengthy documents. Performing document review on a monitor for hours at a time is just too hard on my eyes. So, with iPad in hand, I set out to learn whether the so-called “game changer” would change my document-reading game. In short, it did; thanks to GoodReader.

GoodReader is essentially a document reading and management application for the iPad. Aside from displaying the most common document types (pdf, MS Office, iWork, txt, html, etc.), as well as image and video files, GoodReader provides excellent file management tools, allowing the moving, copying, and deleting of files, creation of folders, password protection, archiving, and e-mailing, just to name a few. I was curious whether the application would live up to the developer's claim that it could handle very large pdf files. GoodReader certainly impressed--instantaneously loading and flawlessly displaying a 127-page pdf document.

Documents can be imported into GoodReader in a number of ways--via wifi connection, cloud service (e.g. MobileMe, Dropbox), Google Docs, FTP server, and any IMAP and POP3 mail server. Documents can also be downloaded from the web straight into the application in three different ways: by entering the URL unto GoodReader, by surfing the web using the application's own web browser, or through iPad's Safari application by inserting the letter g before the URL in Safari's toolbar (e.g. ghttp://www.lawonmyphone.com/sample.pdf).

The latest update also incorporates the iPad’s application file sharing API which allows documents to be opened in GoodReader directly from other applications, such as the iPad’s stock mail application. I found this last feature to be extremely useful and efficient. All you have to do is press and hold on the attachment's icon in the mail application and a menu pops up asking if you want to open the document in Quick Look or in GoodReader. If you choose GoodReader, the file opens in GoodReader and is automatically saved to its file management system.

GoodReader has many more features that I have yet to explore. GoodReader is a well designed and comprehensive document management application and is a steal at $0.99 (US), especially when compared to the next comparable application Air Sharing HD selling for $9.99 (US).

Comments

[Pat]

Not a lawyer but I like GoodReader for the iPad as well. :)