I was hoping to post about the newly released IOS 4.2 for the iPad, but unfortunately Apple have pushed back the release date (maybe 24th November) due to WIFI issues.

Instead, I wanted to share a little tip I have found for transferring files to the iPad. Some apps (like iAnnotate) come with desktop companion apps which allow you to synchronize the files stored by the app on your iPad with those on your main system without syncing via iTunes.

The iAnnotate version allows you to browse any selected folders (which could be your whole hard drive) from the iPad and download any PDF document(s) stored on them. When you have finished annotating it syncs them all back to the original location - much easier than using iTunes.

These generally need the iPad and the computer to be on the same WiFi network. Fine if you are at home, but a problem if you aren't connected via wireless or only a public network is available (with the attendant security worries). You can create an "ad hoc" WiFi network from your Windows machine, but the iPad can't connect to this as it only works with other Windows computers.

However, if you use Windows 7 there is a "hidden" feature called Virtual WiFi which allows you to use your laptop as a WiFi hotspot. This can be useful if you have a non-3G iPad as you can also share the laptop's Internet connection, but I use it mainly for secure WiFi file transfer.

The feature isn't actually implemented in Windows 7 so you need a utility called Connectify to use it. Once this is installed you just set up your hotspot, fire it up and connect the iPad. The connection is password protected and encrypted so it should be totally secure.

Apparently you can do the same with a Mac using the built-in Internet sharing features, but I haven't tried this as my Mac is my desktop computer.

So there you have it . A nice alternative to a MiFi if you have a non-3G iPad and you want to tether to a laptop - or a much easier solution that iTunes for file transfers.