Edit files on tablet on PC

[RobbytheRobot]

Only my second or third post here, a search doesn't seem to have helped, this is something I am getting really frustrated with so hope someone can help.

I bought a tablet recently as I work for myself, and need to read notes on my way to meetings and write notes from meetings up on my bus or train journeys (rather than waste the journey time and have to start work again when I get home). I find typing on tablets incredibly frustrating so just write as much as I can while it's fresh in my mind with the intention of editing at a later point.

I have separate files for a number of clients, The system I have so far been using is using 2 old small capacity usb drives on my laptop, and copying the files on to the tablet before I go out, the copying back to edit on the laptop. I've just got a 32GB microSD card so I thought why not just store the files on that instead of the old usb drives, then I can edit them on the tablet while travelling, then just plug the tablet into my laptop when I get home and I can do any further editing I need. So I excitedly copied all the files onto my tablet's new SD card to try this out - and all the files only open as read only if I try to edit them via my laptop when the tablet is plugged in so that entirely defeats the object... I can't believe in this day and age of apps and smart technology I have to go back to copying the files to and from the laptop (when very busy and with multiple files, that's data loss due to human error just waiting to happen and have from time to time opened a file and wondered where those 2000 words I wrote have gone)..

My files are all sensitive and confidential so there is no way I am putting them on a cloud or other service, besides which my tablet isn't online except at home.

The only way I can think of is to manually take the SD card out of the tablet, put it in the SD card adapter, and then plug that into the laptop and then reverse all that after I've edited the files - but surely there is a less cumbersome way to do this? In my urge to save time I also thought it would be quite neat to charge the tablet via USB while I was editing the files too - but seems the technology just won't do what I want it to do - and I thought that was the whole point?! The more I encounter technology the more I find it just won't cooperate but maybe I'm getting old...

Am I missing something obvious?

 

[RobbytheRobot]

The "take the microSD card out of tablet, put in adapter, put in laptop, reverse process when done", does what I want to do. But why can't I just edit files that are stored on the tablet's microsdcard? This seems a very awkward and prohibitive way of doing things - and the odds are pretty heavy that at least 2 days out of the week I will get where I am going and realise I've left the microSDcard in its adapter in the laptop all the way back home...

Any other way at all?

 

[Rukbat]

One of the problems might be Android 4.4.x. The security on the SD card has been increased.

How about plugging the tablet into the computer, copying the file to the computer (it only takes a couple of seconds unless the document is huge), editing it, then copying it back to the tablet?

Or even easier, buy an OTG cable (they're a couple of bucks) and plug a full size keyboard (say, the one from your computer, into it. Then you can use a full size keyboard to edit the file right on the tablet. (Keep the cable - they''er usually only a few inches long) with the tablet when you're traveling, so that if you absolutely must do some extensive typing at a customer's location, you can "borrow" a keyboard. (USB keyboards can be hot-swwapped - unplug it from his computer, plug it into the tablet, do your work, then plug it back into his computer.)

Or you could buy an almost full size Bluetooth keyboard, if you don't mind carrying an extra keyboard around. There are many that would fit into an attache case. (A few of the smaller USB keyboards will also.)

Many paths lead to the same destination.

 

[RobbytheRobot]

One of the problems might be Android 4.4.x. The security on the SD card has been increased.

How about plugging the tablet into the computer, copying the file to the computer (it only takes a couple of seconds unless the document is huge), editing it, then copying it back to the tablet?

Or even easier, buy an OTG cable (they're a couple of bucks) and plug a full size keyboard (say, the one from your computer, into it. Then you can use a full size keyboard to edit the file right on the tablet. (Keep the cable - they''er usually only a few inches long) with the tablet when you're traveling, so that if you absolutely must do some extensive typing at a customer's location, you can "borrow" a keyboard. (USB keyboards can be hot-swwapped - unplug it from his computer, plug it into the tablet, do your work, then plug it back into his computer.)

Or you could buy an almost full size Bluetooth keyboard, if you don't mind carrying an extra keyboard around. There are many that would fit into an attache case. (A few of the smaller USB keyboards will also.)

Many paths lead to the same destination.

Thanks for your reply. My tablet has Android 4.2.2 so would that make any difference?

I appreciate your solutions, but my laptop isn't that heavy to carry around really, rather than try to turn the tablet into hybrid laptop with extra appendages, I might as well take the laptop with me, it's much more comfortable on my lap than trying to balance a keyboard and would be far less fuss. I thought the tablet would just be a bit easier to carry and be more convenient, but looks like it's going to end up being a couple hundred bucks bookend due to it not fulfilling the purpose I bought it for...

Are there no apps that will achieve what I want and sync my documents between 2 devices? I am astonished something as simple seeming as this can't seem to be done simply at all! At the moment I am leaning towards the manual transfer of the microSDcard from tabet to laptop and back again because it just fits my mindset best, but also frustrated that 21st century tech doesn't offer a smarter option!

 

[Slug]

Are there no apps that will achieve what I want and sync my documents between 2 devices?

An obvious choice (as I use it myself) is Dropbox, as it will sync devices on the same local network directly. The 'cloud storage' element is still present however, and while I'm confident enough with DB's privacy policy that may rule it out for you.

Another suggestion is WiFi File Transfer, which (afaik) requires manual copying rather than automatically syncing. Within that limitation it does work well, however.

Which tablet do you have?

 

[John Bean]

Have a look at SyncMe Wireless which will probably do what you require.

 

[RobbytheRobot]

Thanks for the responses. I'll take a look into the options and see how I go, though am starting to think the tablet (it's an Asus Memo Pad HD7) isn't going to add much for work purposes (I actually find it easier to type on my smaller Sony Xperia the tablet is just like an oversized phone that doesn't make calls or texts I guess!)

What I do think the tablet will be useful for is when I go away to the mountains and need to travel light - handy for watching movies etc without carrying a laptop around in my backpack as extra weight - so not a totally useless piece of tech I guess!

Thanks I appreciate all the responses am sure I will be back and will post back when I've tried the suggestions.

 

[RobbytheRobot]

In the end I decided to go with the manual removal of the SD card from tablet to laptop and back again, this enables me to then put the actual card in a safe when not in use, rather than keep the files on laptop or tablet, either of which could possibly get stolen. Although the files are encrypted, I'd still be uncomfortable about them getting into the wrong hands!

I still cannot type without getting extremely frustrated on a tablet, even using Swiftkey, so now just use the tablet to make bullet points while fresh in mind, to flesh out later with a proper keyboard (laptpop I type 80 words a minute, tablet I type about 10 words a minute, the faster I try to type the more I end up with a stream of garbage!)

I did get an OTG usb cable as I wanted to see if using usb memory sticks would work but unfortunately my Asus Memo pad doesn't have enough power out of the microusb to power anything at all.

Thanks anyway for the advice