iPhone: copying to and from a Computer

You will soon realize that synchronization options for the iPhone are (as yet) limited. You can sync music, and you can sync contacts and calendars as long as you use one of the supported apps on your computer. But, no files, no notes, no anything else.

The alternative is to move files back and forth. You can choose among several choices for doing this. I think all of them require jailbreaking (perhaps not iPhoneBrowser). In this list, the server is the software on the computer, and the client is the software on the iPhone:

• iPhoneBrowser: completely server-controlled. Google iPhoneBrowser v1.6. I downloaded it from www.modmyiphone.com. Install and run. Connect your iPhone to your PC with the USB cable! You see an explorer-like view of your ~/Media directory.
  Pros: Easy, may? work with a normal un-jailbroken phone, controlled from your PC.
  Cons: Only works on Windows, doesn't show you all of your iPhone files, needs USB cable.
• sendFile: completely client-controlled. sends files from your iPhone via e-mail. Available from iPhone Installer app.
  Pros: Easy. no USB cable needed. Sends any file. YAESSA (Yet Another Erica Sadun Super App).
  Cons: Must move file to specific place (~/Media/Documents), then go to e-mail to mail the file. Requires jailbreaking.
  
• openSSH: uses the SSH network protocol to communicate between iPhone and computer. From there, you can use SCP to transfer files. Controlled either from client or from server.
  Pros: standard UN*X app. YAESSA (see above). complete control from either iPhone or computer. Supported by multiple platforms.
  Cons: complete control (yipe!) Hard to configure if you're not a UN*X guru. Must know hostname or IP address of server if you go from iPhone to PC, or IP address of iPhone if you go from PC to iPhone. Some networks block port 22 used by SSH.
  Notes: most OSes run the server daemon sshd for SSH during startup. openSSH dynamically loads it based on a trigger from inetd, which iPhone OS loads. So, don't worry about a drained battery.