The Apple iPad is increasingly replacing laptops as people's portable computers. It's certainly small and nifty to use. But what happens if you've got an iPad (or iPhone) and want to access files on your main PC or Mac? You're out of luck.

After you install the software on your PC and iOS device, you'll be run through a setup routine that connects them using secure encryption. From that point on, when you want to find files on your PC or Mac, run X1 Mobile Search on your iPad or iOS, and find, view, and edit the files. It's that simple. X1 Mobile Search even tracks files that you've searched for and viewed previously, and lists them. Just tap the icon on your iOS device, and you'll see them all.

X1 Mobile Connect will have to be running on your PC or Mac in order for it to work, and the PC or Mac will have to be connected to the Internet, of course. On your PC or Mac you can change a variety of settings, such as whether to start X1 Mobile Connect automatically, whether to show notifications on the taskbar, and so on. And while your iOS device is connected to your PC or Mac, the PC or Mac will show details, such as how much data has been sent and received.

Unlike some other programs that allow you to share files between mobile devices and PC and Macs, this one is designed for searching the whole computer, rather than just sharing specific files or pieces of information. You'll find it a great complement to other programs such as Evernote and SugarSync.

--Preston Gralla