[louis]

Hello,


I am new to MobileSheetsPro & MobileSheets Companion. I bought Mobile sheet for Android and MobileSheets Companion on my Windows 10 PC.
That with the intention and expectation to use MobileSheets Companion on the PC as the mangement program for MobilesheetsPro on the tablet.

However ..... as far as I can see that does not work . MobileSheets Companion can not be used without an active connection to MobileSheetsPro. Very annoying!
I feels that it is more a GUI for MobileSheetsPro application running on the Android tablet, than as a management program ....... or am I wrong ... !!??


Whatever, what I was expecting. Was to use MobileSheets Companion as a management program for MobilesheetsPro.
- To prepare or change Music library's on the PC and to sync them later on to the tablet.


Am I doing something wrong, or is the companion application only a GUI and not the management program I was expecting / hoping for !!??


Louis

[Zubersoft]

You would need to purchase MobileSheets for Windows 10 through the Microsoft Store if you wanted to be able to manage your library on your PC, and then synchronize those changes to your Android tablet. The companion application is just a free tool that lets you connect to a device running MobileSheets and manage the library on that device. It's not a tool that can be used to set up the library without an active connection. 

Mike

[louis]

Yep that would probably work ..... However it does not change anything to my opinion as expressed in my original post !!

It just confirms my verdict ......
And it is absolutely not the way it should work !!!! (IMHO)


Louis

[Zubersoft]

You are certainly free to have whatever opinion you want. The companion app was provided free of charge just to aid users (mostly with the Android version which has been available since 2011), and was released long before there was a Windows 10 version of MobileSheets. The implementation is far less complex in the companion app than the tablet application due to it just managing a library that already exists on the tablet. If I released the companion app free of charge and it could be used to set up the entire library, annotate songs, etc, what purpose would there even be in users purchasing the tablet app or MobileSheets for Windows 10 which required a significant investment of time and effort (and still does to maintain it and provide updates)? I would just be giving away the entire application which means I wouldn't be able to run a business. Now that there is a Windows 10 version of MobileSheets, users can view and manage their entire library on their Windows 10 device, then synchronize those changes to the Android device. The app is $13 which is significantly less money than you would pay for most software on your PC. It is also a one-time purchase, all application updates are free, and you can install the app on every device you own that runs the same OS. I don't think the way it is set up now is unreasonable.

Mike

[Geoff Bacon]

I don't agree with you louis

MSP was originally developed for android devices and Mike provide the Companion to make it easier to transfer files to/from the tablet. The companion was never designed to provide full library management.

Because of user demand and the availability of Windows laptops/tablets, Mike developed the Windows version of MSP. This requires a separate purchase because he has to recoup the time and effort he has spent developing (and will spend) maintaining the product.

I have a windows desktop and an android tablet. I keep my master files on the desktop and, when I need to, convert them to pdfs (I "Print" to a Cutepdf pseudo printer, others are available). I use the Companion to transfer the pdf's to the tablet; it takes no time at all.
Others use cloud storage to share their files between devices but I haven't found this necessary (I also like to keep things 'simple')

I suggest you try a similar approach and, should it not meet your needs, then consider buying the Windows version (like the android version, it isn't expensive!)

Cheers
Geoff

[louis]

Be Aware, that I understand that zubesoft can not give "every thing" away for free. However, that does not take away that it is IMHO very strange and annoying that you need a connection to a tablet to maintain your library. So I will probably buy a licence for windows version as a workaround for that problem.

However IMHO that is a workaround, It would again in my opinion make far more sens to change the companion into a "library manager" and assign a license to that (e.g. the same you pay now for the IMHO needed windows license)


Louis

[Skip]

You may have a point IF the original MSP had been developed for Windows. Then the addition of the Android app would have needed the development of a tool or some other way to allow synchronization between the 2 OS'es. 

With the addition of an IOS version, the ability to interact between them will increase in importance. 

Since it did not happen that way, the Android version was 1st [MobileSheets, then MobileSheets Pro]. I think the folks that used it [or Mike] wanted a way to work on material on Windows then transfer it to Android, so along came the Companion [MobileSheets]. Then the Windows version was developed and an IOS version was planned. Since there was a tool already available to communicate between OS versions, why reinvent the wheel and complicate things?

I'm sure Mike could devise code for each version to add interaction between OS versions, but it would add to his maintenance workload. The Companion is a 'lowest common denominator' or 'common module' between the OS'es and is free. I'm assuming, of course, that a Companion tool will remain the common communication app between OS'es.

Just a note, You will not need the Companion with the Windows version. You will actually have what you expect.