GoodReader, one of the most popular file & download managers / PDF reader apps for iPad, was updated two days ago to version 3.3, which adds a number of notable improvements and new features such as synchronization with remote services. GoodReader for iPad, in fact, can now sync files and folders with Dropbox, SugarSync (support for this service was added in this version) and any WebDAV or FTP server. Users can select which files and folders to sync, select different files to be synced with specific services and also set options to resolve sync conflicts such as priority for local files and duplicates.

Download management has been improved as well. SugarSync support aside, you can now lock the in-app web browser with a passcode and download entire folders from a server, not just individual files. Multiple downloads can happen at once, and you can set a download folder other than “My Documents”. On top of that, download of files can now run in the background for “several minutes” – we assume is the usual 10 minutes Apple allows developers to implement for task completion.

GoodReader for iPad is available at $2.99 in the App Store. Check out the full 3.3 changelog below.

Synchronization with remote servers:
- sync with iDisk, Dropbox, SugarSync and any WebDAV or FTP server
- entire folders as well as individual files can be synced separately
- you can set up many different files/folders to be synced with different servers. Later you can either sync them individually, or sync them all at once by pressing just one button.

Various sync parameters can be adjusted:
- file/folder deletion can be prohibited separately for local and remote files
- a choice of options is available for sync conflicts - “Ask what to do”, “Leave unresolved”, “Local files have priority”, “Remote files have priority”, “Create duplicates”

Downloading-related improvements:
- SugarSync support
- web browser can now be locked with a password
- entire folders can now be downloaded from remote servers, no need to download files one-by-one now
- several files and folders can now be downloaded from remote servers at once - select what you need to download and press the “Download” button
- files and folders downloaded from remote servers can now be saved to any folder, not only to “My Documents”
- files downloaded with web browser are now saved to the current folder
- files and folders can now be uploaded to servers with Overwrite option, no need to delete old ones before uploading
- downloading of files is now continued on the background for several minutes

Other improvements:
- file lists can now be sorted by name, size and date, both ascending and descending orders are available
- PDF files: faster text search in large files - for some files it’s now twice as fast as it used to be
- PDF Annotations: squares, circles and polygons can now be converted into “cloudy” shapes and back
- PDF Crop Margins feature now offers the “Crop to current view” button: zoom in and pan to whatever you’d like to see on the screen after the cropping, and this button will crop out the rest, making the cropped page’s aspect ratio match the screen’s one
- PDF: “Fit to width” preference can now be set separately for portrait and landscape modes
- pictures imported from Photo Roll are now saved to the current folder
- other minor improvements and bug fixes