There are lots of Wi-Fi file-sharing apps for the iPad, and many productivity apps include such "air sharing" capabilities. Avatron Software's $10 Air Sharing HD is a good option if the built-in file sharing in your other apps isn't enough. The same goes for the $2 ReaddleDocs, which lets you collect Office, iWork, and PDF files from the Web, email attachments, and other sources for viewing, with extra capabilities such as extracting text from PDF files.

DigiDNA's $5 FileApp Pro is a file organizer for your iPad. It lets you copy files to and from your iPad, then organize, rename, move, and multiple-select them. FileApp Pro also allows you to open the files in compatible iPad applications.

Chances are you don't yet have an AirPrint-compatible printer, so the new iOS 4.2's print feature isn't usable. But you can print to many Wi-Fi-connected printers using an app such as EuroSmartz's $10 PrintCentral for iPad, which has you copy the desired text into the app, then prints that material. It also allows you to print to a network printer across your Wi-Fi network. (To print via your PC or Mac, such as when accessing non-Wi-Fi printers or printing via your computer over 3G, you need to install EuroSmartz's free WePrint printer server on your computer.) Other iPad apps that can print directly to Wi-Fi-connected printers include EuroSmartz's $9 Print n Share, Wellala's $5 Print Magic HD, and Readdle's $7 Printer Pro.

Cloud storage and FTP

Box.net and Dropbox offer free access to limited file storage in the cloud; for more storage, there is a charge. Using their iPad apps, several applications can retrieve and store files on their online servers for access by your other devices and computers.