[whpalmer4]

Originally Posted by VincentA

To answer your question - all the iOS devices in the house are linked to an iTunes account on our mac mini media server / backup machine, not my "work" MBP, so syncing via iTunes is not preferred.

This is something that fools a number of people, I think. You don't actually have to sync the device to send or receive files from apps that support file transfer through iTunes. To retrieve a file from your iPad, you plug it in, launch iTunes, click on the iPad in the source list on the left, click on Apps along the top, then scroll the window to the bottom where you'll find a list of apps which support file transfer. Select OmniOutliner, go to the right-hand panel, select your file, and click Save To... and choose your destination. That's it, no sync required, no association of iOS device and computer established. If you want to add a file to the iOS device, the procedure is the same except you click Add... instead of Save To... and choose the file you wanted to install. Here's an Apple support document on the topic: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4094

Your point about the risk of cellular as opposed to IP packet sniffing is interesting - hadn't thought of that, I wonder how real the risk is - I certainly take great care with public wireless networks..........

Well, sniffing, or breaking into the server, or whatever it might be, those are all avenues of vulnerability that exist in addition to keeping the data on your iPad. I make no representation of the size of such risks, other than that they exist. You can eliminate them by not availing yourself of those services, but as you've painfully discovered, if someone nicks the iPad, you lose the work that exists only there. There's also the question of the security of the data on the iPad in the case it is stolen, but that's a concern whether or not you sent a copy off to the server unless you were going to securely erase from the iPad after doing so (and then you open yourself up to the possibility that something goes wrong with the server!) Might be an excuse to get that Gehrer Sharp case you've always wanted, with smoke/dye, sound alarm and GPS tracking :)