ts supersmall size is not the only cool thing about the SanDisk Connect Wireless Media Drive.
The new device is the latest to join the long list of battery-operated Wi-Fi storage devices
and is the first from SanDisk, a major maker of flash-based storage
devices. It comes with up to 64GB of built-in flash memory. However,
users can expand its capacity to up to 192GB -- possibly even more in
near future -- thanks to its built-in standard SD card slot. The card
slot also means that you can quickly view or share photos and video shot
by a digital camera, on or with up to eight Wi-Fi devices at a time.
The
new device worked well in my testing as a mobile media-streaming and
backup server, but as a USB-connected portable drive it was very slow.
However, at just $100/AU$180 (or $82/AU$140 if you get the 32GB
version), it still makes a great accessory for tablet or smartphone
owners or photographers who want to carry some extra content on the go
and be able to back up, preview, and share content as well as hot-spot
Internet while traveling. For alternatives that offer better
performance, and much larger storage space, check out those on this list. The
SanDisk Connect Wireless Media Drive is very tiny considering all the
components it has, including a battery, up to 64GB of storage, a Wi-Fi
network, and a SD card slot.
Dong Ngo/CNET
Compact and versatile
The Media Drive is a tiny square box that's only 2.6 inches wide and
0.52 inch tall. And it's quite amazing what it has packed inside: a
battery that offers about 8 hours of usage, up to 64GB of built-in
storage space, and a 802.11n Wi-Fi network. Best of all, it comes with a
built-in SD card slot, which means you can add more storage to it.
Since SD cards now offer up to 128GB, you can pack an impressive amount
of data into this tiny device.
Drive type
Flash-based external USB storage device with built-in internal Wi-Fi access point and battery
Connector options
USB 2.0
Size (WLH)
2.6 inches by 2.6 inches by 0.52 inch/66.01mm by 66.01mm by 13.8mm
Weight
2.7 ounces/70.8g
Apps included
SanDisk Media Drive for iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire, and Android-based devices
Available capacities
32GB, 64GB, plus one SD card
OSes supported
iOS
5.1 or later (iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch), Android (2.2.3 or later),
Kindle Fire, Microsoft Windows XP or later, Mac OS 10.6 or later
The
addition of an SD card slot means more than just storage expansion. You
now can quickly share or preview movies or photos taken with a digital
camera on a screen larger than that of the camera itself, while saving
the camera's battery. I tried it with my Nikon D5100 and this worked out
very well.
In addition to working as a battery-operated mobile
storage device, the Media Drive can also work with a computer via its
Micro-USB 2.0 port. When connected to a computer using a standard USB
cable (one is included), the device appears to the computer as a
portable external drive that you can drag and drop data on to. The
device is preformatted using the exFAT file system, which means it will
work with both Macs and Windows computers without any restriction. When
plugged in, the device will also charge its internal battery. You can
also choose to charge via an included power adapter. The
Connect Wireless Media drive's built-in SD card slot offers a flexible
and convenient way of increasing its storage space or sharing digital
photos.
Dong Ngo/CNET
Well-designed mobile app that's Internet-sharing-ready
Like other Wi-Fi storage devices, the Media Drive is designed to be
controlled by a mobile app. It comes with a free SanDisk Media Drive app
that is available for iOS, Android, and Kindle Fire devices. This app
worked very well in my testing. It automatically organized content into
four categories, Videos, Photos, Music, and Files, regardless of the
location you copy the file to, be it the Media Drive's internal storage
or the connected SD card. The drive scans for new media files in real
time; this process took a very short time in my trials. For example,
just about a second after I had inserted an SD card, movies and photos
stored on the card had already appeared in the respective category.
Alternatively, you can access the drive's storage via folders and subfolders.
You
can swipe through a photo album or folder quite conveniently. You can
also play a file or an album automatically, or add the file to the
mobile device to play back later. When viewing a photo, you also have
options to share it via social media or e-mail. All of these options are
tightly integrated. With music, background playing is supported,
meaning the music will stay on when you close the app to open another
app. This is a great feature if you want to listen to music and check
your e-mail at the same time. The
SanDisk Media Drive app works very well and offers a lot of features,
including the ability to relay Internet access from another Wi-Fi
network.
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The
SanDisk Media Drive app works very well and offers a lot of features,
including the ability to relay Internet access from another Wi-Fi
network.
The
SanDisk Media Drive app works very well and offers a lot of features,
including the ability to relay Internet access from another Wi-Fi
network.
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