I really like how the WD product looks but as you said in the first page...looks like a re-purposed iPhone 3G. It is very similar. I'm just hoping Apple doesn't find a way to use that in another patent war. I don't think WD has the same capital as Samsung to fight them off..
These things would be irrelevant if Apple included microSD slots and/or USB slots into their devices. 32GB Class 4 cards from Sandisk can easily be found for $35.
Almost every Android tablet can be connected to a portable USB HDD or any thumbdrive with a USB OTG cable; or an extra adapter in the case of tablets like the Galaxy 10.1 and TF which lack USB w/o a dock and only have the propietary charging ports on board ($10 adapter converts that to USB). Even some phones can use OTG USB cables to hook up HDDs, gamepads, etc.
This is exactly what I was thinking when reading the article and surprised none of it is mentioned, I can certainly see why these devices may be useful for Apple owners but less so for Android over time. I currently have a Galaxy Note so if I was needing more storage I can either pop in a micro SD card (or have multiple and swap between them) or simply plug in a standard USB flash drive or hard drive through USB OTG.
Honestly, most other companies use SD slots so they can cheap out on the memory they offer. Often when buying one, it comes with even less memory than the lowest memory version of the Apple device, forcing you to buy more just to get even.
In addition, when you rely not hat, as I did with my Treo 700p, you find that your always changing out cards, because you have different things on each card. With bigger cards these days that's less of an issue, but it still exists. And it's only now that Google is making storage on cards the same as internal storage. Truth is, that's been a bitch.
The only annoying thing about the way Apple does it is to not allow mass storage directly in USB. But then, do you really want external storage dangling off your device? I don't.
The improvement to the Kingston that I would like to see is for it to not have any internal storage, but to have a UDMA 7 CF slot instead.
The Note offers either 16GB or 32GB (more than the base Apple devices) and as it supports 64GB (and more beyond) SDXC cards that takes its capacity beyond the largest Apple offer and my last phone was 32GB onboard and microSD expansion. And as SDXC cards expand, it's likely the Note can take more memory than the next Iphone as well. Google is not making internal the same as external, that's up to the handset manufacturers and it's not uniform across Android devices. I don't see your Treo example as relevant as the market has changed substantially in the many years since it was released.
As for devices hanging off the devices, if it's sitting docked or similar (which is where I'd be using a storage device) then I wouldn't mind having a cable coming off it just as I have no problem running it with headphones attached.
Plus at worse if I really want to use a wifi storage devices as reviewed here, I still can. However it's not been a problem previously and doubt it will be now
Good point but again, who is forcing you to by anything Apple? Don't like their products then don't buy them. The problem that you have is mistaking your desires and needs as that of others. Many, many people have shown that they are more than content with the current memory levels that come in iPhones. Second, not everyone that buys an iPhone or iProduct for that matter is at geek level 20. These are average people with average needs. If you haven't figured out Apple strategy by now, then there is really no hope for you in the future.
Are you still complaining about the lack of mini SD slots on an iPhone after all these years? Really? Have you been asleep or under a rock? Apple is NEVER, and don't like to use never, but I can with confidence here, gonna add an external slot to their devices. This is how it is and how it has been and will continue. Android is always there for your money if you're not happy.
Now in regards to these two products. I own them both and have to admit that the Kingston is the easier of the two to use. There is a Mac OS X problem that will eventually prevent the WD from mounting. Included in the WD box is Paragon's NTFS's software to help you mount the drive, but the driver and Mac OS X have issues. Eventually something gets hosed up and she's no work no more. For Mac users, if you format the drive to HFS+, you will more likely lose the wifi function of the drive as well. While this might be a great drive for Windows users, it is something in my opinion that Mac users should avoid.
No, wasn't complaining - guess this is a sore point for you. My point was simply that these wifi products are clearly more useful for the Apple devices which lack expansion as opposed to the Android devices which do, both internally and externally - the article seems to miss this completely.
Not a sore spot just that I see the difference between this being a geek site, catering to uber-power users verses the normal users who could not care less. People want phones that work, not phones that are tweaked, fiddled with. Other than some of the super-uber-OTT-geeks here, who really has the time or desire to think about if their device has SD slots, or this or that processor or graphics unit. What I like about this site is that it does not appeal to the average user, meaning that when you come here, you know what you're getting. This is what makes this site better than Macrumors.
These products exist to share content. A simple Camera Connection kit for $29 allows me to easily add up to 32GB of storage. These devices are more defined by the sharing software that lets them serve data to other devices.
This weekend I will try to do a TimeMachine rollback on my MBP to the point before the Paragon drive pooped the bed and see if I can get thing get things peachy again. The combination of having to use a 3rd party driver just to get the thing to show up is a deal breaker for me.
Can we write data to these devices ? Especially to the bigger one, the GoFlex Satellite.
I'm an amateur ohotographer and the first time I heard of Satellite I thought that it could be the final mobile storage solution for photo safaris (100's to 1000's of raw photos in just one session at max resolution needs more than one sd card). I was thinking of connecting my Canon 60D with Satellite through an Eye-Fi card. But at first there wasn't enough info on the net and now after this review I'm beginning to suspect that it can do what I'm dreaming of.
Yes you can write to it, but if you are on a Mac, there are issues. Apparently there is a problem in Mac OS X 17.x that is causing the Sat not to show up in Finder. When you buy it they give you Paragon's NTFS software that is supposed to let you mount NTFS volumes under Mac OS, but it does not work. If you were to format the drive to read HFS+, you will lose the wifi capabilities, so in effect you can: a) Format the drive HFS+ and lose wifi, b) take your chances with the Paragon software and hope it does not hose your system, c) skip this thing all together and just use a regular external drive. While I like the idea from Seagate, it is not very reliable.
The real answer, surely, is that these drives should support WebDAV. I'm kinda amazed that neither of them do --- this seems to indicate extraordinary incompetence on the part of both companies (backed up by this NTFS/reformatting the drive loses wifi nonsense --- WTF --- I perform what is essentially a SW operation and I lose HW functionality???)
IF such a drive supported WebDAV it could then be used by a variety of iOS and Android apps, which support WebDAV, and could (simultaneously, if that is useful) be attached to Finder or Windows Explorer, to allow a PC to easily add and modify files.
Is how easily/possible it would be to take the Seagate drive, and swap out the 2.5" hdd for a decent sized SDD?
If it's do-able, that could easily give you the best of both worlds......the speed of the SSD, as well as the lower power consumption. You might not want to go whole hog with a 512GB SSD (as that would probably be prohibitively expensive), but even a 100 to 200GB capacity would still give you plenty of storage, and not break the bank.
Given that we've already been told reformatting the drive LOSES the WiFi functionality --- apparently the genius designers neither included that functionality on separate ROM, nor used firmware tricks to prevent that section of the disk from being touched by a reformat --- swapping drives seems highly unlikely to generate any useful result. You will now have a larger than usual 2.5" drive, with NO WiFi capability, and which cost you a lot more than a standard 2.5" drive.
I'm surprised the G-Technology drive is missing from this article. It's different from the GoFlex in that it doesn't offer a battery but it does have Gig-E ethernet so you can put it on a physical network when you need it.
addendum:
I don't know why people keep ranting about MicroSD card slots. They're fine for augmenting storage but the ideal behind these products is sharing to multiple users. So if I'm traveling with my kids I can take a loaded drive and they can choose which content they want to watch or listen to. You can do that by simply shoving in SD card.
Did you guys happen to note the file system information about the file system that is actually used on the Wi-Drive. I have been trying to replace the usb stick and need to try and get the filesystem formatted in the correct way.
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32 Comments
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Glibous - Monday, November 21, 2011 - link
I really like how the WD product looks but as you said in the first page...looks like a re-purposed iPhone 3G. It is very similar. I'm just hoping Apple doesn't find a way to use that in another patent war. I don't think WD has the same capital as Samsung to fight them off..Impulses - Monday, November 21, 2011 - link
These things would be irrelevant if Apple included microSD slots and/or USB slots into their devices. 32GB Class 4 cards from Sandisk can easily be found for $35.Almost every Android tablet can be connected to a portable USB HDD or any thumbdrive with a USB OTG cable; or an extra adapter in the case of tablets like the Galaxy 10.1 and TF which lack USB w/o a dock and only have the propietary charging ports on board ($10 adapter converts that to USB). Even some phones can use OTG USB cables to hook up HDDs, gamepads, etc.
Just saying...
Johnmcl7 - Monday, November 21, 2011 - link
This is exactly what I was thinking when reading the article and surprised none of it is mentioned, I can certainly see why these devices may be useful for Apple owners but less so for Android over time. I currently have a Galaxy Note so if I was needing more storage I can either pop in a micro SD card (or have multiple and swap between them) or simply plug in a standard USB flash drive or hard drive through USB OTG.John
melgross - Monday, November 21, 2011 - link
Honestly, most other companies use SD slots so they can cheap out on the memory they offer. Often when buying one, it comes with even less memory than the lowest memory version of the Apple device, forcing you to buy more just to get even.In addition, when you rely not hat, as I did with my Treo 700p, you find that your always changing out cards, because you have different things on each card. With bigger cards these days that's less of an issue, but it still exists. And it's only now that Google is making storage on cards the same as internal storage. Truth is, that's been a bitch.
The only annoying thing about the way Apple does it is to not allow mass storage directly in USB. But then, do you really want external storage dangling off your device? I don't.
The improvement to the Kingston that I would like to see is for it to not have any internal storage, but to have a UDMA 7 CF slot instead.
medi01 - Monday, November 21, 2011 - link
BS.Most other companies do not have loyal fun base that is eager to pay 100$ per 16Gb "extra" memory.
Same goes for your "often" argument. Most Android tablets start with 16Gb AND have micro SD slot.
medi01 - Monday, November 21, 2011 - link
I wish I new which device with micro SD card support has it "dungling out of the device". Maybe ifanboi need to look around.inplainview - Monday, November 21, 2011 - link
What? Could not quite comprehend the insult you were trying to throw. Try again please.inplainview - Monday, November 21, 2011 - link
I know you from AI mate. How's things and your arguments are spot on here as over there.Johnmcl7 - Monday, November 21, 2011 - link
The Note offers either 16GB or 32GB (more than the base Apple devices) and as it supports 64GB (and more beyond) SDXC cards that takes its capacity beyond the largest Apple offer and my last phone was 32GB onboard and microSD expansion. And as SDXC cards expand, it's likely the Note can take more memory than the next Iphone as well. Google is not making internal the same as external, that's up to the handset manufacturers and it's not uniform across Android devices. I don't see your Treo example as relevant as the market has changed substantially in the many years since it was released.As for devices hanging off the devices, if it's sitting docked or similar (which is where I'd be using a storage device) then I wouldn't mind having a cable coming off it just as I have no problem running it with headphones attached.
Plus at worse if I really want to use a wifi storage devices as reviewed here, I still can. However it's not been a problem previously and doubt it will be now
sethiol - Monday, November 21, 2011 - link
Ditto. Just one more reason why I tend to avoid most Apple products.inplainview - Monday, November 21, 2011 - link
Good point but again, who is forcing you to by anything Apple? Don't like their products then don't buy them. The problem that you have is mistaking your desires and needs as that of others. Many, many people have shown that they are more than content with the current memory levels that come in iPhones. Second, not everyone that buys an iPhone or iProduct for that matter is at geek level 20. These are average people with average needs. If you haven't figured out Apple strategy by now, then there is really no hope for you in the future.medi01 - Friday, November 25, 2011 - link
"Others" are buying wireless media, to compansate for lack of normal slots on device.Want to talk about "the needs" again?
inplainview - Monday, November 21, 2011 - link
@Impulses andJohnmci7,Are you still complaining about the lack of mini SD slots on an iPhone after all these years? Really? Have you been asleep or under a rock? Apple is NEVER, and don't like to use never, but I can with confidence here, gonna add an external slot to their devices. This is how it is and how it has been and will continue. Android is always there for your money if you're not happy.
Now in regards to these two products. I own them both and have to admit that the Kingston is the easier of the two to use. There is a Mac OS X problem that will eventually prevent the WD from mounting. Included in the WD box is Paragon's NTFS's software to help you mount the drive, but the driver and Mac OS X have issues. Eventually something gets hosed up and she's no work no more. For Mac users, if you format the drive to HFS+, you will more likely lose the wifi function of the drive as well. While this might be a great drive for Windows users, it is something in my opinion that Mac users should avoid.
Johnmcl7 - Monday, November 21, 2011 - link
No, wasn't complaining - guess this is a sore point for you. My point was simply that these wifi products are clearly more useful for the Apple devices which lack expansion as opposed to the Android devices which do, both internally and externally - the article seems to miss this completely.John
inplainview - Tuesday, November 22, 2011 - link
Not a sore spot just that I see the difference between this being a geek site, catering to uber-power users verses the normal users who could not care less. People want phones that work, not phones that are tweaked, fiddled with. Other than some of the super-uber-OTT-geeks here, who really has the time or desire to think about if their device has SD slots, or this or that processor or graphics unit. What I like about this site is that it does not appeal to the average user, meaning that when you come here, you know what you're getting. This is what makes this site better than Macrumors.hmurchison - Tuesday, November 22, 2011 - link
These products exist to share content. A simple Camera Connection kit for $29 allows me to easily add up to 32GB of storage. These devices are more defined by the sharing software that lets them serve data to other devices.inplainview - Monday, November 21, 2011 - link
Great article by the way Vivek.This weekend I will try to do a TimeMachine rollback on my MBP to the point before the Paragon drive pooped the bed and see if I can get thing get things peachy again. The combination of having to use a 3rd party driver just to get the thing to show up is a deal breaker for me.
ojingoh - Monday, November 21, 2011 - link
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC531ZM/A?fnode=...MadMan007 - Monday, November 21, 2011 - link
Something like the Kingston device but with an SDXC slot and no built-in memory, and that works with things other than iStuff.Cari - Tuesday, November 22, 2011 - link
.. but can you even use a wireless device while in-flight? (not to troll or anything but just laying it out there)hmurchison - Tuesday, November 22, 2011 - link
Some airlines are now offering in flight Wifi for a fee (usually $6)Kuhnian - Tuesday, November 22, 2011 - link
Can we write data to these devices ? Especially to the bigger one, the GoFlex Satellite.I'm an amateur ohotographer and the first time I heard of Satellite I thought that it could be the final mobile storage solution for photo safaris (100's to 1000's of raw photos in just one session at max resolution needs more than one sd card). I was thinking of connecting my Canon 60D with Satellite through an Eye-Fi card. But at first there wasn't enough info on the net and now after this review I'm beginning to suspect that it can do what I'm dreaming of.
inplainview - Tuesday, November 22, 2011 - link
Yes you can write to it, but if you are on a Mac, there are issues. Apparently there is a problem in Mac OS X 17.x that is causing the Sat not to show up in Finder. When you buy it they give you Paragon's NTFS software that is supposed to let you mount NTFS volumes under Mac OS, but it does not work. If you were to format the drive to read HFS+, you will lose the wifi capabilities, so in effect you can: a) Format the drive HFS+ and lose wifi, b) take your chances with the Paragon software and hope it does not hose your system, c) skip this thing all together and just use a regular external drive. While I like the idea from Seagate, it is not very reliable.Kuhnian - Tuesday, November 22, 2011 - link
I think you missed the point. I mean, can my Eye-Fi adapter send photo data to this disk wirelessly not over the usb (or other ports) cable.name99 - Wednesday, November 23, 2011 - link
The real answer, surely, is that these drives should support WebDAV.I'm kinda amazed that neither of them do --- this seems to indicate extraordinary incompetence on the part of both companies (backed up by this NTFS/reformatting the drive loses wifi nonsense --- WTF --- I perform what is essentially a SW operation and I lose HW functionality???)
IF such a drive supported WebDAV it could then be used by a variety of iOS and Android apps, which support WebDAV, and could (simultaneously, if that is useful) be attached to Finder or Windows Explorer, to allow a PC to easily add and modify files.
marvdmartian - Tuesday, November 22, 2011 - link
Is how easily/possible it would be to take the Seagate drive, and swap out the 2.5" hdd for a decent sized SDD?If it's do-able, that could easily give you the best of both worlds......the speed of the SSD, as well as the lower power consumption. You might not want to go whole hog with a 512GB SSD (as that would probably be prohibitively expensive), but even a 100 to 200GB capacity would still give you plenty of storage, and not break the bank.
name99 - Wednesday, November 23, 2011 - link
Given that we've already been told reformatting the drive LOSES the WiFi functionality --- apparently the genius designers neither included that functionality on separate ROM, nor used firmware tricks to prevent that section of the disk from being touched by a reformat --- swapping drives seems highly unlikely to generate any useful result. You will now have a larger than usual 2.5" drive, with NO WiFi capability, and which cost you a lot more than a standard 2.5" drive.tigertony9 - Tuesday, November 22, 2011 - link
One drive that was missing was the G-Technoogy G-Connect. http://www.g-technology.com/products/g-connect.cfmhmurchison - Tuesday, November 22, 2011 - link
I'm surprised the G-Technology drive is missing from this article. It's different from the GoFlex in that it doesn't offer a battery but it does have Gig-E ethernet so you can put it on a physical network when you need it.addendum:
I don't know why people keep ranting about MicroSD card slots. They're fine for augmenting storage but the ideal behind these products is sharing to multiple users. So if I'm traveling with my kids I can take a loaded drive and they can choose which content they want to watch or listen to. You can do that by simply shoving in SD card.
myapp11 - Tuesday, November 29, 2011 - link
How easy is it to remove the hard drives in the seagate wifi mobile device and the wi-drive device?I want to upgrade the hard drives?
Thanks
sallenmd - Thursday, December 8, 2011 - link
They should be happy with the >3 hours of streaming on one charge. Mine gives out after 45 minutes streaming audio to a single iPadmillerm - Tuesday, March 25, 2014 - link
Did you guys happen to note the file system information about the file system that is actually used on the Wi-Drive. I have been trying to replace the usb stick and need to try and get the filesystem formatted in the correct way.