From Kingston I got a device that is very similar to iPhone 3GS. But it is a portable hard drive, which gives you more storage space for your smartphone. However, practice shows that it is not all convenient.
If you have chosen an iPhone with little memory because it is cheaper, you can run into the problem that you will run out of space at some point. You still want to be able to watch, or make and save nice videos, you want to take and save a lot of photos and you want to be able to listen to all your music. But full is full, or is it not?
Wi-Drive
The black shiny device has two icons on the front, a kind of globe and a WiFi symbol. Just before this you will see blue lights flashing or steady. On the side is a power button, with a reset button just above it. At the top is the mini-USB connection.
By attaching the Wi-Drive to the computer with a USB cable, you can put material on it. This works as simple as with USB sticks or your phone. When the material is on it, the fun part starts.
App
The Kingston Wi-Drive app has been available for Android , iPad, iPhone, iPod and Amazon Kindle since May . Although the website contradicts itself here and there, there seem to be three types of Wi-Drive, of 16GB, 32GB and one of 64GB.
After you have turned on the Wi-Drive, you can connect your phone to the device via the WiFi settings. Then go to the Wi-Drive app and you should see the Wi-Drive above your Local Files. If you select Local Files, you can long-press a file from the list that follows to copy it to your Wi-Drive. If you select the Wi-Drive, you will see a list of folders and files.
The Wi-Drive itself plays all files, no other app needs to be opened.
Internet
The disadvantage of connecting via WiFi to a device such as the Wi-Drive is that you then no longer have an internet connection. Well, according to Kingston, there is a kind of bridge function on the Wi-Drive. There is the above icon for the device. If the blue light flashes, there is an active internet connection. But you don’t get that just like that. You have to select a network in the settings as you normally do in your phone. After that, the device has to restart first, but unfortunately not much happens after that, at least for me. I have tried it on Android (where the settings open in the browser) and on iPhone, but I am not getting an active internet connection. I have the latest firmware and the latest apps.In the iPhone app, the buttons in the settings also respond very poorly to touch. In short:
Battery
The Wi-Drive battery lasts four hours, according to Kingston. That is also the time when the device goes from empty to full again. It’s not extremely long, I have to be honest.
Conclusion
Although I like the idea of extra storage with my phone (especially now that many devices suddenly do not have a micro sdcard slot), I think the principle has not yet been fully worked out. Despite the fact that it must be possible to set up a bridge connection via the Wi-Drive, this does not work properly. In addition, the battery drains fairly quickly, and you still have to transfer your files to the device via a cable. It was more convenient if you could also connect to Dropbox or other cloud storage via the app, or if the app could look up files from your home network. Then you do not have to hang the device on the computer. You only have to charge via a cable, of course. It just remains a bit cumbersome, so I would rather say: arrange cloud storage with Google Drive, Dropbox or other service,
Pros:
- Plenty of extra memory
- Easy to take with you
- App easy to use
- Handy indicator lights
Negatives:
- Internet bridge function does not work
- No access to home network files
- No access to cloud storage
- Settings section in app does not respond well to fingers
The Kingston Wi-Drive is available for the suggested retail price (retail prices differ) of 65 euros (16GB) and 125 euros (32) and can be purchased at Bol.com (32GB), Hardeschijfstore.nl (16GB) (32GB) , among others. Salland.eu (16GB) (32GB) and Centralpoint.nl (16GB) (32GB) (64GB)
