Smart phones and tablets are just about everywhere these days, and people are turning to them to handle more and more multimedia duties. While you can get an iPod or iPad with capacities of 16GB, 32GB, or even 64GB, many users might still have a hard time fitting in all of their Apps, plus their movies, music, and pictures. Once you have chosen your device, expanding the internal storage capacity is possible in a variety of ways with some devices, but not on Apple's products.

A few manufacturers have taken a novel approach to this issue by creating Wi-Fi capable storage devices. We recently looked at the Seagate GoFlex Satellite, a 500GB external hard drive that can be accessed by Wi-Fi enabled devices. While you can greatly increase the storage capacity of your iPad or iPod with one of these hard drives, the main downside was that it had just one Wi-Fi radio, so while connected to the hard drive you could not be connected to the Internet.

Kingston has now released their own Wi-Fi enabled storage device, the Wi-Drive. Their approach uses flash memory (available in capacities of 16GB and 32GB) and also features two internal Wi-Fi radios so that you can connect to the drive, and have a pass-through connection in order to go online at the same time.



The promotional image above provides our first look at the Wi-Drive 32GB wireless flash storage device. Before we take a closer look at the sample provided for review, let's take a look at some published data regarding the Wi-Drive 32GB wireless flash storage device found on the official product page on the Kingston website.

Features and Specifications:

» Portability: Wi-Fi enabled so you can take your favorite media with you â€" and not be tethered to
   your computer. Just use your digital device as a player and display.
» Expanded storage: Add 16GB or 32GB of storage space for more of your favorite music, photos,
   videos, PDFs and more. It's also a great companion for Windows users on iPads, as it removes the
   frustration of using auto sync to view content.
» Casual Sharing: Wi-Drive lets you share your favorite media with three users simultaneously â€"
   without any hassles. Access to the drive is done over the 802.11 g/n protocol, just like your typical
   home wireless hub, with a password. Carry extra files and content with you and use your iPad,
   iPod touch or iPhone as a display to share information. Best of all, Wi-Drive is backed by
   legendary Kingston® reliability, 24/7 tech support and a one-year warranty.

» Capacity: 32GB (also available - 16GB)
» Part Number: WID/32GBZ (WID/16GBZ for 16GB)
» Dimensions: 121.5mm x 61.8mm x 9.8mm
» Operating Temperature: 32°F to 122°F (0°C to 50°C)
» Storage Temperature: 14°F to 158°F (-10°C to 70°C)
» Wireless Network Interface: Wi-Fi 802.11g/n with wireless security (WPA/WEP)
» Rechargeable Battery: up to four hours of continuous use
» Cable: MiniUSB to USB cable included
   Â» User can upload files and content from their PC/Mac to the Wi-Drive using the USB cable
» Convenient: pocket-sized for easy transportability
» Simple: just plug into a USB port
» Guaranteed: one-year warranty
» App: downloadable at Apple’s App Store
» Compatible with: iPad, iPhone 3G/3GS/4, iPod touch (3G is limited to iOS4.2.1+)
» Customizable Device Name (SSID)
» Supports Native iOS File Formats:
   Â» Audio: AAC, MP3, WAV
   Â» Video: m4v, mp4, mov, Motion JPEG (M-JPEG)
   Â» Image: jpg, bmp, tiff
   Â» Document: pdf, doc, docx, ppt, pptx, txt, rtf, xls