Wireless networking storage and router: the perfect combination?
Hitachi is just released G-Connect, a personal storage and networking device that addresses a pervasive issue with mobile devices: too little local storage. It’s a question that has faced many tablet buyers: “should I get the 32GB for the extra $$$?” they ask. Hitachi has a solution: G-Connect is a network drive that lets mobile devices connect over WIFI to read, stream and store content.
And this is not just a personal device. In fact, Hitachi built it from the ground up so that you can share it with your friends and family. It has enough bandwidth to let three users stream high-quality movies, and many more can connect to fetch photos or music files (the actual limit is probably 256, due to networking settings).
But if you think that the networking capabilities of the G-Connect stop there, you would be wrong: G-Connect can also turn itself into a small router. Yes, you heard that right. If you plug it to an Ethernet connection, it can turn itself in a router and share an internet connection with multiple devices. That’s handy in hotel rooms or even in tech conferences…
Although Hitachi will present it as an iPad device, it also works with iPhones and it will eventually work with Android as well (still in development).
Interestingly, it works also with laptop and desktop machines. PC users can use it as a USB drive or a network/web drive. Mac users can also use it with Time Machine, the backup app in Mac OS X. Best of all, it can be powered by an array of power sources that include an AC adapter, but also a car adapter or… the iPad adapter! Yes, iPad owners won’t have to carry an extra power supply (don’t we hate that?) – this was an absolute requirement from the team that designed the G-Connect.
G-Connect will be available in July for $199.99 (MSRP) at many retailers or directly from the G-Technology website. It’s a bit more expensive that we would like it to be, but this is a unique device, so there not a lot of competition. How would you use it?
Filed in . Read more about Android, Hitachi, iPad, iPhone, Nas, Storage, USB and WiFi.