The Kingston Wi-Drive is built for an relatively new market for mobile wireless storage. For those who want extra storage capacity out of their smart phone or tablet, but do not want to pay the extra price. The the 32 GB version can be found for ~$60 and the 64 GB version can be found for ~$120 (they retail at 174.99 and 228.00). This drive is very small and sleek with dimensions of 121.5mm x 61.8mm x 9.8mm, and sports a smooth glossy black finish. It easily fits in your pocket, and with flash memory you have less to worry about when it gets bounced around in your travels, and it simply powers on with a side button. It connects to the charger and to your computer via a mini USB cable. The charger is also able to break down the plug and USB cable and it’s reasonably comfortable for it to fit in your jeans pockets. There is a claimed 4 hour battery life, which I am able to confirm as I have gotten about 4 hours and 17 minutes of 720p .avi playback on an Apple IPad.
The Wi-Drive is available for use on IOS devices, Kindle Fire, and Android 2.2+, which we tested on an IPad, Iphone4, Kindle Fire and Samsung Galaxy S. The Drive can store any file, but audio and video playback are limited to MP3, WAV, M4V, and MP4. Use with this drive requires downloading Kingston’s free app, which is fairly easy to use and allows you to set up your WEP and WPA security settings and what files you want to play. It does not, however, allow for any type of playlist, so it is pretty meaningless for you to be playing music from the Wi-Drive directly. It is also not very intuitive, as you need to specifically go through to select the wi-fi network for your internet each time (see: Kingston’s instructions). Despite the limitations, files open quite quickly and video playback is very smooth even if the drive is well across the room. To note, prolonged use of video playback made the Wi-Drive quite warm, however not enough to be alarmed about.
The nice thing about the Wi-Drive verses its biggest competitor from Seagate’s GoFlex Satellite wireless drive, is the portability and mobility factor. However the use of flash memory means that it is no match for the sheer capacity of Seagate’s drive, so consumers will have to make a decision for themselves. The fact that it also can retain internet connectivity is a definite bonus as well, considering the drive is made for mobility and those who are on the go Kingston hit its mark. Yet, the interface of the app and the lack of video/audio formats that can be used can be a definite issue for many people as well as price per GB as well. This is a niche kind of product, but I feel Kingston has managed to get a fit its own product into the market.
