14 DAY TRIAL // Wireless storage devices aren't exactly a common fixture of the consumer electronics market, but they aren't rare either, which means that companies do have to put some effort into making them look and act cool. Toshiba has just made its latest move in this field.
The company, or rather its sub-business Toshiba Digital Products Division, has formally launched the Canvio AeroMobile Wireless SSD.
This product has two things going for it, one of them being pretty obvious and the other coming to the fore only when there are more than a few wireless devices nearby.
The “obvious” one is the design: the new solid-state drive has a pretty distinctive shape, and it's also a bit larger than it could be, especially for its capacity of 128 GB.
We've seen plenty of drives of twice that storage space, or more, but which weren't as long or wide, and which were thinner too.
However, some concessions had to be made here because Toshiba had to basically cram a Wi-Fi router alongside the PCB and memory chips.
Ultimately, though, it managed it, and it didn't settle for a second-rate component either, which brings us to that second distinctive feature we were talking about: device coverage.
Not only does the Canvio AeroMobile Wireless SSD have the ability to link up to any Wi-Fi-enabled device, but it can sustain eight links at once.
So if you're out hiking with your friends and you all want to stream something else to your smartphones, tablets, laptops or whatever else, you can all do it at the same time. Offloading data to the drive is possible too.
So even though the capacity isn't the biggest, 128 GB is still a fair bit, especially when the drive only weighs 4.2 ounces / 120 grams.
Furthermore, there's an SD card slot built into the side, making it possible to transfer photos and videos taken with whatever camera you or your friends took with you on your trip.
Just keep in mind that the battery charge life isn't as good as that of your tablet or phone, and in some cases, even that of your laptop. The Toshiba Canvio AeroMobile Wireless isn't expected to last for more than 8 hours of video streaming. Adding the Internet pass-through mode won't help, though it does basically turn the drive into a Wi-Fi access point.
The Toshiba Canvio AeroMobile Wireless SSD with 128 GB capacity should be up for sale at the price of $210 / €151.
