14 DAY TRIAL // We suppose it was only a matter of time before another hybrid device showed up, and one might argue that a merger between a USB flash drive and a network-attached storage device was overdue.
Then again, while those two products are similar in that they are both storage devices, they are different in every other way.
One is a small, easy to carry gadget, while the other is a large, bulky thing that doesn't lend itself to easy transportation.
Not to mention that network-attached storage devices are just that: network attached. They need to be plugged into a LAN and have a power cable too.
Nevertheless, where there is a will, there is a way. So when PQI willed to make a portable NAS, it used WiFi instead of Ethernet (802.11n WLAN).
Although an Ethernet port is still available for when the storage unit is meant to be used as an Access Point (AP) for multiple Wi-Fi-connected phones, tablets, PCs, etc.
The newcomer is called Air Bank 6W31 and has a capacity of 500 GB or 1 TB. It measures 77 x 135 x 20.5 mm / 3.03 x 5.31 x 0.80 inches (width x depth x height) and weighs 250 grams / 0.55 pounds.
Part of the reason for the weight is the use of lithium polymer batteries (can last for up to 5 hours on a single charge).
The price of the 500 GB and 1 TB Air Bank 6W31 USB flash drive-NAS hybrids are of 15,800 Yen (US $165 / 127-165 Euro) and 19,800 Yen ($206 / 158-206 Euro). Sales will begin on March 22 and will be restricted to Japan, at least at first. Both black and white case color options will be available.
Finally, given the shape, there is room to argue that the newcomer is an SSD-NAS merger instead of a flash drive-NAS combination.
Source: Hermitage Akihabara