14 DAY TRIAL // Wireless hard disk drives don't come out quite as often as flash drives, let alone normal, internal storage devices for PCs, but they still exist in large enough number that it takes some effort to make any new one stand out.
We'll leave it up to you to decide if a press release, combined with the round-cornered case, 1 TB capacity and wireless support of the new Canvio AeroCast portable HDD is enough to give it an aura of superiority.
The newcomer is definitely more feature-packed than most portable hard disk drive units in the world, all the while not being at all bulky.
However, one might argue that the price of $220 / €177 is a bit too high for it. After all, normally, a portable HDD can sell for a lot less than $70 / €56.
Still, a case can be made for it being reasonable, at least remotely. After all, the portable HDD has integrated Wi-Fi support.
The specs of the Toshiba Canvio AeroCast Wireless Hard Drive
As a portable HDD, it is small and light enough to fit in a pocket and be easily held in a one-handed grip. That much, at least, is unchanged from what portable storage devices are usually like.
What starts to deviate from the norm is the use of Wi-Fi technology. While there is a whole category of wireless HDDs, they are quite few compared to the normal portable models.
It's too bad that the newcomer can't double as a router really. As it is, the Wi-Fi connection is only there to let you link it to a PC or HDTV without the use of cables.
You might have to separately buy a Chromecast device to have everything work well though, and you'll have to download the Toshiba Google Cast Ready app as well.
Still, it's not like other wireless storage devices don't need similar intermediaries. Unless you own a particularly excellent smart PC that integrates those functions, you'll need the aides.
Conversely, you can back up content from your PC or mobile device directly to the Canvio AeroCast Wireless Hard Drive. Up to six devices can be connected to it at the same time, so you might want to have those films, photos and music files arranged in a coherent library.
Availability and pricing
Sales of the Canvio AeroCast Wireless Hard Drive should already be up for sale (availability set for December 11, 2014) at the price we mentioned previously. A Canvio Cast Wireless Adapter has been released as well, which grants Wi-Fi support to normal HDDs. It has a tag of $79.99 / €65.
