32gb ipad 4? is it possible to add micro cards for extra storage?

[runningbear29]

Just figured out how to use my USB storage device (2tb) as an extra storage device for our 2 household ipads.
Plugged it into the USB port on my BT Homehub 3 and then configured, mapped drive etc...
Then downloaded 'FileBrowser' from the app store at £2.99 if i remember rightly and installed on both ipads. Then after starting the app it found the usb drive after a few seconds and we were then able to browse photo's, music, films etc...
What an app!
So now my wife's ipad 2 32gb and my ipad 4 16gb can access all we need to.


I'm sure this would work with any router with a USB port free but check first as I am not liable for any purchases that don't work out.
Anyone else tried this?

That seems like a good work around for extra iPad storage.

 

[AQ_OC]

Hello Dear FriendsThank you for hanging in there,I must be a real pain in the buttHyperDrive Hard Drive for iPad (320GB version)How about this ?how does it compare to the airstash? pros & Cons that uses FAT File systemIn answer to using Ipad4 only and no laptop? this is a well made point by several contributors,can you guys give me a lean alternative that does not cost the earth?many thank Steve

This or the seagate goflex satellite both might work for you since you won't ever need to worry about getting the right format on them. Your storage will be fixed and you may need to carry a special charger around with these. But you won't need to fool around with multiple sd cards, either.

 

[norskipad]

Hello Again AQ_OC
I use at present a SEAGATE FREEAGENT a few year old now,I would not mind going to a smaller one if required but how does all this fit in with the bigger picture,How do I get the files from the EXT Hard drive to IPAD e.t.c. and of course this worry which as being pointed out re using the IPAD in isolation as my main machine?

So if I purchased say the 350gb HYPERDRIVE how does this work in conjuction with IPAD and will it let me stream/send any files of any size to the ipad?

I feel we are getting nearer this ideal solution, and I thank you very much as it is very important to me

best wishes Steve

 

[AQ_OC]

Steve,

I had the seagate goflex satellite back when it first came out and it think it has improved a lot since then. I sent my unit back because itndidnt work well then.

That devices sets up a wifi server and you put your iPad on its wifi. Then you use the free app to stream or store or save files to it. Very similar to the airstash, but with other pros and cons (much bigger drive (pro), needs its own charger (con), etc).

I have zero experience with the hyper drive product, so we'll have to hope that someone else chimes in with that.

For you, if you can deal with the downsides the goflex might be the better solution since you won't have to worrying about it having the proper format on it. Also, I think the goflex has another advantage - you can surf the web while still being linked up with it. This is a newer feature that wasn't implemented when I had one. I have read mentions of it here, some place.

I'm about to travel home, but later today I will try to find those posts for you.

 

[norskipad]

Very Interesting AQ_OC

had the seagate goflex satellite back when it first came out and it think it has improved a lot since then. I sent my unit back because itndidnt work well then.

That devices sets up a wifi server and you put your iPad on its wifi. Then you use the free app to stream or store or save files to it. Very similar to the airstash, but with other pros and cons (much bigger drive (pro), needs its own charger (con), etc).

I have zero experience with the hyper drive product, so we'll have to hope that someone else chimes in with that.

For you, if you can deal with the downsides the goflex might be the better solution since you won't have to worrying about it having the proper format on it. Also, I think the goflex has another advantage - you can surf the web while still being linked up with it. This is a newer feature that wasn't implemented when I had one. I have read mentions of it here, some place.

If the GO-FLEX Turns out to be the best option of the three we are looking at then so be it even if Go-Flex requires it`s own charger (minor problem) so some feedback on the HYPER-DRIVE would be very welcome from any member.

Really am very optimistic that a good solution will be found.I have some concern that the IPADs will be my only device,I just wished to ask if a small wireless mouse could be used wit the LOGITECH Lightweight Keyboard.and what experiences have folk had just using the IPAD4 as a do it all machine?


Once again I thank you very much

Best wishes Steve:thumbs:

 

[gbutterf1]

I have no idea if this helps but I use a a SD wi drive and eye fi card in my cameras( Nikon d600 and Luminax all weather it gives me the option to take a photo and send it directly from the camera either to cloud storage or my Mac or ipad) the benefit being that I cannot run out of storage as my files can be sent directly to a cloud and if using a camera in less than ideal contains I do not have to open a sealed camera to get at the data. The wi drive gives me a private cloud with 32 gig of additional memory and can be read by any wifi enabled device.
George

http://www.kingston.com/us/usb/wireless#wid
http://www.eye.fi/

 

[dhewson777]

I have no idea if this helps but I use a a SD wi drive and eye fi card in my cameras( Nikon d600 and Luminax all weather it gives me the option to take a photo and send it directly from the camera either to cloud storage or my Mac or ipad) the benefit being that I cannot run out of storage as my files can be sent directly to a cloud and if using a camera in less than ideal contains I do not have to open a sealed camera to get at the data. The wi drive gives me a private cloud with 32 gig of additional memory and can be read by any wifi enabled device.
George

http://www.kingston.com/us/usb/wireless#wid
http://www.eye.fi/

The WiDrives advantage over the Go Flex is the size is more compact. You can slip it in your pocket. The disadvantage is less storage space compared to the Go Flex Satellite. Otherwise very similar in operation

 

[MattIM]

I just got an email from Amazon telling me that the Kingston 32Gig WiFi Drive is on sale for US$49.99. This is cheap enough even for me! I do not know if this price is similar discount in other countries besides the USofA.

 

[MattIM]

.....I just wished to ask if a small wireless mouse could be used wit the LOGITECH Lightweight Keyboard....

The technology that distinguishes an iPad (and any other tablet) from another personal computer, is the ability to access apps and other features of the tablet without an external keyboard or mouse. Everything is by touch.

I remember when the iPad first came out people quickly discovered the limitations of such an idea: even in a larger format, people were having problems typing on the virtual keyboard and some complained that the iPad's touch technology did not allow the tactile sense of pointing at an image, clicking on it, and getting what you clicked on to launch. I was one of those people--I bought an external keyboard and I followed this forum to see if someone company or another would produce a tablet compatible mouse!

But now that I've used this iPad for over two years, when I go back to a laptop or PC, I find myself touching the monitor of that personal computer and trying to launch the app on the screen! (This is also why I am looking forward to seeing what the MicroSoft Surface Pro version would be...like a 'normal' personal computer or a hybrid of tablet technology with the ability of launching full blown MicroSoft compatible software applications?)

 

[AQ_OC]

The WiDrive could serve some of Steve's needs as well. Since it comes with fixed storage, there is never a need to format it, so no need for another PC.

The downsides I see are 4 hour battery life the claim. Also, the fixed storage. Even the 128 GB version is limited compared to a the Goflex (but the Goflex is spinning media, not solid state). Compared to the Air Stash+, one needs a cable to use the WiDrive with any PC/Mac...the Air Stash+ has a usb port built in. The Air Stash+ is infinitely expandable.

So, these things all have various trade offs.

Steve -- how do you plan to get your media? Movies, in particular? If you are buying them on iTunes, you won't be able to save them on any kind of external storage, as DRM will restrict your moving files around. If you create your content from your own collection of DVDs/Blurays, then you need a PC. Since you don't have a PC, then you will either buy from iTunes or use Amazon, Netflix, or Hulu (or any of the various TV sites, abc, etc.). So, this means you won't be doing movies on your external storage.

Then comes photos. Clearly, any of these devices will serve that need - more or less. You can use your phone or iPad or camera for photos. If you use a camera, and thus an SD card, then you will need a way to view those photos stored on the card. How will you get them to your iPad? Air Stash can do this because all you do is insert the card from the camera into the air stash (assuming the camera uses an SD card). None of the others can do this. The CCK can, as that is what it is intended for.

Music? You're not going to be ripping CDs since you won't keep a PC. You going to buy that from iTunes? Or Amazon, or Google? Or stream from Spotify or rdio? With Air Stash, you can play your MP3s that are stored on a card in the Air stash, and I suspect you can do that will all of these devices. I am not sure you can store music bought online to one of these devices. The Airstash app can't see the music in the music app on my iPad. So this could be one of thing things with being "iPad only: that could prove limiting.

Other files: If you create these on iPad, then all of these devices will let you storage them as long as the app itself can see the device. I know the Apple apps can see a WebDAV device, but I don't know about the others. Air Stash supports WebDAV with both DirectLink and SideLink (see below). So, I can save Pages, Keynote, and Numbers files to the device as well as read from it.

It seems if you are going to go iPad-only, with a keyboard, and a storage device, that they were a lot of things you have to consider to make everything work and to be able to do everything you need to do.

Personally, I have not done this, so I'm not sure I can say I can see far enough down the road to anticipate all possible outcomes and/or consequences of choices you make now in terms of how you spend your money.

BTW, Air Stash has something called Sidelink, which is still in beta. With it, you can play/stream content from the air stash while also being on line using your wiif. I believe the GoFlex has a similar feature. I don't know about the others. This was not a feature available when these devices first came out. You had to log onto the devices wifi and then you could not surf the internet. I'm using it right now on my iPad, playing music stored on the Air Stash while still surfing the web (not while typing this, though) on my house wifi. It's cool.

Steve, you might want to delay this decision until you can consider this fully. I see various issues that could arise. It worries me to offer advice when I myself have not done what you are attempting to do. I don't know if there are any real 'iPad-only" ninjas around here. Those that are probably don't have much computing needs. For example, if all you want to do is read/send email and surf the web, then things are simple. But when you needs become more demanding, more thought/planning is required.

 

[AQ_OC]

Steve,

I know that some Android tablets can use a mouse with a keyboard. I've done that on one of the tablets I had that had USB ports on it. I don't think it can be done on a standard iPad.

But if you are asking for this, then it sounds like you really need a MacBook Air or Pro.....

 

[gbutterf1]

I totally agree with the battery life the suggested life must be calculated in a dormant state, as when you start transmitting the lifetime drops radically

 

[kingjust35]

What I would do is purchase a Seagate Go Flex drive which is a portable Harddrive that is also a streaming unit right now the only size they have on the market is a 500 Gig. You can put movies, music, and photos on the drive and it will stream to your devices (up to 3 different devices) I have this drive as well and it also work with Android devices as well.

Sent from my iPhone using iPF

 

[kingjust35]

What I would do is purchase a Seagate Goflex which is a portable Harddrive. It is a streaming device as well. You can copy and paste your movies, music and photos to your drive and the drive will stream your media to up to 3 different devices it doesn't matter if your streaming to a IOS device or Android device.

Sent from my iPhone using iPF