Showcased for the first time at the beginning of the year during the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show, Kingston's Wi-Drive, wireless storage device, has just been made official by the company and is compatible with a wide series of Apple devices.
Compared to the version that Kingston demonstrated at CES, the new Wi-Drive features pretty much the same look and specifications, but has lost some of its functionality as is now compatible only with Apple devices.
Kingston's Wi-Drive enables users to share the content they have stored on the device wirelessly with up to three friends at the same time.
The drive is available in two versions, one packing 16GB of storage space and the other 32GB, and can also be connected to the computer via a USB connection (Kingston also includes such a cable in the retail package).
When constantly streaming multimedia content, the device's battery life will top out at approximately four hours, putting it in stand-by raising this value to about six hours.
“Wi-Drive is an ideal solution for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users who feel confined by their current storage capacity,” said Andrew Ewing, Flash memory business manager, Kingston.
“Wi-Drive allows Apple device owners to wirelessly manage document and media files, and choose to share them with others, while on the go for work or pleasure.
“This unique functionality, combined with the durability of a Flash-based device, will satisfy both casual users and the most discerning technophiles,” concluded Mr. Ewing.
According to Kingston, the Wi-Drive should start selling later this month, and the 16GB version will be priced at 129.99, while the 32GB edition has an MSRP of 174.99.
In addition, higher capacity drives may follow soon, Kingston even planning an enterprise option of the Wi-Drive.
Compared to the regular device, this will feature improved hardware and better battery life, allowing up to 10 users to stream from it at once and is scheduled to become available in late 2011.
