Why?
Well, the memory requirements on our "Mobile Devices", our beloved everyday toys is growing incredibly. The ongoing technological innovations make our cell phones and tablets, net & Ultrabooks true multimedia devices with full HD resolution, small video - & Fotocams for everyday use or even MP3 players. We save on these devices more and more and we use it sometimes to us at the airport, to watch a movie on the train or bus, to sift through a few documents or listen to the audio book lovers or our favorite tracklist while jogging.
At the same time, however, the memory development is virtually silent. For years, the maximum of the Micro-SD cards with 64GB is quasi "eingefrohren" that SSD`s with the necessary fast access times also depend somehow in the development of 256 GB hard (at least when it on the price-performance ratio ago still has to fit) and an absolutely terrifying for me trend also and especially in the field of mobile phones this unibody nonsense that forces us a product with a specific permanently installed battery and memory to buy. Even my beloved Android devices dispense more and more in the Micro-SD slot and we may again drauflegen some Euros if we want to have 64 instead of 32 GB in the device.
Of course, the chip memory and the SSD is much more battery-friendly and just the SSD`s are compared to traditional hard drives in addition still significantly faster access times what it actually makes it a must-have in such devices where the battery performance still the bottleneck is, but who wants to happy to keep up throwing like the old MP3 player with 256 MB disk space at that time his tracks and delete them down?
In short, just for a necessarily mobile people is the mobile carried along memory an issue and no one would also like for each device even his wallet with additional micro SD Cards burden, provided that these can still be used at all, but at the same time we have lots of digital media such as movies, home videos and photos, MP3, s, etc ... but we would like to take advantage of mobile, any mobile games which now also like to 2GB show on-chip or off-line navigation solutions Tuen still their remaining to at around the store quickly will be too tight.
Just as the Seagate Wireless Hard Disk comes into play and I'm absolutely thrilled since the purchase of the device. The decisive advantage for me is that I can lead 1TB of multimedia data in a single container with me and get after Lust & Laune, without you play simultaneously on three devices need or just those 3 devices also separately from each other having to maintain storage managing, saving a lot of life and is therefore a real step up in quality of life.
So that the reasons for this purchase, now to the device itself:
Delivery / unboxing:
In a word: Completely! It is next to the hard drive of course a USB 3.0 cable included, in addition there is a separate power adapter to "only" the battery of the device faster than with a pure USB charging port and even adapters for different countries are included. I know as well what I am talking, I am regularly traveling abroad. The hard drive in addition to all accessories makes a high impression, acts as a unified whole and the outer dimensions are only slightly larger than that of a "normal" external 2.5-inch hard drive, which is of course due to the additional components and the integrated battery. Also an additional weight compared to normal external disks in this format is - subjectively - barely visible. It is certainly a little more, keeping it here virtually a Wi-Fi hotspot with built-in memory in the hand, the works also without power, but it is at least felt but very under. The hard disk itself additionally has an adapter from the "normal" present in the PC hard drive connector on USB. I'm not really sure if this was intended for the sake of compact design of Seagate so just to integrate those laid interface or what other reasons might have it, but you should know that just that adapter must be carried for connection to USB if, for example venturing abroad and play or extract data there wants. If you want to use only the hard drive and the adapter just do not need, which makes again about 1 cm longer in the inserted state the device, Seagate has added a small plastic cover that precisely those interface to the adapter flush seals and protects from the outside world. Since then comes but also like a small point of criticism: Why namely the connection socket for the external power supply is not at least protected by a rubber plug, do not open up to me at a date reserved for outdoor use device like this one, on the other hand I criticize that too at so many other devices, where the mini-USB slots are open and Wind & Weather exposed equally. Yet, somehow leaves this circumstance then as a Gently "semi-finished thought feeling".
Topic: functionality?
Now I have not let any respect which benchmarks run write & read speed, but I have a whopping 900 GB of data (mathematically there are 950, so actually 900, comes from this 1024 translation) within a night transferred to the device and rejoiced after unruly directly out to exploit them.
The Wi-Fi hotspot is set up in seconds. There is a button on the side of the device. By pressing this, you get with every WLAN device (at least with any that I have in my possession, whether mobile, tablet or notebook) immediate access to the "Seagate WiFi" and can then by means of its browser on a kind of " Mini Server Administration Interface "on the hard drive itself, see its multimedia data and access them. That goes both for fixed Kathegorien (movies / music / pictures / documents) as well as by minimalist "Explorer" with the familiar folder structure. So everything runs browser-based from, including the streaming itself. If that's not enough, the Seagate offers in the respective app stores also have a free app on which virtually the ease again slightly increased because you can do without the browser, these but is not mandatory and it is supposed to be people who just do not want vollknallen their internal app store with hundreds of specialized apps is. So it is with or without app.
Big question: anybody can now access my Seagate WiFi?
Yes, the WLAN is basically only one open to everyone, but with very few clicks in the settings (whether via browser or app) protect myself and this WLAN with his personal password as you're used by routers and mobile hotspots. Already it is sealed against the outside world as evil and only desired accesses to the data storage are possible.
Topic: battery life?
This is of course a derariges device the A and O. What brings me the greatest streaming memory when he gives up the ghost after 20 minutes because of a lack of juice? Seagate is doing a generous term of "up to 10 hours", but that's probably another one of those lab value as we already know him from the car Spritverbauch ago. Will say: you can reach 10 hours probably, if one is streaming only text files with no less than 20 degrees Celsius and no more than 22.5 degrees Celsius but only if it does not rain in Malaysia, we will no solar storm in between and provided we staying close to the equator in just. I have the record now can not be intentionally times empty suck really but saying that initial tests stream entire films just as smooth me were (after all before 2 hours by not less amount of data) as well as several hours of audio files. But I submit detailed results like shortly after, when I sit around for hours again at the airport. What can I say so far? Fully charged, it is no exaggeration when I say, for 4 hours of movie streaming may sind.Man reached here just never forget that we immern och talking about a mechanical hard disk and not on chip memory here, mechanical hard drives draw something powerful on the battery.
Thread: load time?
So who now believes he could "charge just" quickly built the battery via USB which I have to pull it out the same. The included power supply has its meaning and I'm pretty sure that trying to get the instrument only via USB full before can take as 7-8 hours. I myself have also devices with integrated hard disk (Multimedia Player) which has long been in use and this I have a similar charging time via USB. Significantly faster with the included AC adapter until the device is fully charged pass about 2.5 to 3 hours.
Topic: weaknesses?
Yes, the device also has weaknesses and I would have mentioned this. If I further noticed (have this drive only been 2 weeks), so I submit this happy after.
1. Supported Formats
I myself use MP4 video files and MP3 audio files. There are very popular formats that are supported almost everywhere, so also the "Seagate streaming". Beautiful Gimick: In our selection window (regardless of whether the browser or app), we even see the covers and movie posters, provided that we have this tagged with the native files into it. However, I have noticed is that an unsupported streaming format is reflected by Microsoft to market WMA format. So if you like working with such formats, which should be aware that a considerable conversion expense / she will come to him. To support more detailed information from personal experience formats I have not and I post in my factory specifications Reviews extremely reluctant, so I leave that here. Nevertheless, you should check in doubt once whether the formats themselves a present of this "mini media server" can also be streamed. I can report that MP4 and MP3 functions without difficulty., But it can not just be giving "exotic formats" (eg WMA), where it is not just the case.
2. Outdoor fitness
So now I have not yet tested the device under conditions of extreme humidity or heat, but since it is a mechanical hard drive has been installed can I report that one should refrain from exposing to strong shocks. So "durchzurütteln" continuously while jogging this device like lead times to abort the stream (because of the read head has to re-align) and likely will shorten the life of the mechanical parts. Spatzieren go but is not a problem. Another point which I have already mentioned, is precisely the lack of protection cover for the power supply charging socket.
3. Portability
So I am aware that there is probably no other way and because I can not think that just, I give it no deductions in the B-note, but I will mention it: Anyone who intends the full scope of this Meda hard drive even with longer to use abroad, which should be prepared to list his journey to expand these items:
a) Power Supply
b) if necessary power supply adapter for the country jeweiluge
c) USB 3.0 cable (well, that does not fall into weight)
d) Adapter disk interface to USB
At least 4 parts, to which one should think in addition to the disk itself.
4. Battery permanently installed
I like something not so much because a battery can fast times bless the temporal. Now there are great advances in battery technology, no doubt, but not without reason, for example, in notebooks the warranty on the supplied battery is always again separately limited. However, I also have equipment that I have been around for years and still with the first battery in use and we will see if that is true of the Seagate Wireless Plus as well, which can give only time will tell.
Conclusion:
Well, really done is a review probably never, but I for one am perfectly happy with this little toy, only to elicit factual the battery life you should re-examine and require an extensive field test. Otherwise, the device does exactly what it should and that too without hesitation (so far). Over time, I'll see about whether it will stay that way and will report if I notice something special - both positively and negatively. Until then, I can recommend buying this device safely with the restrictions mentioned in this review.
