ADATA DashDrive Air AE400 combines wireless storage and smartphone charging

Posted on 19 Feb 2013 at 09:50, by Gareth Halfacree

ADATA has announced its newest entry in the DashDrive external hard disk range, the DashDrive Air AE400 - which is designed specifically for smartphones and tablets.

The company's DashDrive range has previously been limited to rugged external hard drives which operate over USB. The DashDrive Air is different: as its name suggests, it can act as a Wi-Fi hot-spot for mobile devices, allowing up to ten smartphones, tablets or laptops to connect to a shared internet connection and access the device's storage.

This means USB pen drives, external hard drives or SD cards can be connected into the DashDrive Air and their contents shared out over the wireless connection, with Windows, OS X and Linux clients fully supported and a custom mobile app - DashDrive Air Elite - available for free download on iOS and Android devices. According to ADATA's testing, the system supports simultaneous streaming of 1080p Full HD video to three users, or 720p streaming to five without running into performance issues.

Finally, the system includes an integrated battery - required for running in wireless mode - which doubles as an emergency tablet or smartphone charger. By connecting the device to one of the DashDrive Air's free USB ports, the smartphone or tablet can be charged without the need for a mains connection with ADATA claiming that a fully-charged DashDrive Air can recharge an average smartphone from flat twice.

The DashDrive Air has been confirmed as launching in the UK for £52.99, with the first models expected to appear on shop shelves later this month.

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