Samsung has collaborated with Seagate to bring us an external wirelessly-accessible hard drive designed to work with Android devices to bring wireless media streaming to the fore. The drive sports a huge 1.5TB capacity, allowing you to carry around up to 750 movies, over 350,000 MP3s, almost half a million photos, or any mix of the above.
Dubbed the ‘Samsung Wireless’, it allows up to five users to connect wirelessly to the hotspot generated by the device, which in turn allows users of Android 2.2 Gingerbread or higher to stream media from the drive. It’s not just Android though; Windows XP or Mac OS X 10.6 (or higher, for both platforms) will also be able to stream media.
The Samsung Wireless can also act as an internet access point (not via cellular, to a fall-back wireless network) for the five connected devices, ensuring they can access the drive content as well as the internet while connected to its wi-fi. The drive also offers USB 3.0 connectivity to a desktop-type machine to allow you to load the drive up with content more quickly.
The internal battery has sufficient charge for around 7 hours’ use, and if need be, it can operate as an external power-bank for connected devices, allowing you to stream media and get a power hit at the same time. The drive will come with an AC adapter with multiple power tips to provide compatibility with worldwide markets.
Samsung says the Wireless will be available worldwide soon, with an asking price of $US 179 (or about $190 in AUD in today’s money).
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Samsung HDD Business Unit Unveils High Capacity Media Streaming Device
Mobile Users Now Have Their Entertainment Hotspot Everywhere They Go
CUPERTINO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Seagate Technology plc (NASDAQ: STX) today announced that its Samsung® HDD business unit is shipping its new Samsung Wireless media device for mobile users. Consumers can now carry up to 750 movies, and unprecedented libraries of music and photos everywhere they go. Samsung Wireless allows up to five users to connect making this the ultimate entertainment hotspot. The Samsung Wireless is available globally for MSRP of $179.00.
“Samsung HDD continues to drive innovation of storage solution for enterprise level to consumer applications”
The Samsung Wireless media device is designed as a portable accessory to consumers’ mobile devices (smart phones & tablets); its sleek design, small form-factor and light weight make it an ideal companion. The Samsung Wireless fulfills a variety of today’s multimedia demands and is a perfect accessory for every generation of mobile lifestyle. No internet connection is needed with the Samsung Wireless; it streams content wirelessly (via WiFi) to up to five devices. The Samsung Wireless is a simple and easy to use device.
“Samsung HDD continues to drive innovation of storage solution for enterprise level to consumer applications,” said Doug DeHaan, General Manager, Samsung HDD division. “Smartphones and tablets are more and more becoming the preferred method for consumers to watch video content but these devices have limited storage capacity. Samsung HDD is meeting this burgeoning demand by providing a device with the storage capacity consumers need to supplement their mobile device.”
“Android is the most popular OS for smartphones on the market with 78.1%* market share; Samsung leads smartphone vendors with 39.5%* market share. The Samsung Wireless gives those consumers a fitting accessory to carry with them. Consumers will now have the luxury of having all of their multimedia content with them everywhere they to go, to enjoy personally and share with family and friends,” said David Klenske, Product Line Director, Samsung HDD.
The Samsung Wireless is a 1.5 TB wireless drive; it holds up to 750 movies, 375k MP3s, 425k photos or a combination of these multimedia or other type files. It supports Android® 2.3 or higher, Windows® 8/7/Vista/XP SP2, and Mac® OS X 10.6 or later. It has long battery life, up to 7 hours**. The Samsung Wireless can connect to other wireless networks to provide internet access in addition to local streaming. Up to 5 mobile devices can connect to it at once. The Samsung Wireless comes with a USB 3.0 port. Also, users can use the Samsung Wireless to charge their mobile devices. To learn more about the Samsung Wireless, please visit http://samsunghdd.seagate.com. Seagate’s Samsung HDD Division Ships World’s Thinnest 2TB Storage
About Seagate
Seagate is a worldwide leader in storage solutions. Learn more at http://www.seagate.com. Follow Seagate on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and subscribe to our blog. Samsung HDD is a division of Seagate Technology plc (NASDAQ: STX).
©2014 Seagate Technology LLC. All rights reserved. Seagate, Seagate Technology, the Wave logo, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Seagate Technology LLC or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. Samsung and the Samsung logo are trademarks of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. When referring to drive capacity, one terabyte, or TB, equals one thousand billion bytes. Your computer’s operating system may use a different standard of measurement and report a lower capacity. In addition, some of the listed capacity is used for formatting and other functions and will not be available for data storage. Quantitative usage examples for various applications are for illustrative purposes. Actual quantities will vary based on various factors, including file size, file format, features, and application software.
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Would it be possible to stream data from this to chromecast dongle?
Pretty sure you could have 2TB storage + a Raspberry Pi (running xbmc) for that much coin, to serve the same “media streaming” purpose
Yeah, but this is clearly targeted at the average Joe.
Hmm .. wonder when it will come to Oz? I would like to get my hands on one.
Interesting idea.
Wonder if it comes with a removeable battery? Pull the battery, and leave it permantly hanging off a plugpack as a quick and easy WiFi media streamer for a home or office.
Good thought but it is powered to charge the battery so we can assume it will run off that, no need to remove the battery. There are probably cheaper options though, mind you acting as a wifi repeater is another benefit and the ability to charge your phone is very handy indeed.