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Verbatim MediaShare Wireless Portable Streaming Device

In addition to physical storage drives that you can connect to your devices, Verbatim also offers wireless access to your files through the Verbatim MediaShare Wireless Portable Streaming Device.

Like the Maxell AirStash Wireless Flash Drive (see earlier post) and Kingston MobileLite Wireless (see earlier post) the MediaShare is a wireless bridge to physical storage.

You can access USB disk drives and SD memory cards over Wi-Fi -- so you can extend beyond the built-in storage of smartphones and tablets, and easily share collections of files among all these portable devices.

You connect to the MediaShare like any other Wi-Fi source, like at a coffee shop or library -- Use the Wi-Fi settings to find the MediaShare, and then connect using the Wi-Fi password. (The default password is on the bottom label, but you can change this as well as other wireless properties.)

Once connected, you access the contents of the connected storage devices using the MediaShare app for iOS or Android devices. With the app, you can browse the files, and view photos, music, and videos. You can delete files, and copy them in either direction between your smartphone/tablet and the drives connected to the Mediashare.

Even better, you don't have to lose your Internet connect when you connect to the
MediaShare -- it supports a second Wi-Fi connection to your local hotspot, so you can stream and copy files and still access the Web.

The MediaShare also has a microUSB port, so you can connect it to a computer to use like any other external USB drive. And it's battery powered, charged through the same microUSB port, to run up to 9 hours.

The Verbatim MediaShare is a bit larger than some similar devices at around 4 1/3 x 3 x 1/2 inch, but it supports access to USB drives as well as SD cards. It also has nice features like separate status lights for power, data read/write, Wi-Fi, and Internet. It's available for around $56.

See my Holiday Gadgets and Wireless Accessories 2013 coverage for more on portable devices.

Find the Verbatim MediaShare Wireless Portable Streaming Device on Amazon.com

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