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skfields01

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 2, 2011
9
0
Just curious if anyone has actually bought this item and if so... whats your thoughts? Really just wanted it to load/offload comics, books and movies with the iPad 3.
 
Just curious if anyone has actually bought this item and if so... whats your thoughts? Really just wanted it to load/offload comics, books and movies with the iPad 3.

I just got one yesterday, and so far it's worked great.

The main limitation is only apps that access a Webdav server, like Airstash+ and iFiles, or have a built in web browser, like azul, can access it. See http://www.airstash.com/#apps. I've only used Airstash+, iFiles and Azul with it so far.

I got it for videos, and that is all I've tested so far. The main limitation here is you are still limited to iOS's video file types while streaming. Azul could play more types, like avi, but it could only download videos, not stream them. Hopefully future updates will allow this.

On my iPad3, I was able to stream a 1920X1080p video without any issues.
While using Airstash+, my 3rd gen iPad Touch was also able to stream the 1920X1080p video with some lag issues as the app was down-converting the video. So at least the limitation is only to the video type not the resolution.

Ultimately, it's only as good as the app you are using. Airstash+ works very well and is free, but has filetype limits. Also note that Airstash+ does have a "send to app" option.
 
I have one ....it works well but I find myself using dropbox. I bought it early on before I understood how dropbox and the rest of the filesharing apps work, I don't use it much anymore
 
I have one, actually on my second one. On the first one, the thing would turn off by itself anywhere from 5-20 minutes of use. I could turn it back on again (over and over again) but this was obviously a defective unit. Maxell (makers of Airstash) replaced it for me, no questions asked. Good customer service.

It works as advertised. I don't like that you can't use your data on the iPhone while connected to the Airstash. Since its a WiFi connection, your iPhone basically becomes a non-connected device even though data via 3G still works. They are supposedly addressing this in a future software update.

Otherwise, I really like it for what it does. The Seagate wifi drive is a lot more storage per dollar but I like the size of the Airstash and the fact that I can also access my Camera SD cards "in the field" this way. Sort of pricey for what it is, however.
 
Does the job, but …

I bought mine a few months ago when Maxell first made it available. I wanted to be able to view camera files on my iPad when I was away or on the road.

AirStash has a built in WebDav and HTTP server, but not SMB server. Much as I hate SMB, it is, for some strange reason, used in many apps on the iPad, so its absence makes it impossible to use those particular apps to view the files (I particularly prefer FileBrowser). The apps that do work aren’t as good.

Also, as others have commented, connecting to AirStash disconnects you from the real world, even though the blurb that came with it suggest that you can, in fact, join other networks.

I emailed support and got this reply:

We appreciate your interest in AirStash and your questions. I checked with product management and they confirmed that AirStash does not contain the SMB protocol. Also, at this time it is not possible to connect to another network while using AirStash. However, we are working on a free firmware update that will allow you to do this in the future.

Nevertheless, for what it does, I thought it was good value; just a shame that it doesn’t finish the job.
 
AirStash File Limit

I haven't tried, but I know that if the SD card is formatted Fat32, then there is indeed a 4Gb file size limit. You could try formatting the SC card to ExFat (OSX isn't friendly with NTFS any more). This removes one limit.
Mark
 
I haven't tried, but I know that if the SD card is formatted Fat32, then there is indeed a 4Gb file size limit. You could try formatting the SC card to ExFat (OSX isn't friendly with NTFS any more). This removes one limit.
Mark

The Airstash doesn't support ExFat so what's the point? 4GB file size limit is really small and won't allow me to put a 1080p movie in at full quality.
 
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