Why would I buy the Connect Wireless USB Memory Stick ?

Humans have made another leap in the world of technology; we now have the wireless memory stick.  When I learned of this news, I could imagine there being many different uses for it, but when I tried to think one up, I struggled. After a morning of Venn diagrams and meditation, I managed to come up with some useful situations, that I’ve tested with the SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick USB Flash Drive, with 32GB of space.

BACKING UP YOUR PHONE
Storing files from your phone has never been quicker for me than using the SanDisk. So, for all the people that are struggling with 8GB and 16GB memory on their phones, or for all the hoarders that are scared to delete their photo outtakes, this is right up your alley. Ran out of room? I sent my files over to the memory stick, there and then. I could even set it up to automatically back up my dreadful photos from my phone’s camera roll.

VIDEO STREAMING
Congratulations to SanDisk on this one, they’ve chosen to use a built-in local Wi-Fi network as the mode of data transfer between USB stick and device, and they’ve made it quick enough for HD video streaming. I could store several of my favourite films and TV episodes onto the wireless USB and watch them on up to 3 devices at once. And yes, I could connect to both the stick and the internet at the same time. However, through streaming a video I found the USB stick’s biggest problem, which is the same major problem as found in every mobile device - the battery life. The wireless stick is quoted to have 4.5 hours of life by SanDisk, and though I didn’t sit down to test the battery life with a stopwatch, it certainly felt like 4.5 hours was all it could manage through normal use. If I didn’t charge the night before, I couldn’t guarantee whether I’d be able to make it through a full movie.

FILE SHARING IN THE WORKPLACE
The wireless memory stick could become the unsung hero of the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) revolution of recent years. During presentations, the audience can access the memory stick at as far as 45 metres away, and view the PowerPoint slides for themselves, or sift through related materials at their own pace. It’s no problem downloading even 100 MB worth of data, as even a file of this size will only take a nearby user around 30 seconds to download. No costly printing required.

VERDICT
SanDisk have done well to create a wireless memory stick that works. The device is compact, fast and simple to use, only hampered by its battery life. Perfect for someone that lives on their phone, travels a lot or wants to show off at work, but otherwise a relatively expensive USB memory stick for everyone else.