ADATA AE800, external drive and extra battery for mobile devices.
There is no doubt that the budget we have when buying a device is a determining factor in the final choice of the model. Many times we opt for a version of greater or lesser capacity with the intention of adjusting to the money that we are going to allocate for this purchase.
If we are clear about the use that we are going to give the equipment, this does not have to be a problem. Other times, however, after a few months we see how we have run out of enough space on our computer. Fortunately, the rapid growth that cloud storage systems are experiencing means that this is no longer so serious. However, there are users who prefer to stay away from this type of service, entrusting their data to physical storage systems.
The ADATA AE800 it may be an alternative for them. It is a storage system with 500 GB capacity and that, in addition, allows us to charge the battery of our device if necessary.
The configuration of the AE800 is very simple. After a few hours of initial charge prior to operation, it is enough to turn it on. The iPad (or iPhone or Android device) will detect a private WiFi network. We select it, we enter the key provided by the manufacturer and we already have our external storage system configured.
To use it we have to use an application (with versions for iOS and Android) that gives us access to a kind of file system from which to control all our content. The app is free and universal (iTunes link). Its interface is not one of the most well-cared that we have found and it has errors both in the translation of the content into Spanish and in the response of certain functionalities. For example, the option to restore device defaults does not return the expected result.
Apart from these problems, the application does the job, albeit in a slightly confusing way. The transfer of files from the iPad to the external disk is not entirely obvious and you have to take several steps when, looking at the interface, it seems that it would be enough to click on an icon. In any case, once you get used to this way of working, the disk can serve as secondary storage or as a backup of the content we have on our iPad. The application allows you to copy images, videos, documents and music.
The second function of this device is to act as an external power source for our equipment, so that if we run out of battery, we can charge it using the AE800. Too bad it’s not a particularly light device (it’s not very quiet either) and it can only be transported if we carry it in a bag. Of course, it is not comfortable to keep it in a pocket.
But the AE800 isn’t just mobile-friendly. We can also connect it to a computer and use it as an external drive or as a wireless access point to connect up to 8 additional computers.
In short, we can say that the AE800 is an interesting option for those users who want to have a physical storage system (either to expand the capacities of their equipment or to make backup copies of the content), as well as an additional external battery. . The problem is that the implementation and the user experience it offers are not as smooth as we would have liked to see, mainly due to the poor performance of the application. Fortunately, it is a problem that can be easily fixed with a redesign of this app.
The ADATA AE800 has a suggested retail price of €89.90.
Learn More: ADATA AE800
The AE800 unit has been loaned by ADATA for this test.
