Data Backup Digest

All across the consumer tech world, tablets are taking over. These innovative designs, which feature larger screens than the smart phone or mobile, are one of the hottest new options for accessing data on the go. But while tablet makers like Apple, Samsung and HP have included many cutting-edge features in these devices, some fundamental aspects of use seem to have been a little bit overlooked. One of them is the keyboard functionality, which is a natural challenge for tablet designs, but another one that’s even more important to many users might have been easier to fix. Namely, tablets have very fixed storage capacities. Many are sold without USB connectivity or any other easy way to back up data. That’s why expanding tablet storage involves some fixed options that users have to consider when their need for resident memory outstrips the native data capacity of their tablet.


Using an SD Card or WiFi Drive


SD cards and wireless external hard drives are some of the most popular ways for tablet users to back up their data or to send data overloads to an external storage location. Assessing the relative value of these options has to do with looking at cost and convenience, along with other aspects of a particular vendor product, such as a warranty or good customer support.


Cost


One aspect of choosing between an SD card and a wireless HDD is the cost of these external data storage hardware pieces. SD cards, such as Airstash models with 32GB for around $100, can be cheaper than some solid state Wi-drives, but more expensive than simple wireless storage hard drives like Hitachi’s G-Connect model, which offers 500 GB of storage at a rate of less than fifty cents per gigabyte.


Access


Another big issue with choosing an SD card or wi-fi drive for a tablet is access. Although some companies insist that their wireless hard drives offer hours of continual streaming and other convenience elements, there is always the inherent challenge of maintaining a wireless connection in a local area. By contrast, a cabled SD card connection is secure regardless of conditions for wireless signal activity.


Portability


Of course, the main reason that many people use tablets is for their portability. In that case, buyers might want to choose the smallest designs for external data storage hardware so that these pieces can easily fit into a small carrying case. Both SD cards and wireless external drives usually will fit into a very small pocket or part of a carrying case, but this can be something that users consider when they shop around for various designs.


In addition to these storage options, today’s tablet users can also choose new cloud hosted services that will back up data over wireless connections to remote storage locations. However, some users who want a more local storage solution will prefer a simple extra drive item like an SD card or wireless external hard drive. Any of these options can help when the factory-direct internal storage space on a tablet device isn't enough.