Hitachi’s G-Connect is another network hard drive that can be accessed by your iOS device, or from any mobile device with a web browser. The 500GB G-Connect has an 802.11n radio to allow you to connect to it from either an iOS app (to be released in the fall), or just direct through the browser.
Better, the drive also has an Ethernet connection, meaning you can hook it up to your current router and put it on your home network. This should solve one big problem of standalone Wi-Fi drives: that you have to disconnect from your home Wi-Fi, and therefore the internet, to use them.
The G-Connect will be available in July for $200. Press release pasted below thanks to no actual live product page yet. Just Facebook. Sigh.
G-Technology [Facebook]
G-TECHNOLOGY™ DELIVERS G-CONNECT™ WIRELESS STORAGE FOR APPLE® iPAD® WITH INTERNET ACCESS
New G-CONNECT Supports Five+ Devices, Wirelessly Streams up to Five Movies at Once, While Providing Shared WiFi Internet Access for a Hotel Room, Conference Room, Dorm, Office or Home. Now You Truly Can Take All Your Content with You and Access it from Multiple Devices!
SAN JOSE, Calif., June 22, 2011 – Known for delivering premium external storage solutions engineered to meet the needs of the Apple Mac® community, G-Technology by Hitachi today introduced its G-CONNECT™ wireless storage solution, the first in a family of products providing instant, wireless storage and 802.11n WiFi Internet access for your Apple iPad, iPhone® and many other mobile devices. The G-CONNECT solution provides on-the-go wireless access¹ to content that’s not already loaded on your iOS devices, including your favorite movies, music, books, photos and documents. No Internet connection is required. G-CONNECT provides access to five+ simultaneous devices, depending on the workload, and supports up to five SD or three HD video streams at once².
When connected via Ethernet to a network, the G-CONNECT drive becomes your own personal cloud or WiFi Internet access point, allowing you to surf and stream content, wirelessly, at the same time. Access and view content on the G-CONNECT solution with a mobile iOS app, which will be available in the App Store®, or through your browser. Android® devices are also supported with access through a web browser, with native apps available this fall.
Fitting easily in your laptop bag, backpack or purse, G-CONNECT is the must have iPad and iPhone storage companion. Power it up in a dorm room, conference room or hotel room via its AC adapter or take it on the road using Apple iPad-compatible USB power cables, car power adapters, or external batteries3 for hours of entertainment wherever you go.
G-CONNECT Highlights:
· Simple wireless storage for your iPad/iPhone so you can take more with you everywhere
· Easily access and stream content to your iPad and iPhone
· WiFi Internet access for multiple devices when connected via Ethernet
· Supports five devices or more, depending on the workload
· Wirelessly streams up to five SD or three HD movies simultaneously
· Surf and stream at the same time, i.e. listen to music, while surfing the Internet
· All content is automatically discovered and organized into Photos, Videos, Music, and Documents categories
· Flexible access via iPad/iPhone mobile apps, multiple browsers, PC, Mac, DLNA-certified connected TVs and Apple TV® with AirPlay®
· iPad/iPhone apps make G-CONNECT simple and easy to use; Android apps coming this Fall
· Password protection to keep your content safe
· A personal “private” folder allows you to share only what you want to
