Storage to use with Tablet.{Large}

[chiangrai]

I have 2 storage needs which I would prefer to solve with the one device but don't know if that's possable.

One I have a laptop with about 250GBs on my disk D which I would like to save in case anything happens to the laptop.

Two,I have a tablet on which I would like to play the same 250GBs when I am away for the weekend.

So I went shopping for a 500GB USB,thinking it would do the two jobs but..............the jacks won't fit my Tablet.

So in the confusion of shopping with little knowledge of computers and the Thai language I was given 2 choices,

The USB which will store all my stuff but cannot be played on my tablet or a 32GB card which I can play on my tablet but will not store all my stuff.

I also heard of a 64GB card but didn't see one for sale.

So did I get it right,I have to buy two devices or can I buy a cable that connects the USB to the Tablet or a jack adapter.The Thais say no,are they right.

[hereforgood]

Need to know the make and model of your tablet to be able to answer this question

Sent from my GT-I9200 using Tapatalk

[kkerry]

This is what I would do. Buy a 500GB or for slightly more baht, a 1TB external hard drive like a Western Digital Passport or similar. Connect to your laptop and copy over all the files you wish to play and/or have a back-up of if your laptop hard drive was to die or your laptop was stolen.

Also buy a micro-SD card. They come in different sizes and with different speed ratings. I get class 10 cards myself but as your Lenovo tablet you have mentioned previously isn't high end then class 4 will probably do. To decide what size to get, take a look at what you would like to take with you for a few days away. I would get 16 GB. Not expensive, but large enough so you don't have to be continually deleting stuff to make way for new items. 16GB or 32GB are the best value cards at the moment and not expensive. 64GB cards are still not all that common so you pay a premium, a high premium if purchasing in Thailand compared to some overseas countries. If you get the larger 32GB card then I think a class 10 may be best. Most micro SD cards are sold with an adapter so if you have an SD card reader in your laptop (most do) then insert the card and copy over a selection of the movies etc. you want to play when away. I would leave 1GB spare so if you run out of storage for apps on your tablet you then have some room to transfer some over to the micro SD card. When you're done copying you can pop the card into your tablet and you should then be good to go.

Edited January 11, 2014 by kkerry

[JesseFrank]

Don't know what you mean with a 500 gbUSB, as i've never seen that, but probably you have in mind an external disk which connects through USB ?

Tere are adaptor cables from micro usb > USB, in fact most tablets have them included, at least my Ainol tablet had one in the box, so I guess you can buy them somewhere in panthip or Tuckom

By the way the one in the picture is 2.18$ include shipping to Thailand

http://dx.com/p/micro-usb-male-to-female-otg-data-charging-adapter-cable-for-samsung-i9220-i9250-black-117597

Edited January 11, 2014 by JesseFrank

[dave2]

re

64GB cards are still not all that common so you pay a premium

1500 baht in a jjb shop in chiang mai

dave2

[Turkleton]

^^

These cables are so called: "OTG cables"

They're allowing the tablet to act as a "USB-host", which means, you can attach external devices like hdd's, USB sticks, mice or keyboards, etc. (in theory.... )

Available everywhere.

Edited January 11, 2014 by Turkleton

[muratremix]

How practical to use usb external hdd to a tablet? I'd say very inconvenient.

Perhaps invest in wifi harddrive solutions to use with tablet.

[chiangrai]

Thanks for all the reply's,

What I tried to buy today was a500GB external hard drive but they all had a micro usb socket and a cable that had a micro usb jack on one end and a large usb jack on the other end,so you can only use them with laptops.

To save me buying one of these and a card i need a cable with a micro jack on both ends or an external hard drive with a large usb port.

It would be nice to have all my stuff with me when I go away an not just 32GB of it.

O.k,I've just read over the last two posts,this OTG cable is to be used WITH the cable I have,not instead of it.

This is exactly what I'm looking for,this is what the Thais in Tesco and my local computer store say doesn't exist.

I think I will order the one on JessyFranks link and go back rearmed and re informed.

JessyFrank the one on your link is for Samsung but I presume it works for Lenova as well.

Thanks

[chiangrai]

muratramix,

I appreciate your advice but why would it be impractical to use an external hard drive with 250GB of videos on a tablet.

Especially when I don't even know what a wifi hard-drive is and may not have wifi in my hotel room

[JesseFrank]

Thanks for all the reply's,

What I tried to buy today was a500GB external hard drive but they all had a micro usb socket and a cable that had a micro usb jack on one end and a large usb jack on the other end,so you can only use them with laptops.

To save me buying one of these and a card i need a cable with a micro jack on both ends or an external hard drive with a large usb port.

It would be nice to have all my stuff with me when I go away an not just 32GB of it.

O.k,I've just read over the last two posts,this OTG cable is to be used WITH the cable I have,not instead of it.

This is exactly what I'm looking for,this is what the Thais in Tesco and my local computer store say doesn't exist.

I think I will order the one on JessyFranks link and go back rearmed and re informed.

JessyFrank the one on your link is for Samsung but I presume it works for Lenova as well.

Thanks

Yes you can use that for any device, but since your external HDD has a micro usb jack, it would be more convenient to just buy a micro usb > micro usb cable, which can be found in any shop that sells computer accessories.

[chiangrai]

Not in my town mate,

It's a trip to the city or buy online.

Any advice about the online option because a trip to the city is an overnight-er.

I will try the website on your link.

[JesseFrank]

Not in my town mate,

It's a trip to the city or buy online.

Any advice about the online option because a trip to the city is an overnight-er.

I will try the website on your link.

Micro usb to micro usb seems not to be so easy to find actually, however a search for micro usb cable on Ebay shows that the cable pictured in my previous post is available starting from 29 Bht with free shipping

Prefer a Hong Kong supplier over a China supplier if you should order.

[chiangrai]

Yep,

And there's one guy in Thailand on Ebay selling the exact same cable for 260bht if I don't want to wait 3 weeks

[kkerry]

 

re

64GB cards are still not all that common so you pay a premium

1500 baht in a jjb shop in chiang mai

dave2

 

While 64GB cards have come down in price recently, it is now easy to find 32Gb cards for 650 baht, 590 baht for lesser brands i.e. 1x 64 GB card at 1500 baht is about 25% dearer than 2x 32GB cards for 1180 baht.

For smaller sizes it is the opposite e.g. 1x 8GB is about 40% cheaper than buying 2x 4GB cards, 1x 16GB is 10-20% cheaper than 2x 8GB cards and 1x 32GB about 5% cheaper than 2x 16GB cards.

In Singapore where 64GB cards are becoming the norm you pay only +5% compared to buying 2x 32GB cards when I was there a few weeks ago. The larger capacity San Disk cards are 25% cheaper in Singapore so there you get a SanDisk Ultra for less than the standard SanDisk card sells for in Thailand. YMMV

[bino]

OTG cable is probably what you need, but the 500GB or whatever sized conventional hard disk will need to be externally powered somehow. your tablet will not provide enough juice to spin the disk.

[kkerry]

I was wondering that myself. Even if the hard disk works off the tablet battery then wouldn't that affect battery life? For me the major reason for taking a tablet rather than a laptop would be to save on weight and clutter so taking a hard disk, even a small one and yet another power cable goes against that. If you are only going away for a day or two then it's not like you are going to be watching 250GBs worth of movies. Transferring what you need to a micro SD card is the way to travel lightest imo

[aarn]

Good point bino, my 10" irulu tablet can't power up the external HDD.

So, chiangrai may need a mains-powered (3.5") external HDD - but these are bulky.

Another option is transferring your stuff to micro SD/flash cards,

first google your tablet to check what is the max. size/storage your tablet can handle.

Also, chiangrai can go to ebay and check in the <tablet - accessories> section

for pictures/illustrations (as the good folk have posted here) of what is needed,

and order online (if time permits...).

Cheers, AA

[Langsuan Man]

Need to know the make and model of your tablet to be able to answer this question Sent from my GT-I9200 using Tapatalk

Why does the OP refuse to give us the make and model of his tablet if he want's our help ?

Not all tablets are created equal. For instance, my 2013 Nexus 7, tablet will not work with just an OTG cable. It must also have a app to make it work

Nexus Media Importer

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.homeysoft.nexususb.importer&hl=en

The OP should provide the information that was requested in the second post of this thread so that those who have the same make and model of tablet can tell him whether or not the OTG cable will work . Otherwise he may be just chasing his tail buying parts that might not function

[muratremix]

Wifi harddrive:

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Satellite-Wireless-External-STBF500101/dp/B004Z0S7K6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1389494669&sr=8-2&keywords=wifi+harddrive

It'll work with all android tablets no matter otg support or not. Of course its more expensive, but more convenient.

[chiangrai]

The tablet is a LENOVA A1000.

[Langsuan Man]

The tablet is a LENOVA A1000.

Wasn't your question answered here ?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/695195-transfering-filles-from-a-lenova-laptop-to-an-ideaa1000-tab/

[chiangrai]

I will be using it mostly in hotel rooms with possibly no wi-fi but with electricity.I like to have all my stuff with me so while I'm offline I have a chance to sort it all out and tidy it up.

So will my tablet power the 500GB HDD if the tablet is plugged in to the mains.

If not I need a hard drive that can be plugged into the mains.

Bringing even 64gbs of my stuff on a card does not really interest me.

They are not movie files they are educational videos and documentaries that need to be sorted out occasionally and being stuck in a hotel room with no wi-fi would be the perfect time to do it..

Where can these these mains powered external HDDs be found.

A 7 inch tablet and a 3.5 inch HDD does not sound bulky to me.

Thanks to all for your continuing help.

[Turkleton]

^^

First:

You NEED an OTG cable!

They are mechanically different to "normal" USB cables.

It won't work without!

Second:

why not just use a powered USB-hub (plugged into the OTG of course) with your external 2.5" hdd?

Edited January 12, 2014 by Turkleton

[Turkleton]

How practical to use usb external hdd to a tablet? I'd say very inconvenient.

.....

I use my old tablets as mediaplayer, so under some circumstances, it can be very convenient, to just plug in a stick or hdd or digital camera.

[dddave]

Most tablets I've seen only support up to a 32GB SD memory card...check your tablet's specs before buying a 64GB.

Speaking of cheap SD cards, while I've never had problems with the cheap 8 & 16 GB cards I've bought at Pantip, I did have problems with a 32GB B800 card purchased there. Later I purchased a better quality 32GB card at twice the price but it worked properly

[phetphet]

Have a look at Seagate Satellite wireless drive. I think that Western Digital also do one now, but it is in fact a Seagate. You can carry your media around on it, and stream to your tablet.

[kkerry]

If only using with a budget priced tablet then pricing may be an issue...

http://i.nvade.it/45t

Edited January 12, 2014 by kkerry

[chiangrai]

Turkleton,

This is the kind of thing I'm looking for.I can get an OTG cable.

But I don't know anything about powered HDDs.

Is this something like the 3.5 inch mains powered HDD cover.

Any more information and explanation about these would be great.

[JimMagee]

An external USB hard drive will not work on a Tablet. Even if you bought the microUSB adapter, the tablet will not recognize the drive. Your only option is to get a 64GB micro SD card and move the data between the computer and the tablet. The micro SD cards usually come with an adapter so you can also plug it into your PC. You can also connect the Tablet directly to the PC via the USB cable that came with the tablet. Do a search on www.androidtabletpcsupport.com for more options and information.

If you need more than 64GB, then a wifi external drive is a good option, but both the tablet and the drive need to be connected to the same wifi router.

Edited January 12, 2014 by JimMagee

[chiangrai]

The wi-fi option won't work because I am usually in a hotel in Laos with little or no wi-fi.

Ideally I need something powered by electricity.