Reviews by The Church of Apple

Tag: Apple

  • Kanex meDrive

    The Kanex meDrive is small device that you can plug into your router, connect a USB flash drive and use it as a file server accessible to all devices, including iOS devices, a technology worth mentioning. It can be used for as many devices have the capabilities of seeing it and that have the credentials to log in. The Kanex meDrive is available from Kanex for $99.00.

    Form

    The looks of this device aren’t nearly as important as how it performs but there are a few things to mention. First, this device is very small and compact. This device may be able to fit in tight corners. The wires included are short so the device needs to be close to the router. Of course, you can get a longer cable and your meDrive will have more space to move about the cabin. There is a little light on the device that let’s you become aware of when the device is on or not, transferring files or not. The device reminds me of the Time Capsule that Apple sells or at least the looks anyways. In a device where the looks don’t really matter, it at least passes this category.

    Function

    The idea behind this product is a great idea. A simple file server that you can connect to your router and is accessible not only to computers like all file servers are but also iOS devices as well, providing a massive cloud service if you use massive hard drive (I tried a 1TB hard drive with it). Unfortunately, this is where the complimenting ends. This device does not work with Mac-formatted hard drives. Therefore, I can not use my hard drive with this device and then use it with my Mac right after, they don’t go hand in hand. Since I only own Macs, that’s a big problem. In addition, this device needs to be driven by a USB port. I have a USB port on my router thankfully but if I didn’t, I may have had to buy a USB wall outlet adapter just to use it. Adding to that, the USB cable may not be long enough so you may want to find an additional, longer cable. Therefore, with that said, this device is not wireless. There are two, possibly three wires involved. Power, Ethernet (to the router) and a cord to a portable hard drive if you have one. Once you have it set up, the struggles continue. Sometimes, my devices can’t recognize the meDrive at all. Sometimes, my device can recognize it but it appears as though there is nothing in my drive when there is and the best days are when it does recognize something but takes a few minutes to show up. It shouldn’t take long for it to recognize it at all. I know it wasn’t my device because A I have a 2012 computer and B it was right next to the meDrive. When I did get a 500 GB external HDD to work, it took a long time to show it’s contents. So long, I lost count of time and moved on with something else equally as boring. The same goes for my iOS devices. I rather just save my files onto the hard drive then take the hard drive to where I want the files and download it there. There is a good thing to say about the iOS app though, when it works, it is intuitive. Of course, all this is not to say that it never works. In fact it works sometimes, but when it does, it’s slow and it’s results are wildly unpredictable. When we had problems however, he had no help. The instructions and manual are useless for troubleshooting so that leaves contacting the company the only option for help and some people just don’t want to do that. From my perspective, the device has too many problems to recommend.

    Conclusion

    Pros

    -Looks nice
    -Lights provide some knowledge about what’s going on
    -Provided cables
    -iOS app, unlike the rest of the whole process, is intuitive

    Cons

    -Unreliable
    -Unpredictable
    -Needs to be tethered
    -Does not work with Mac formatted drives
    -When it works, it takes way too long to do anything useful with it
    -Instructions are vague and worthless for troubleshooting

    Ways to Improve

    Besides a need to fix it’s compatibility issues, it needs to be more stable so we can have better access to the USB device attached to the meDrive. A faster connection with the router needs to be established. The company needs to consider wireless solutions to a second rendition of the product. Perhaps, they could add wireless connections to the router and wireless power such as a battery. In addition, some improvements to the instructions and troubleshooting should be considered.

    The meDrive has too many problems for me to recommend it. The device was limited in it’s abilities and unstable. It is clear that Kanex has some kinks to work out before they have a stable, finished product. This product receives 2 stars from me.

    Thanks for reading,

    Joe

  • RooCase Origami Dual-View Folio for iPad mini

    The RooCase Origami Dual-View Leather Folio for iPad mini is exactly what it’s name implies. It is a case for the iPad mini and a nice one at that. The case is only $9.90 at Amazon. Let’s see if this cheap in price case is cheap in quality or not.

    Form

    This case actually is very nice on the aesthetic side. The case is pretty solid. The front cover folds into different origami styles for different ways to stand the case. I really like this feature as it adds more possibilities for stands than the standard bifold or trifold cases have. The case is made in five colors, all leather. It is made in black, red, green, purple and pink all of which seem like great colors. The case is pretty solid in terms of structure and it is made well. There is definitely well-done craftsmanship on this case. The case allows for easy access to all the ports. The camera, also, is not blocked. In addition, there is a small flap that is on the case that you can put your stylus on. This definitely comes in handy for people who keep a stylus for their iPad with them. The quality of this case reminds me of the iPad cases that Snugg sells. Aesthetically, it’s one of the better cases I have reviewed.

    Function

    I am not usually a fan of folio cases. They have been too thin to provide any protection for my iPad. This case is an exception to that rule. Despite it being light, this case is very protective. It is hard cased enough to protect your device while still keeping it light. Another thing I like about the case is the unique origami stand. The stand allows for 4-5 different viewing angles, handy for typing or watching. Of course, the best angle is to hold the iPad yourself and the case makes it quite comfortable to hold. In addition, I appreciate the slot for a stylus as I do use one sometimes. I feel as though this case is a great value for the money.

    Conclusion

    Pros

    -Great aesthetics
    -Solid Case
    -Great, unique stand
    -Slot for stylus
    -Cheaply priced but not cheaply made

    Cons

    -None

    How to Improve

    At this time, I see no reason to make any changes for improvement.

    This is a great case and for less than $10, you can not go wrong. If you have an iPad mini, even if you already have a case, get this one. It is on sale for $9.90 at Amazon from it’s listing price of $49.99. Five stars for a great case and a great price.

    Thanks for reading,

    Joe

  • Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt Review

    The Buffalo MiniStation ThunderBolt is a Bus-Powered Thunderbolt/USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive available in 500 GB or in 1 TB (1000 GB) storage options. It is available for $173.99 for the 500 GB model or $196.49 from B&H. Thunderbolt is a new technology that Apple has integrated with their computers. It is Apple’s retry at FireWire (this time without the licensing fee). It is regarded as faster than USB or FireWire and will provide amazing speeds for backup and storage. Let’s check out Appl… I mean Buffalo’s hard drive.

    Form

    I made that mistake of thinking that this product was an Apple product. Yes, this drive is just that good aesthetically. The product looks like a product that Apple would make. It is clean, smooth, easy to hold, light and thin. It’s texture feels like that of a unibody laptop from Apple. On the bottom it has a light that reminds me of the light that the plastic MacBook has though this product is much more durable. I feel as though if I were to drop this product, it would not even dent. The colors on it again remind me of an Apple product. The white reminds me of the white MacBooks and the silver reminds me of the silver on a MacBook Air or Pro. If you were to remove the branding, you would think it was made by Apple, and we all know that Apple makes beautifully designed and well-made products. Therefore, in terms of aesthetics, this product is right on. It’s the most well-designed portable hard drive I have seen and Apple should stop making the Time Capsule external hard drive and sell these instead.

    Function

    Truth be told, I have not actually owned a product that used the ThunderBolt connection before so therefore I did not have a Thunderbolt cable. Luckily, Buffalo had me covered there, they supplied the cable for me. Not only did they supply a cable but they supplied a short cable, which some may say is a bad thing but I view it as a good thing. Information between computer and external hard drives transfer faster when they are connected by shorter cords. Therefore, the already fast ThunderBolt was made faster by using a short cord. I have had no problems with the speed of the drive at all. The first time I backed everything up it took about 30 minutes while a USB 2.0 drive took about an hour and a half. Therefore, the claim that it is two times as fast as USB 3.0 is misleading. While ThunderBolt can be two times faster than USB 3.0, that is at the highest point. Also, the drive inside the enclosure does not handle fullest ThunderBolt speeds. However, despite this, I did see a significant speed increase over USB 3.0 and USB 3.0 was pretty fast too. The drive, with it’s small profile went right underneath the iMac and I never really see it, so it is out of the way and always connected. If you don’t have a lot of space, you can still fit it somewhere in tight corners. It contains huge amounts of space while taking a little amount of physical space. It does not have a second ThunderBolt port to be able to daisy chain so you must make it the last thing on the chain, if you already have another product that can not be daisy chained, you will have an issue. Despite that though, the drive definitely is a great machine that can store a lot of data so if your Mac is running low on space, this is the drive for you.

    Conclusion

    Pros

    -Best aesthetics for a portable hard drive
    -Bus-powered
    -High capacity for storage
    -Fast USB 3.0 and ThunderBolt
    -Small and compact

    Cons

    -A bit pricy
    -Can not be daisy chained

    Ways to improve

    The only way I could see to improve is to add the ability to daisy chain as I know that some people like to chain multiple drives together to create a super drive or to be able to connect multiple devices together. It would not be a bad plan as people who wanted to create a “super hard drive” out of a daisy chain of these hard drives would buy multiple hard drives from them, the company would make 10 sales from one consumer rather than one or none.

    To conclude, this could be an Apple product. It’s sleek design and fast transfer of data make it an ideal drive, that is if you can mind the price and the lack of daisy chain ability. It is recommended most to those who have USB 2.0 and ThunderBolt since with this drive you will see a significant speed increase. This external drive earns a 4 and a half stars from me. Great job Buffalo!

    Thanks for reading,

    Joe

    Images Courtesy: Buffalo