NEWBIE - communication between ext hd, iphone, android slider, and microsd

[missjazeeboo]

Hi, I'm TOTALLY new to this. I was going to buy an ipad, but it's pretty much a bigger iphone (which I own), and Android looks so much more interesting

Anyways, I know I can accomplish this with a laptop, but I'm trying to avoid lugging that around, and I'm trying to find out how to do this (if it's possible) with my Android tablet WITHOUT a network connection. I'm going on a cruise and don't want to do this over wifi/network.

The slider has a USB. I wanted to use a usb hub and connect 1) external hard drive 2) iphone 3) camera with SD card

Goal: to use the tablet as a means of transferring files from the iphone or camera TO the external hard drive. The equivalent to transferring pics/videos in win explorer.

IS THIS POSSIBLE?

Going even more back to basics, how and is it possible for the Android tablet to recognize the iphone? I plugged it in and it wants to import into picasa.

 

[pbrauer]

well it is possible to connect an iPhone, but it is not going to use the proprietary apps. So, to answer the whole question, yes but it is going to be somewhat dependent on the Tablet and the specific peripherals you want to connect. Since you were looking at the iPad, I will assume you are willing to pay for a top of the line tablet, something like a Samsung, ASUS or Motorola. All of those will support those connections, but they all do it differently.

 

[jtsauburn]

You have several options to move files from one device to another, depending upon which devices you have:

1. Bluetooth: most phones and tablets have bluetooth available and you should be able to connect that way. Most cameras do not have bluetooth.

2. USB: Most devices including phones, tablets and cameras have a usb port. On cameras, it is usually a mini usb port which do not have a standard size; most cameras come with a mini usb to usb connector cord that you can use to connect it to other devices that have a full size usb port. Most other devices do not come with a USB connecter cord but you can usually get one for the device. Most phones use a standard size mini USB but some, like cameras, do not. It is best to get the cord that works specifically with the phone or camera; the other end will be a full size USB. Most tablets have a full size USB port. If you want to connect multiple devices simultaneously, you will need a USB hub. There are both powered and unpowered USB hubs available. All USB 3.0 hubs are powered.

3. SD cards: Most devices have either a sd or micro sd card port. You can buy a micro sd card; most of them come with a adapter that the mini card fits into that fits full size sd card slots. Each device will have a maximum size card that can be used in the device so if you plan on using this to transfer files, the card you use will have to be the largest size that all the devices can take. If you want to store movies on the card, it should be a class 10 card and you will need approx 7GB or each full length movie. Class 10 cards provide the speed needed to play video smoothly.

4. External Hard Drive: If you have a lot of things you want to move and store, an external hard drive may be your best option. This works especially well if you have alot of full length movies you want to share between devices. External hard drives require an USB connection. Also be careful because some of them may be USB 3.0 while your device may be USB 2.0. USB 3.0 devices will not work with USB 2.0. USB 2.0 devices will work with USB 3.0. You can pick up a 2TB external drive for under $100.

5. USB wifi dongle: There are small portable wifi dondles that plug into a full size USB port and provides wifi access to that device. If you device does not have wifi, but does have a full size USB port, you can use the dongle to provide wifi to the device. The dondle can be used with any device that has usb availabe, either directly or with a connection cable.

6. Tethering: Many phones and tablets (not cameras) can act as a tether, allowing other devices to connect to it, usually via USB and share that devices internet connection. There are apps available for tethering. Note: most phone providers charge a fee for tethering on their network, and have the means to tell if you are tethering without their data plan. You cannot tether multiple devices simultaneously.

7. Mobile hotspot: Many phones and some tablets can act as a moble hotspot, sharing the 3G or 4G service you get from your phone carrier. There is usually a charge for this service. A moble hotspot can share its internect to up to 5 other devices, however, the more devices that connect to it. the slower the speed will be.

Both tethering and mobile hotspot services use a data plan with different costs and limits depending on your phone carrier, and there are additional costs if you go over your data limit. There are apps available that will monitor your data use and notify you when you are close to your limit.

8. Mobile modem: Most phone carriers have a mobile modem, that can be used to provide their phone service to another another device via USB. For instance, if your tablet has wifi but not phone, you can use the modem in areas where wifi is not available. More and more public places provide wifi. As an example, most libraries and schools have open wifi. Many stores like Starbucks, McDonald's most malls, and other places provide open wifi. Some places have closed wifi, but they provide wifi to their clients (giving them the password to log onto ther network). In short, you can usually find an open wifi network somewhere. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if your criuse ship had wifi access! Getting an app like Wifi Analyzer can help you with this.

Phones, cameras and tablets all have internal memory. Data and apps can be stored in the internal memory, but you can also transfer them to an sd card. With tablets, apps are all stored in the internal memory and for now at least, cannot be transferred to sd card (data can be tranferred) . Keep this in mind when you are looking at how much internal memory you device has.

Android tablets do not have the means to connect to DVD or CD devices, so you cannot connot play movies from these devices. There are several options available to you so that you cann access movies and TV on your phone/tablet.

1. Most cable and satellite tv services have apps that provide their service to your moble device. With these apps, you can access live TV and things you record on their DVR.

2. Netflix and Hulu Plus provide their service to download or stream their programs to your mobile device. There are many other sources as well (as example, the NFL).

3. There are many online companies that allow you to download or stream movies. or music to your mobile device. Be careful though, many of these sites do not have legal permission for their movies, and downloading things from these sites could put you in legal jeapordy.

If you are an audiophile, you know that cd dvd and mp3 files do not have the same audio quality as vinyl records. This is because vinyl records capture the complete sound wavelengths, while cd and dvd use a compressed format, and mp3 is compressed even more. As a result, you lose some of the distinct and minute sounds. There are a few sites that are providing full audio files, but they are large and expensive. You also need. high quality headphone/speaker to take advantage of these files. I can tell you that the difference in sound quality is substantial!

4. Many sites such as Googles Android Market, Apples APP store, and Amazon allow you to buy/rent movies, music, games, or ebooks from them that you stream/use on your device.

For your existing movie collection, there are several programs that will convert the movie from its dvd format to a compatable format for your android device. You then transfer the coverted movie to your device. This is what I have done for my existing movie collection. I converted all of them and stored them all on an external hard drive. Now I have my complete movie collection and digital picture collection on one device that fits in the palm of my hand!

As you can see, there are many ways you can connect your devices to each other, depending on what your devices can do and what you want the connection to do.

As for which tablet? I have the Asus Transformer, which I absolutely love. The Transformer has won many top reviews in 2011, only topped now by the Transformer Prime. The Prime is more powerful than the transformer (qual core processor compared to dual core). Where you will see the difference really in with games optimized for the new processor. There are not many of these yet, but they are coming. The Prime has a few more bells and whistles also. What sets the Transformers apart from any other tablet is the keyboard, that attaches seemlessly to the tranformer and also provides an extra battery and more ports (the must have accessory in my opinion) .

You should be able to pick up a Transformer for several hundred $ less than the Prime. The Transformer can handle today's technology effortlessly; the Prime is forward looking. You will do well with either choice.

Good Luck!

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Android Tablet Forum

 

[missjazeeboo]

thanks peter i have an asus slider sl-101 tablet

 

[missjazeeboo]

thanks for the explanation. i wanted to know what app i should be looking at so my asus slider will recognize my iphone, camera, and external hard drive (all connected to slider via usb hub).

goal/issue: going on a cruise and don't want to use my hotspot - internatinal roaming charges are too expensive. i want to transfer pic/video from my iphone and camera by using my asus slider to transfer it to my external hard drive. is that possible? i can't get my slider to recognize my camera/iphone/ext hd. what android app would be equivalent to windows xplorer? thanks in advance