Tranferring files (tablet - PC)

**camperbc** · 09-14-2012, 05:46 AM

Please help me understand this, as I seem to be missing something here. (and as I'm still awaiting the arrival of my Nexus 7, this is all so foreign to me) All I've been hearing is that it is not possible to connect an external hard drive to this device to increase its storage potential. Yet if I am reading correctly, one can transfer files back and forth between the N7 and a PC just fine. Forgive my ignorance, but is this not essentially the same thing; that one is in fact creating more storage for the Nexus 7 after all? In other words, if it is just a matter of connecting the Nexus to my laptop via USB, have I not just increased the storage capacity of my tablet? Please, someone... explain this to my simple mind!

Glen

*Edit* Sorry for typo in title!

**strabo231** · 09-14-2012, 06:51 AM

When you transfer files to and from your pc, the files are essentially being written to the memory within the tablet before actually being read. With an external hard drive, it is possible for a device to read and use information stored by way of cache memory, etc, and not actually being stored on the devices memory. I'm not really familiar with google tabs other than the galaxy, but im guessing that the cpu within isn't beefed up enough to actualy perform these tasks whether it be processor speed, cache available, ram usuage, etc. Thus why you can transfer files between storage, but not actually use external media sources. Power consumption and gpu could also be factors. It may not be equipped to power itself and an external media source like an external hard drive. An external hard drive would act the same as an sd card that is actually stored inside the device. The file transfer is much like accessing an sd card in recovery mode. You can transfer files to from sd in recovery, but not actually use the files while they are stored on the card. They are transferred to the device first.

**vito032** · 09-15-2012, 11:13 PM

there is a way to connect external storage to your nexus 7 watch this on youtube he talks about 2 apps you will need. He talks about the around the 8:30 mark. And you will also need a otg cable which you can get on ebay for about $5.00 or less.

**GMJeff** · 09-16-2012, 02:29 AM

Are you referring to using a computer's hard drive as an external storage device?

A PC usually won't allow an external device to randomly access its files randomly without secure software installed on the host PC, similar to host software running on a server.

Seagate has a 500GB Wifi portable hard drive that has, according to them, 7 hours of battery life. They also say that 8 devices can connect at one time. I am sure that as long as the drive is formatted as fat32, it should be accessible to any tablet, phone or other device through the wifi radio. The hard drive would just have to be connected to the tablet so you could transfer files between the devices. Transfer speeds must be fast enough as it claims watching movies is lag free.

The bad news is price, $200.

I did see another option which was a wifi device that uses SD memory for storage, so it should be cheaper (I didn't see a price). It too, was battery powered, so it was portable like the Seagate, just not as spacious.

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