How to Extend Storage for Devices Without a microSD slot

When choosing a device, storage capacity is usually one of the most important factors that one has to keep an eye out. Unlike other technical specifications, like the processor type and what kind of graphical processor unit is hidden under the hood, storage room must be always enough to accommodate your needs and it is sometimes seen as a threshold. In the fashion of the past few months, where device makers have opted to bring devices on the market that excel in every technical aspect besides the storage room (wave back Google), the time to get pass their limitations has come.

Today, we are going to explain how to extend the memory for devices without a microSD slot, a tactic which may be very welcomed, especially by those owning older Nexus tablets and smartphones. This is going to be done with the help of third party devices, such as cloud wireless solid-state drives (SSD) and where compatibility allows us, with actual USB Flash drives or microSD slots through a tricky method.

Although SD cards are quite vital, you can bypass limitations

Top 3 cloud wireless SSD

As long as the device itself has limited capacities, why not extend it with an actual solid-state drive? With transfer being done wireless, thanks to the Wi-Fi embedded antenna of various SSD models, this assembly can be the perfect option for those wishing to store movies, music and other large chunk of files on a 3rd party device.
Cloud wireless SSD can offer an impressive amount of additional storage (depending on the model, you can get up to 128GB) which can be accessed by distance. Their small size and high portability make them the perfect setup for travelers, as well as for those who wish to pair this device only inside their homes.
For instance, one of these devices is the Transcend StoreJet 128GB, which comes with a Ly-polymer battery that can power the drive for around 6 hours and a Wi-Fi antenna which can transfer at 150 Mbps speeds. Using this antenna, the drive can serve up to five clients in a small radius or become a part of a small wireless network. And the best part hasn’t even come yet.


Android and iOS users can take advantage of a nifty application which can be found on Google Play or Apple’s App Store, and access the device from any location, using the cloud. Having this in mind, one can charge the SSD using its USB 2.0 interface and keep it as a hosting device, while traveling around. I guess, that for some, this is the equivalent of having an invisible SD card everywhere they go -you can buy one from Amazon.

Top three Wireless Drives

Besides Transcend, there are other options in the market for those looking to purchase a cloud compatible drive which can be paired with a smartphone, or a tablet. More commonly known as wireless drives, they are more than sufficient to do the job of the cloud SSD presented above, at more than pleasant speeds.

• Kingston Wi-Drive: where there’s memory, there’s Kingston. The Wi-Drive is a highly portable wireless storage option which can be used in tandem with the iPad, the iPod Touch, Kindle Fire, Android-running mobiles and any other smart device. Coming with 64GB of memory, the Wi-Drive can be accessed through a dedicated application or, even with the casual browser. It comes with a regular Wi-Fi antenna, a rechargeable battery with 4 hours of juice and a USB cable that can be used for power, or transfers – all at the price of $69 from Amazon.
• Seagate Satellite: the Satellite from Seagate is an easy-to-use product that relies only on the browser and on a casual Wi-Fi antenna to do the job, while assuring high transfer speeds and almost 7 hours of battery life. Besides the usual compatibility with mobile devices, this baby can also be used by laptops and notebooks. Speaking of speeds, the Satellite relies on USB 3.0 for transfers, but can also cope with USB 2.0, Thunderbolt and FireWire 800. The model is available from various stores, at the approximate price of $190 for 500GB of storage. Imagine a Nexus 7 with that capacity.
• Gauntlet 320: the Gauntlet is a very reliable option, which has around 320GB of storage space and supplies a fast and flexible way to access media, over the air. This model has the ability to connect up to 8 devices and stream to 5 simultaneously, while offering dedicated applications for Android, iOS and Kindle Fire. Other technical specifications include the latest USB 3.0 standard, a lithium-ion battery with up to 5 hours of use and a 2-year warranty – available for prices around $160.

A trick for Nexus owners

For Nexus lovers which have discovered recently that 8GB of storage is not enough, there are other tricks that can expand this capacity. When the cellular network is not an option, or you simply do not possess an extra $150 for that shinning SSD above, Google has integrated an excuse for the limited memory which can be found as USB OTG (On-The-Go).
Using this functionality, every Nexus owner (and even those who have other devices that support this standard) can pair a regular USB storage drive or even a microSD card packed inside an USB adapter, simply by using the microUSB port on the Nexus. As you’ve hinted, the USB OTG standard allows devices to use USB drives without actually pairing with a computer first. Note: Sadly, Nexus 4 doesn’t support USB-OTG.