Review: DataCase

Overview DataCase helps you make USB drives things of the past by flexing the power of your iPhone or iPod Touch, using it as a wireless portable storage device. It’s simple, quick and convenient, although slightly overpriced.

Functionality With DataCase, the next time you need to quickly move a large file between computers you can whip out your iPhone from your utility belt, in superhero fashion, launch the app and simply drop files into the drive, which will appear in your computer’s finder or desktop browser. No cables, no keychain drives, no nonsense. To work, your phone or iPod needs to be connected to the same wireless network as your computer, but once connected can easily be accessed by Mac OS or Windows users (check out DataCase’s simplicity in these quick video walkthroughs).

Just think, the next time your friend demands copies of birthday photos, you don’t have to upload them to the web, burn a cd or lug your laptop over to her place; instead you could open DataCase, drop the files into the drive and be on your way in minutes, bringing nothing with you other than your phone. The app allows you to drop items into folders that can be added and managed, with varying security settings. It monitors how much space DataCase has available for usage and how much material is being stored through the app’s system, although it doesn’t show how much of the device’s total memory is in use by iTunes synced items and by DataCase items, so you don’t get a visual of what percentage is being used by DataCase comparatively, only of what you are storing through DataCase. Most files can also be viewed directly on the device, including documents, pdfs, photos and, perhaps most importantly, movie files (although it is limited to only those file types that the iPhone system can handle).

Review This app does a great job of making life easier and eliminating the need for a USB drive (when a wireless connection is available). It is very useful and will certainly be a lifesaver in those moments when I need to transport a movie, large project or set of files, but don’t have a portable drive with me. It definitely increases the value and productivity of your iPhone or iPod Touch and is simple and easy to use. It is, however, slightly overpriced for being such a simple app and has room for improvement. As mentioned above, there is no visual representation of your entire disk usage, only of how much of the currently unused space that DataCase is using. There is no way to reorganize items once they are already added to DataCase. Although filters can be employed to help view specific file types, like movies, documents or photos, there should be a way to move files to different folders. Files must be deleted one-by-one, unless they have been previously organized into the same folder, in which case the entire folder can be easily deleted. It would be useful if there was a way to select and delete multiple items at once within a specific folder. Also, while DataCase can make itself available to computers, it cannot access, browse or send files to computers on its own. Although this might be a little more complex of a task, it would dramatically increase the value of the application. Summary DataCase simplifies life by making use of your iPhone’s unique capabilities and eliminating the need for a USB drive. It is fairly basic and slightly overpriced for what it is, but it does increase the value and productivity of your phone in a straightforward approach.

Related articles