MANILA, Philippines — Apple started with introducing iOS devices with fixed storage, i.e., no support for microSD cards to extend its storage capacity. First it was the hard disk based iPods, then the USB shuffle using small solid state storage and now the iPhones and iPads with fixed storage. This has always been a major point iOS haters highlight - the same way they highlighted the lack of QWERTY physical keyboard on both iPhone and iPad, and also the same way that they frowned upon the first iPod not having an FM radio. We all know what happened to these iOS devices.

Now comes Android. Most devices running on Android includes a microSD card slot that pundits flaunt. Until recently, additional storage support on Android is limited in functionality, mostly to documents, music, video and photos, no way to run apps from it.

Even with the capability of moving apps to the secondary storage, not all applications support it, which is really a pain in the behind. And oh, moving the app to the secondary storage prevents you from running it if the device is connected to a computer -- but that is not much of a problem to most.

What most do not realize is that Google’s Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus seem to have lost the microSD card slot. These Nexus devices do not come with plenty of storage -- these come with iPhone-like storage capacities. This is an indication of things to come, I think that Android will soon drop support for secondary storage -- to make the OS simpler (no user-accessible file system to maintain) and a little bit more secure.

So with very limited storage on your devices, how do you extend it without eating up your mobile data plan by having everything on the cloud? I have written about the Seagate GoFlex Satellite, the WiFi-enabled portable hard disk drive. This 500GB HDD has a battery that powers the WiFi radios, providing its own WiFi hotspot to allow up to 5 devices to connect to it and access its files. The downside is it disconnects your device from the internet - either you connect to the internet or connect to this device’s hotspot. However, for USD35, you can hack it and make it work like a network-attached storage. You can find the details at <http://hackseagatesatellite.com>.

Another device that I am testing now is the Kingston Wi-Drive. Same functionality as the Seagate GoFlex Satellite, but with a few differences. First, it is a solid state device -- faster but lower capacity. I got the 32GB, which I think is enough for my use (mostly videos). Second, the Wi-Drive functions as a bridge, i.e., it connects to a wifi hotspot and bridges devices connected to it and the internet. Now, you can still connect to the internet whilst connected to the Wi-Drive. Lastly, the portable storage only allows up to 3 devices to connect to it.

Performance-wise, I have yet to benchmark it by streaming several HD videos. Right now, it is being charged and will soon be filled up with movies -- perfect for the holiday vacation.