Here is my new gadget for watching movies on my iPad without using my data plan or an internet connection.
The HooToo TripMate Nano is the little square-shaped box in the photo. It is tiny, weighs almost nothing, and creates a strong wireless signal that phones and tablets can detect and join. Why would you need it? If you have a collection of movies on a flash drive, and you want to watch them in situations where you may not have an Internet connection (in the car), this is the device for you.
I have converted quite a few of my DVDs to .m4v files using HandBrake. I had previously put movies on my daughter’s iPad for watching on trips, but with only 16GB, it didn’t allow for much of a selection before running out of room. The 64GB flash drive in this setup has over 50 movies on it.
Up to 5 devices can browse and play movies and songs from a single connected flash drive. The HooToo app must be installed, but each user can watch or listen to their own thing. So far I have tested with 2 iPhones and an iPad, each streaming a different movie, and the playback was flawless.
The white battery in the photo is just to show how self-contained this setup is. On a plane the battery would be needed. In the car it would just plug into the USB charger. This setup should come in handy on our next long trip. $35 for the TripMate and the 64GB flash drive is much cheaper than upgrading our 16GB iPad.