Thermaltake’s Latest BlacX Hard Drive Dock Adds Wi-Fi to the Mix

Despite the fact that thousands of products are unveiled at each CES, there’s usually only a handful that manage to stick around in your mind in the months that follow. For me, one product that managed to stay in my mind is a simple one: A hard drive dock. I’ve been a fan of Thermaltake’s BlacX docks since the original model, thanks both to the offered performance and the fact that they’re well-built – important given the fact I’ve had a lot of docks die on me over the years.

Well, with the new BlacX Urban Wi-Fi, Thermaltake now gives us another option to consider, and it’s well-worth that consideration if wireless functionality matters to you.

Based on the wording in the press release, it seems that to access the data stored on the dock, it will need to be connected to via Wi-Fi directly. This means that you’d have to disconnect from your router, and then connect to the BlacX directly, similar to the Vantec dock I took a look at last spring. The release goes on to say that Internet tethering will be possible, however, so we’ll have to wait and see what’s possible.

As you might expect, the BlacX Urban Wi-Fi supports USB 3.0 speeds, but remains backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.1. It also supports 2.5-inch drives and has a cool blue LED at its base. For Wi-Fi connectivity, Thermaltake offers a TtCloud app for both iOS and Android – though it’s unclear at this point if that app is required (the storage might be accessible via normal file managers if connected to the dock – or at least hopefully).

This latest BlacX should be available in about a month, and it will carry an SRP of $79.99 USD.