Corsair’s multitasking Voyager Air is an external HDD and streaming device in one

Corsair’s Voyager Air can store files, sling them to tablets via Wi-Fi, and even share Internet access among up to five devices.

As devices like smartphones continue to take on more and more capabilities in our everyday lives, it comes as no surprise that we’re starting to expect more from other devices as well. Corsair injected some more utility into the tired old external hard drive at CES 2013 with the Voyager Air, a Wi-Fi-enabled portable drive with a few other tricks up its sleeve.

While the Voyager Air looks like any other portable external hard drive at first glance, it can do more than merely store your files. In the same vein as the older Kingston Wi-Drive, you can use Voyager Air not only with computers (both Windows and Mac), but also with tablets and smartphones. The device comes with built-in Wi-Fi, so you can access your files even without  an Internet connection, as long as your mobile devices have the accompanying Android or iOS app installed. You can stream up to five videos at any one time on different machines.

If you want to watch videos on  a bigger screen, you can connect the Voyager Air to your home network so it can be accessed by your smart TVs, game consoles, and streaming boxes, among other devices. It also acts as an Internet passthrough: Let’s say you’re out of the house, and you can only connect one device to a mobile hotspot – you can use the Voyager Air as a hub so your laptops, tablets, and phones can share Internet access. Corsair’s Voyager Air comes with a USB 3.0 connection for fast file transfer. It will be available starting February in 500GB and 1TB capacities for $199 and $229, respectively. At launch, only the red and gray versions will be available, but if Corsair’s product shot is any indication of the product’s final color range, you’ll have a lot more to choose from in the future.