Accessing Mass Storage on Dev Alphas?

Is it possible to plug a Dev unit into a computer and access the memory on the device like a usb flash drive like Android without any extra software needing to be install on the computer like blackberry desktop manager software?

Not currently. That's USB MSC or the "Mass-Storage device Class" to which you refer, and neither the PlayBook nor the Dev Alphas currently support it. I have no idea what their plans are for BB10, however, and since what we have in the Dev Alphas is not the released version of BB10 (duh) we can't really extrapolate from what we see there to how the final version will work.

I think the OP wants to use the BB as storage, not access storage from the BB.

If I recall correctly, when you plug the PlayBook or Dev Alpha into the PC it will be detected as if it was a USB stick containing only the required driver (probably an old version). You will need to install the driver, as the BB doesn't actually work as a mass storage device but as a network device.

It is probably easier to just access it via wifi. The PlayBook and BB10 devices can be configured to publish their contents as wifi network shares. Then just browse to \\BB-IP-address\media from your computer.

Innovatology, that's what I was talking about too. The PlayBook and DevAlpha do NOT act as the USB "mass storage class" when you attach them to your PC, but act instead as a network device. Whether that will continue to be the only supported mechanism in BB10 is of course anyone's guess.

Thanks for the information.

I not sure what advantage Mass Storage has over it acting as a network device, from both you can access your files and drag and drop works on both. could someone explan the difference?

Originally Posted by Big BB

I not sure what advantage Mass Storage has over it acting as a network device, from both you can access your files and drag and drop works on both. could someone explan the difference?

BigBB, IMHO, the advantage is being able to access the drive from across the enterprise network.

Originally Posted by Big BB

I not sure what advantage Mass Storage has over it acting as a network device, from both you can access your files and drag and drop works on both. could someone explan the difference?

By posing as a network device, the PlayBook/BB10 provides access to its files using one single mechanism (network) instead of two different ones (network + mass storage). It's a sound architectural choice by RIM, easier to develop & maintain, offers better performance and potentially less prone to bugs.