Tech Tuesday: iStick, a USB Flash Drive for iPad and iPhone

May 27, 2014

By Laura Brauer

I don’t often write about Kickstarter projects, but this one is a real game-changer, especially for photographers. Thanks to the crowd-funded project for the iStick, porting images from computer to iPad (as well as the iPhone and iPod touch) just got a whole lot easier.

The iStick is a dual-connector flash drive—the first of its kind—equipped with both USB 2.0 and an approved Apple Lightning connector, so photographers no longer have to rely on Apple’s Lightning cables or WiFi to load images into an iPad.istickWorking with Macs and PCs, iStick supports JPEGs, TIFFs, GIFs, audio files and, thanks to the iStick app’s video decoder, a wide range of movie formats including MP4, among others. Of course, you can move and store documents as well.

While images can be copied to the iPad, they can also be viewed directly from the iStick; images from the camera roll can be backed up to the flash drive as well. Other iStick app features include 1080p HD movie streaming, the ability to backup and restore iDevice contracts and more.

A highly portable device, it’s available in five capacities: 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB. It measures 2.03 x 0.73 x 0.36 inches (51.6 x 18.6 x 9.1mm), weighs 0.35 ounces (10g) and comes in ABS plastic (black or white) and/or aluminum.

Kickstarter pricing currently starts at a minimum of $79 for an 8GB iStick, which will retail for $129. The company, HYPER by Sanho Corporation, hopes to start shipping the iStick in August of this year, and, thanks to wildly successful funding (it’s raised over $700,000 with an initial goal of $100,000), it has set an extended goal of supplying the iSticks with Dropbox functionality.

The Kickstarter project ends on June 17, so you have a little time to head over and order an iStick or two at a discounted price.

Compatibility: iPhone 5/5s/5c, iPad (4th Generation), iPad mini, iPad mini with Retina display, iPad Air, iPod touch (5th Generation)

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