iStick is an upcoming iPad and iPhone accessory that looks like it may be a big hit. It’s the first USB Flash drive with a lightning connector that works to share documents and data between iPads and iPhones and Mac and Windows PCs.
It’s a Kickstarter project that has more than doubled its funding target in one day. The target was $100,000; and it’s already got over $250,000 pledged.
This sort of USB storage for iOS devices has been on lots of iOS users’ wish list for years, and this looks like it could be quite a slick implementation of it. Here are some of the notable details and features of the iStick:
— You slide a switch on it to change from USB connector to an Apple-approved Lightning connector.
— It’s a flash drive that is Apple MFi certified to work with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
— There’s a free companion iStick app that’s universal – designed to run on iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch.
— Music & Movie Player (able to decode MKV, RMVB, AVI, WMV etc.) Stream tons of movies directly from the iStick onto your iPad, anytime and anywhere you want, even on planes. No Internet or wireless network required. The iStick app features a hardware accelerated video decoder that supports a wide variety of non-iOS native video formats like MP4, M4V, MPV, MOV, MPG, MKV, AVI, WMV, RMVB, FLV, 3GP, GIF.
— Works with Mac and Windows PCs
— Photo & Document (Excel, Word, Powerpoint, PDF, iWork) Viewer
— Open files directly on the iStick without the need to copy to iDevice
— Copy/Move files between iDevice and iStick
— File Management (Copy/Cut/Paste/Delete/Rename/Create Folder)
— Supports iOS ‘Open In’ feature – you can open files from other apps in the iStick app, and open files from iStick in other apps.
The iStick will be available in 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB sizes. It’s compatible with iPhone 5/5s/5c, iPad (4th Generation), iPad mini, iPad mini with Retina display, iPad Air, and iPod touch (5th Generation).
It’s expected to ship in late August.
Pledge levels that will get you an iStick start at $65 for an 8GB black or white unit. On various pledge levels you can get a free upgrade to a silver / aluminum iStick if you share it on Facebook or Twitter.
I just backed it this morning at the $85 level to get a 16GB model.
Check out the iStick Kickstarter page to see more details, some very good demo videos, and to back the project and get yourself an iStick.
Patrick Jordan
Founder and Editor in Chief of iPad Insight. Husband, father to a lovely daughter, Commander of the Armies of the North, dog lover (especially Labs), Austinite, former Londoner, IT consultant, huge sports nut, iPad and mobile tech blogger, mobile apps junkie.
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