Leef Bridge USB Drive Has Both Standard, Micro Plugs

This USB drive is compatible with
devices featuring Android 4.1 "Jelly
Bean" and higher, and support for the
USB OTG standard.
On Tuesday Leaf Technology
introduced Bridge
, the first USB flash drive for file
sharing between Android tablets,
smartphones, Macs and PCs. It
removes the need to use cloud
services, cables, Wi-Fi remote apps
and other solutions by offering two
connectors on one stick -- a standard
USB plug on one end and a micro USB
on the other – that accesses the same
flash storage.
"The memory utilized within Leef
Bridge has fast read and write speeds
to ensure slick video and music
playback directly from the USB drive,
without the interruptions or delays that
accompany low-grade USB flash drive
products," the company said.
Leef Bridge features an exposed slide-
and-lock tray which enables users to
quickly switch to the USB connector
appropriate for their device
connection. However it's not
compatible with all Android devices:
Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean" or higher and
a micro USB On-The-Go (OTG) port is
required. The latter is a specification
that allows USB devices to act as a
host to attached peripherals like a
mouse or flash drive.
"Metago, the company behind ASTRO
File Manager has teamed up with Leef
to release an updated version of their
app that provides users with a
seamless experience using Leef
Bridge and ASTRO File Manager," the
company added. "Although ASTRO File
Manager is not required to be able to
use Leef Bridge, it is recommended by
the Leef design team for its intuitive
file management system."
Transferring files to and from Bridge
won't be quicker than using a
dedicated USB cable, but should be
ideal in situations where Wi-Fi and
3G/4G connectivity is out of reach,
and users aren't close to their desktop
or laptop. Yet it's also easier to carry
than a bundled up cable, so users will
have to pick their poison.
Unfortunately, a list that shows what
devices are compatible with the USB
OTG spec is hard to find. Device
owners will need to look at the specs
on the ODM's website to determine if
the micro USB port is compatible. This
list is only partial, showing twelve
phones including the Motorola DROID
Razr, the HTC One, Samsung Galaxy
S2/S3/S4, the LG Optimus G, Sony
Xperia phones and several others.
Samsung seems to be the biggest USB
OTG supporter in the tablet sector,
along with the Acer Iconia Tab,
Toshiba Excite 10 and a few others.
Here in the States, Leef Bridge is
available for purchase at Amazon and
www.2leef.com , costing $17.99 for
the 16 GB version and $28.99 for the
32 GB version. A 64 GB model will be
released next month, but the pricing is
unknown at this point. Leef Bridge is
also now available for purchase at
leading retailers in several
international markets, including
Russia, Asia and Central Europe.