Leef Bridge USB Drive Has Both Standard, Micro Plugs

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.

  • Kraszmyl
    So I know everyone hates Windows 8RT and all but why not mention that it should work fine with all RT devices and they even have one on their list of compatible tested devices.
    Reply
  • anything4this
    Good pricing too!
    Reply
  • WithoutWeakness
    11042151 said:
    So I know everyone hates Windows 8RT and all but why not mention that it should work fine with all RT devices and they even have one on their list of compatible tested devices.

    It has a full size and a micro USB port. The inclusion of a full-size port implies compatibility with any device with a full-size USB port, including laptops, desktops, and Windows tablets. The micro USB port isn't compatible with every device with a micro USB port. Only Android devices that support USB On The Go can use this as an external storage device. That micro USB port is what makes this special and it's why the article points out Android phones and tablets. If you have a Surface RT you can just use any standard USB drive you want, even external hard drives.
    Reply
  • Kraszmyl
    11043090 said:
    11042151 said:
    So I know everyone hates Windows 8RT and all but why not mention that it should work fine with all RT devices and they even have one on their list of compatible tested devices.

    It has a full size and a micro USB port. The inclusion of a full-size port implies compatibility with any device with a full-size USB port, including laptops, desktops, and Windows tablets. The micro USB port isn't compatible with every device with a micro USB port. Only Android devices that support USB On The Go can use this as an external storage device. That micro USB port is what makes this special and it's why the article points out Android phones and tablets. If you have a Surface RT you can just use any standard USB drive you want, even external hard drives.

    The xps 10 doesn't have full sized usb and uses micro ports as do other windows rt tablets. The only one I can think of off hand that has a full sized usb port is the Surface tablet. So far ive yet to have any problems plugging anything into the micro usb using native or converters.
    Reply
  • WyomingKnott
    Why would a storage key be compatible with specific versions of software? Other than the file system used, it should be passive and allow anything to read it and write to it. Is there secret sauce active software on it? Or is the multi-OS support with a specific Android level named nonsense to make it seem impressive?
    Reply
  • Kraszmyl
    Android doesn't natively support a lot of devices being plugged into it nor does it have a native file manager that would facilitate using a flash drive plugged into it.

    Android is getting there on device support and RT already does. So the micro usb on this thing is pretty awesome. I just thought it was silly to go on and on about how useful this is for specific android devices when anything with windows rt will be very happy for it and not having to carry around a converter to micro usb is awesome.
    Reply