As we look to capture nearly every life event and regularly increase number of apps we use, we quickly bump up against a persistent problem – limited storage capacity. Even with increasingly powerful mobile devices coming on the market all the time, the space they afford us never seems to be enough. While android devices offer a wider set of options for expanding storage, iOS devices have a small, but growing set of solutions. One leader in this fast-growing space is 5-yr old Leef, which started with its launch on the Russian market. With the launch of their new iBRIDGE device, they’ve set an industry first with a 256GB storage option for iPhones, iPods and iPads.
Starting at £49 for their 16GB option, iBRIDGE comes with a iOS 7/iOS 8 app making it seamless to do things like automatically back up photos, directly transfer the photos that you shoot to your iBRIDGE and enable music, video and document viewing and playback. Last month, they announced a new enhancement to iBRIDGE called Leef ChargeThru, which now enables users to pass power through the iBRIDGE USB port to the Lightning connector in which it is plugged to, addressing issues around both storage and battery life. Unlike many other players in this space, Leef has opted to keep their full product development process in-house, a novel concept in a sector where offshoring is the norm.
A potential solution for security concerns
Another aspect that the Leef team is looking to address with iBRIDGE are heightened concerns around information security. With the last year’s iCloud breach and the steady stream of revelations about government data surveillance, users are starting to look at external storage devices as a possible answer to concerns around data protection. In speaking specifically about this concern, Leef Director and Partner Johnny Anderson adds
“It (iBRIDGE) is ideal for those nervous about storing personal data in cloud applications. Leef iBRIDGE will be popular for Apple users who want to get more from their devices.”
Now in France and …most everywhere
Earlier this year, Leef launched in France, which is now one of their top markets in Europe. While consumers can purchase directly from Leef’s site pr on Amazon, the team have made expanding their retail footprint a top priority given the continued dominance of retail in the French electronics device market. They’ve already made significant progress on that goal as you can now find Leef’s devices in FNAC and Orange with more to come soon. France is yet just of the many markets in their quest to take their solutions to the storage problem around the world. With their recent expansion throughout Latin America and Eastern Europe, you can now pick-up Leef devices pretty much anywhere.