SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive Offers USB and Lightning Connectors for Easy File Transfers

Similar to the Kickstarter-funded iStick from earlier in the year, SanDisk today announced the iXpand Flash Drive. The drive allows users to easily transfer photos, videos, and other files between an iOS device with a Lightning connector and a desktop or notebook with a normal USB port.

When the flash drive is plugged into an iPhone or iPad, the iXpand sync app is launched and can be configured to automatically sync photos and videos from the device's camera roll to the flash drive. Entire movies (including most popular non-native and PC-friendly formats, like AVI and WMV) can also be stored on the iXpand and played from the flash drive directly onto the iPhone or iPad.

"According to IDC, nearly three-quarters of all images are now captured on smartphones and tablets," said Dinesh Bahal, vice president, product marketing, SanDisk. "With this significant increase in mobile-generated content, consumers are looking for easy ways to manage it all. In fact, our research shows that 82% of U.S. smartphone users find transferring photos, videos, music and other files to be very important to them. We created the iXpand Flash Drive to offer consumers a quick and safe way to move their favorite content between devices so it's available when and where they want it."

The flash drive also offers users an added layer of security in cross-platform encryption. While in the iXpand sync app [Direct Link], files can be password protected while the drive is connected to an iPhone or iPad, then decrypted on a Mac or PC and vice versa.

The 16GB and 64GB versions of the drive can be purchased directly off of SanDisk's official website today and sell for $59.99 and $119.99 respectively. Beginning November 16, Best Buy will exclusively sell the 32GB version in retail and on their website for $79.99.