The zoomIt is an SD card reader for an iPhone or iPod Touch that, in conjunction with the zoomIt app, lets users access all iPhone OS 3.0 file types contained on an SD card including photos, music, video and miscellaneous files such as PowerPoint, Excel, Word and PDF files. It also lets users copy files stored on the iPhone or iPod Touch to an SD card without needing to connect to a camera, Mac or PC.
The zoomIt dongle attaches to the dock connector and lets users browse or copy files to or from an SD card using the free zoomIt app, which also allows users to share files via email, Facebook and Flickr. The makers of the zoomIt, ZoomMediaPlus, are also planning on future updates to support protected content types, which would enable it to stream licensed music and videos.
zoomIt shifts the primary point of content management and sharing from the MAC/PC to the iPhone/iPod touch. Supporting all iPhone SDK 3.0 (or higher) file types including .PPT, .XLS, .DOC, .PDF, etc.
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“zoomIt is creating an entirely new way for Apple iPhone and iPod touch users to access and use content on the go,” said Chris Fisher, President, zoomMediaPlus. “Consumers want to be able to view, listen to and share their content instantly using the device they always have with them—not wait until they can connect to their MAC or PC and synch. In seconds, you can access content and ‘zoom it’ to your iPhone/iPod touch, your friends, family, co-workers and the web.”
Once the zoomIt accessory is connected for the first time, the user will be prompted to start the automatic download and installation of the zoomIt application from the Apple Applications store, which will be done over the 3G/EDGE/Wi-Fi connections. Alternatively, the zoomIt application can be downloaded to iTunes and synched to the iPhone or iPod touch when connected to a PC or MAC. Once the application is installed, the user then launches the application and can begin viewing the contents of the SD card using a general purpose file manager. The SD card content can be entirely or selectively transferred to the iPhone/iPod touch thereby enabling the user to disconnect the accessory/SD card and have access to all transferred files permanently and within the zoomIt application on the iPhone/iPod touch.
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“We’re excited not only by what zoomIt does for user-generated content but by what it can also do to create alternative methods of content distribution other than optical CD/DVD and downloadable,” said Richard Sfeir, CEO, zoomMediaPlus. “With the iPhone and iPod touch being the dominant portable multimedia platform, we’re excited about enabling preloaded content on SD cards to give the industry and consumers new ways to distribute and consume protected content.”
With the accessory connected and the SD card inserted the user can view and stream/play photos, music, files, and more directly from the SD card. In addition, selected content types from the iPhone/iPod touch can be transferred to the SD card for sharing with other PC/CE/mobile devices. The application supports a wide range of content management and sharing features including email and direct posts to Facebook and Flickr of photos on the SD Card. Additional features will be added to the zoomIt application on the Apple App Store over time and made available to zoomIt users via the upgrade process, expanding the usability of the zoomIt accessory.
The zoomIt is available for pre-order now for shipping in April 2010. ($59.95, www.zoommediaplus.com)
