Infinit is taking a big step forward in its mission to become the file-transfer app of choice with the news that it’s launching a version for iPad.
Fresh from a $1.8 million funding round, the Techstars alumnus originally launched its app for Mac a year ago, before arriving on Windows this February as part of its goal to create the ultimate file-transfer app. After finally launching mobile incarnations for Android and iPhone in late March, the Paris-based startup is now introducing a version built specifically for Apple’s tablet. The new “universal” app also supports iOS Share Extension, making it easier to share files from any other app.
The state of play
Above: Infinit for iPad
You could be forgiven for thinking that Infinit is a late entrant to a crowded space. Indeed, there’s no shortage of tools to help you transfer files from A to B — Apple offers Airdrop, which relies on a local network connection; then there’s the likes of WeTransfer and Dropbox, which use cloud storage to enable transfers. Mobile messaging apps can be a good option too, though they usually compress a file during the transfer.
Infinit, on the other hand, cuts out the cloud to help you send large files (for free) across the Internet directly to another person — it’s all about peer-to-peer (P2P) and skips the painfully time-consuming uploading/downloading between servers.
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Other key features include “pause-and-resume,” which means that a file continues to attempt its transfer, irrespective of any technical glitches that occur during the process.
The concept behind Infinit isn’t new — a similar browser extension called AllPeers closed down in 2008 because there apparently weren’t enough users to satisfy investors. Infinit has raised north of $2 million to date and has received broadly positive reviews since launch, however, so things are looking good for the young startup.
HTC
In addition to the iPad launch, Infinit has also revealed a partnership with HTC that will see Infinit promoted through HTC Club, an app that serves up offers and promotions on HTC’s Android phones.
While this is not quite as lucrative as being pre-installed on HTC devices, the partnership does point to a future direction for Infinit, one that could lead to deep integrations with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) or an outright acquisition. Indeed, an Infinit spokesperson tells VentureBeat that the company’s app has been “recognized by several smartphone manufacturers and telecom operators.”
With more and more content being created on mobile devices, it makes sense that OEMs would be looking at ways to expedite the sharing of large files such as videos and photos. While Infinit works similarly to Bluetooth in terms of the P2P element of transferring files between devices, Infinit is faster because it uses the Internet — the company claims that a full HD movie can be transferred in under 10 minutes over Wi-Fi.
In other news, Infinit also now supports nine new languages in addition to English, including French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish, which should help the app gain traction in new markets.
