Oct 19, 2010 05:49 GMT  ·  By

Without the shadow of a doubt, we're heading towards a cloud-dominated world at top speed, but before we actually get there (something that won't happen for at least a couple of years), we'll get to enjoy all sorts of intermediary solutions, such as the N-Transfer box developed by telecom carrier NTT Japan. The main selling point of the N-Transfer box is to allow users to share the functionality of a couple of USB ports across a web interface, a function that, however, is not that uncommon, other devices that provide roughly the same level of functionality being available out there. However, the N-Transfer device does provide a couple of extremely interesting extras, such as the possibility to transfer up to 500MB files point-to-point across NTT's high-speed fiber optic internet network, as long as N-Transfer boxes are located at both ends. Another interesting feature is the possibility to upload documents from a Fujitsu ScanSnap or Epson Colorio scanner directly to Evernote, office workers being sure to take advantage of such an useful feature. Furthermore, the manufacturers claim that users will actually be able to scan photos and upload them as well. Also worth mentioning is the fact that there's actually no limit to the type of USB devices one might connect to the N-Transfer device, as long as the size of the files one might want to transfer doesn't exceed the value mentioned before. Pricing for the N-Transfer box is not really that high, the device selling in Japan for around 7,350 Yen (about $90). The only problem is that, since the N-Transfer makes use of the local telecom carriers' networks, it's quite likely that we won't see it arrive outside Japan, which is actually quite a shame, given the fact that, after all, we're talking about a very interesting and useful device.