SuperSpeedUSB
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USB 3.2 doubles your connection speeds with the same port
Your future computer or phone will be capable of stupidly fast transfer speeds. The USB 3.0 Promoter Group unveiled the USB 3.2 specification that effectively doubles the current USB 3.1 spec by adding an extra lane. As such, it will allow for two lanes of 5 Gbps for USB 3.0, yielding 10 Gbps, or two lanes of 10 Gbps for 20 Gbps with USB 3.1. As a bonus, the "superspeed" USB-C cable you're currently using already has the capability for dual-lane operation built in.
USB alliance finalizes 10Gbps specification as USB 3.1
The USB 3.0 Promoter Group teased us with the prospect of a 10Gbps USB standard back in January, and it now has something to show for its work: the alliance has finalized its specification under the USB 3.1 name. While little has changed with the port format in half a year's time, its completion lets AMD, Intel and others start work on chipsets that offer twice the bandwidth of USB 3.0 while preserving support for USB 2.0. There's no public roadmap for the first USB 3.1 devices, although the first related developer sessions will begin on August 21st. Not that the Promoter Group is necessarily in a rush -- while Intel's Thunderbolt 2 will hit an even quicker 20Gbps this year, the new USB format is more likely to receive broad support.
USB 3.0 enhancement to bring 10Gbps transfers, backward compatibility in mid-2013
Don't call it USB 4.0. Here in Las Vegas, the USB 3.0 Promoter Group announced the development of a SuperSpeed USB (that's USB 3.0, if you're curious) enhancement that will "add a much higher data rate, delivering up to twice the data through-put performance of existing SuperSpeed USB over enhanced, fully backward compatible USB connectors and cables." This supplement to the USB 3.0 specification is anticipated to be completed by the middle of this year, bringing along a new 10Gbps data rate, improved data encoding for more efficient data transfer, and of course, compatibility with existing 5Gbps hubs and devices (and even USB 2.0 products). We've yet to hear of any device makers trotting out new gear that'll handle the new spec, but hopefully we'll hear more at CES really gets rolling.
Toshiba trots out TransMemory-EX USB 3.0-compliant flash memory
It seems like just yesterday that Tosh outed its original TransMemory lineup... ah, who are we kidding? 2007 was about a century ago. Flashbacks aside, Toshiba America Electronic Components (TAEC) has announced that it'll be demonstrating the new TransMemory-EX series of USB flash memory products here at CES. The new sticks are compliant with USB 3.0 standards, with initial storage capacities set for 32GB and 64GB. The new kit uses Toshiba's DDR NAND, offering maximum data transfer rates of 220MB/sec on the read side and 94MB/sec on the writes. For those keeping score, that's 22 times and 18 times faster than the company's prior models, respectively. We're told that the new products can transfer 25GB of video in around five minutes, which would take the prior model around a half-hour. Mum's the world on commercial availability, but you can find the press release just after the break.
Intel not planning to run around and desert USB as Ivy Bridge gets 3.0 certification
A few months back, there was some concern that Intel's Ivy Bridge chipset wouldn't come with USB 3.0 certification -- planning to push its proprietary Thunderbolt standard instead. The company acted quickly to soothe the panic of gadget fans concerned they'd have to replace their new external HDDs, but the USB Implementers Forum didn't say much beyond the odd nasty snipe at the new technology. Fortunately, the crew at the USB-IF have now given their blessing toward the union 'twixt 22nm processor and super-speed universal serial bus. Since AMD jumped on this bandwagon back in April, we can pretty much guarantee that we'll be plugging flash drives in the wrong way for years to come.
Hitachi outs a pair of 4TB HDDs for your storing pleasure
We here at Engadget believe that, while keeping data in the cloud is certainly convenient, one can never have too much local storage space. Hitachi shares our enthusiasm for commodious HDDs, and has rolled out a pair of 4TB drives to keep all your movies, music, and photos close to home. For those wanting to up the ante in their desktop machine, the Deskstar 5K4000 should do the trick with a SATA 6Gb/s connection and 32MB buffer. Its stablemate, the Touro Desk External Drive, brings the same HDD in an onyx enclosure and connects to your computer via USB 3.0 -- plus you get 3GB of cloud storage free from Hitachi. (Who says you can't eat your cake and have it too?) The 5K4000 is available now for a penny under $400, while the Touro will cost $420 once it hits the market in January.
Seagate plays the 4TB card with its GoFlex Desk external HDD, shipping now for $250
That tangled mess of a backup solution feeling a little cramped? Yeah, join the crowd. Seagate's looking to give you a dash of capaciousness -- a dash that you could desperately used -- with its newest desktop HDD. The GoFlex Desk line is about as sleek as it gets for a non-mobile drive, with 1/2/3/4TB options being made available. The stock model ships with USB 2.0 / 3.0 support, a required AC power adapter (blah) and support for OS X and Windows platforms. The entire unit weighs but 2.38 pounds and checks in at 6.22- x 4.88- x 1.73-inches; true to the GoFlex name, the lower base can actually be swapped out for those who'd prefer a different interface (you know, like FireWire or Thunderbolt), and there's a four-LED capacity gauge on there as well. In our limited testing, we consistently saw USB 3.0 burst rates top 100MB/sec, while sustained transfers hovered closer to 60MB/sec. When used on a USB 2.0 rig, we saw reads and writes hover between 30MB/sec and 40MB/sec. As for pricing and availability? The 4TB flagship can be found right now at Seagate's site for $249.99, while the GoFlex Desk for Mac -- which touts both Firewire 800 and USB 2.0 -- will be available in Apple stores by the end of the month. We're told that Thunderbolt will be supported once that GoFlex adapter is let loose, but an ETA isn't quite ready for public eyes. %Gallery-132801%
Ask Engadget: best 1TB+ USB 3.0 external drive on a budget?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Patrick, who can't wait another day to start taking advantage of his newfangled blue USB port. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "I just got a new laptop with a USB 3.0 port. I currently have a USB 2.0 external hard drive, but I would like to upgrade. First of all, is the speed boost really worth the money? Is there a speed difference between those that need external power and those that are powered through the USB cable? Looking for one that's 1TB to 2TB, and my price range is about $150, give or take. Thanks!" It's certainly harder to come across a SuperSpeed bargain than a USB 2.0 bargain, but we're sure there's a few deals to be had. That said, reliability has to come into play here -- any well-rounded suggestions for this fellow? Drop 'em in comments below!
Ask Engadget: best USB 3.0 hub on the market?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Sam, who couldn't be more excited to hop onboard the SuperSpeed bandwagon. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "I finally got a new laptop with a lone USB 3.0 port. I'm now looking at getting a USB 3.0 hub with a power adapter so I can use both of my USB 3.0 hard drives at faster speeds. I've read lots of horror stories where some hubs either don't come with power adapters -- and as a consequence the portable drives don't work with them properly -- or they are designed poorly which results in USB 2.0 speeds. Or, the hard drives keep getting disconnected. Do your readers have any suggestions or experience using USB 3.0 hubs? Thanks!" A timely question, indeed. We too have seen USB 3.0 hubs act awfully finicky -- particularly when mixing USB 3.0 and 2.0 HDDs -- so we'd love to hear what one(s) are working out for folks. Shout it out in comments below!
ASUS MS248B 24-inch display does it all with one cable, thank you USB 3.0
USB-powered monitors started out small but are finally getting big enough to serve as a main display. The 24-inch ASUS MS248B is brought to life with a single cable courtesy of USB 3.0's extra current and bandwidth. What's more, this is achieved with few compromises: the LED monitor is just 16.5mm (0.66-inches) thick, does 1080p with a 2ms response time and has a 10000000:1 contrast ratio (although this last spec requires the usual seasoning). Some extras did have to be thrown overboard to bring power consumption down -- there's no additional USB or audio ports, webcam, card reader or ability to daisy-chain. But then, how much could you achieve with a mere 9W?
Lexar dual-slot CF / SD reader packs USB 3.0, downloads cards six times faster (video)
For professional photographers, every second counts when downloading images on a deadline -- especially when you throw enormous HD video files into the mix. With the $50 Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual-Slot Reader, photogs now have a fast transfer option to compliment their pricey high-capacity CF and UHS-I SDXC cards, theoretically enabling downloads at up to 500MB per second (though current cards max out at one-fifth of that). You'll need to have a USB 3.0 port and high-speed flash to take advantage of faster transfers, though the reader is backwards-compatible with USB 2.0 and older cards -- you'll even be able to use that 32MB CF that came bundled with your DSLR. And what about appearance? Lexar Director of Marketing Jeff Cable sums it up: "It looks similar to our older card reader, the USB 2.0 reader, except that it says USB 3.0 right here on the front." Bam!
Plextor PL-LB950UE Blu-ray burner lands in the US with heady mix of USB 3.0 speed and double-layer storage
Europeans have been able to bag this speedy external writer for a few months now, but it's only just received its Green Card -- turning up in the US with a suitcase full of dreams and a price tag of $239.99. A quick check of its CV resume reveals a choice of either USB 3.0 or eSATA connectivity, 12x write speed, and the ability to burn up to 50GB of data on a dual-layer disc. The drive is being pitched as an "all-in-one Blu-ray device" because it also handles 3D playback and has a low vibration system for quieter operation. Admittedly, it only offers half as much storage as BDXL writers, but those burn slower and onto judderingly expensive media. Closer competition comes from Buffalo, which arrived early to the USB 3.0 table, but whose current MediaStation model omits the eSATA option.
Seagate starts shipping pencil-thin $99 GoFlex Slim hard drive
Remember that 9mm 2.5-inch GoFlex external HDD that Seagate teased us with back at CES? You're looking at it. The company has just gone official with the newly christened GoFlex Slim, a performance-oriented, multifaceted drive that's slimmer than your mother's last smartphone. The final product will boast USB 3.0 support, a 7200RPM drive (ours was 320GB), a three-year warranty and a price tag that's still being determined. By the numbers, you're looking at a pocketable drive weighing 0.356 pounds and measuring 4.91- x 3.07- x 0.354-inches, but due to the GoFlex attachment on the bottom, you'll need the special SuperSpeed USB cable that Seagate includes in order to make contact. In our testing, it managed to transfer files at upwards of 40MB/sec when attached to a USB 3.0 system, which ain't half bad for a drive that's powered via USB and slimmer than a pencil. It'll hit US retailers on August 5th, and at just $99, you know you'll be picking up two just for kicks and giggles. Update: Seagate just pinged us with a clarification; it'll start shipping today! %Gallery-119855%
This year's hottest pocket mirror is also a USB 3.0 multi-format card reader
We always knew that the worlds of technology and popular culture were on a collision course of epic proportions, and if this isn't proof... well, you might say that proof simply doesn't exist. Brando's newest gizmo has an identity crisis that Charlie Sheen would simply salivate over, but if we had to guess, we'd surmise that a USB 3.0 SuperSpeed card reader -- complete with support for CompactFlash, SDXC and M2 cards -- does a lot more #winning with a mirror slapped onto the side. Pre-order yours today for the tidy sum of $25, or alternatively, a vial of #tigerblood.
USB 3.0 shocker! Supersonic Magnum thumb drive rocks 200MB/s read times, sure to be rather pricey
You thought the 70MB/s write speeds were wild? The kids at Patriot are making the scene at CeBIT with the successor to the Supersonic USB thumb drive we first saw at the tail end of last year, and it's putting its old man to shame. The Supersonic Magnum series, sporting capacities up to 128GB, boasts a single eight channel controller with 200MB/s read and 110MB/s write speeds. And it will fit in your hip pocket! Release date TBA, and we can only imagine it will cost you a pretty Deutschmark.
Intel promises native USB 3.0 support someday
So, now that Intel's fully revealed its proprietary high-speed interface technology and shoehorned it into Apple's new MacBook Pro, wither the fate of barely-incumbent USB 3.0? Intel says the two ports will co-exist in the market, and not just because third parties will obviously continue to roll SuperSpeed devices out -- Chipzilla's actually pursuing a native solution itself. "Intel fully supports USB 3 and plans to integrate it in the future," said the company's Jason Ziller, which sounds like a fairly potent promise to us. Still, considering how long Intel's been dragging its heels, we have to wonder if eventual support will be more than a token move -- Intel could wait until Thunderbolt not only has a foothold, but also a dozen pitons and a nice big rope securing it to a mountain of peripherals.
NewerTech adapter turns eSATA into USB 3.0, makes legacy external HDDs feel young again
There's a powder-blue USB 3.0 port on the side of your shiny new computer, whispering your name, but you simply can't afford to replace your perfectly good eSATA external hard drive for the sake of compatibility. You could simply resist the urge entirely, but if you have the need for speed, there's a USB 3.0 to eSATA adapter with your name on it, and it just might come in a NewerTech case. Sure, Addonics, Siig and Bytecc sell similar, but as Everything USB points out, NewerTech did the legwork here, benchmarking the cable to be sure it could handle 206.4MB / sec writes and 247MB / sec reads. That's enough to handle most solid state drives, and you should be completely covered when it comes to anything with spinning magnetic plates. You'll find it for $30 this week at the likes of OWC.
FireWire ships its two billionth port, still not as fast as USB 3.0
The 1394 Trade Association has announced that over two billion FireWire ports have shipped worldwide, which is most impressive for a largely forgotten interface. Going forward, the Association expects to see "steady, stable growth" in 2011 as more products with FireWire S1600 go to market, though a dearth of such devices at CES makes us think you can add the word 'slow' to that projection. Given that the standard's promised 1.6 Gb/s bandwidth is less than a third of the 5 Gb/s offered by USB 3.0 (even with USB's larger overhead, 3.0 still provides a bigger pipe), and the fact that Intel may finally get on board with Superspeed, it may be awhile before FireWire celebrates another such milestone. [Image source: ScratchWorx]
Buffalo launches an HDD into the PogoPlug clouds, outfits external storage lineup with USB 3.0
Buffalo's toyed with that newfangled idea of sharing files over the internet once or twice, but today it's stepping up to the plate, picking up a PogoPlug bat, and sending a hard drive coursing into the upper stratosphere fueled by good intent. Well, perhaps the reality isn't quite as exciting as that analogy, but Buffalo is indeed launching the first PogoPlug with internal storage today, which works just like your run-of-the-mill NAS in everyday use, but can also share files of your choosing with awkward acquaintances around the world through an online web portal. $170 buys you 1TB of storage, $270 doubles that capacity to 2TB, and the end of friends and relatives nagging you to upload Facebook photos is (hopefully) included free with every purchase. If all you're looking for in an external hard drive is improved transfer speeds, Buffalo's got plenty of options there too, as it's revamped four tried-and-true units with USB 3.0. You can nab the blue SuperSpeed connector in a four-drive, 4TB or 8TB DriveStation Quad with up-to-225MB transfer rates starting at $630, a two-drive, 2TB or 4TB DriveStation Duo starting at $280, a single-drive DriveStation Axis with 1TB or 2TB starting at $100, or a more portable MiniStation Stealth in 500GB and 1TB capacities starting at $90. Speedy rotating magnetic platters, anyone? PR after the break.
Samsung spices up the USB 3.0 hard drive party with three new models
It's not the first time that Samsung's pimped up their hard drives with some USB 3.0 goodness, but come April, the Korean giant will be delivering three new product lines that are yet to be named. The first one is a basic portable model that goes up to 1TB, and comes encased in a smudge-resistant matte housing with a choice of four colors. The next one up is simply a premium version of the portable drive that not only looks prettier (as pictured above), but also beefed up with auto backup software and 256-bit Full Disk Encryption. A USB dock will be available for both portable lines. Last but not least, those looking for more storage space (and presumably faster spinning speeds) can turn to the desktop version, which will be available in three flavors: 1TB, 1.5TB, and 2TB. Press release after the break. %Gallery-112514%
