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Icron Technologies unveils 20-meter USB 3.0 cable, mostly because it can
Looked at your stash of USB 3.0 cables lately? Chances are that each and every one of 'em are three meters or shorter, and there's good reason for that. Signal degradation over long distances is a problem that the world at large has been dealing with since the early days of human life, but somehow or another, Icron Technologies has figured out how to bend physics. The company has just announced a partnership with Intersil Corporation, and the two are linking up in order to produce a 20 meter USB 3.0 cable. Reportedly, it'll deliver a full 5Gbps of USB 3.0 throughput over the full 20 meters, but there's no mention of a price. Rest assured, it'll be far more than you're prepared to pay.
Icron's ExtremeUSB-based PC-on-TV tech goes wireless
Icron's PC-on-TV solution has been out and about since late last year, but we'd venture to say that adoption in the consumer market has been minimal at best. 'Course, the bevy of internet-to-TV set-top boxes that have emerged in the meanwhile certainly haven't help its cause, and the whole "wired Ethernet" requirement was also a real deal-breaker, ladies. Now, it seems as if the company is looking to leapfrog those who leapfrogged it by showcasing a wireless (802.11n) solution at the Connections Digital Living Conference. The product is still based around its ExtremeUSB technology, which passes along VGA / USB signals from a PC to a TV so that your computer can be fully seen and controlled on your den's HDTV. Unfortunately, two critical data points are still missing: first, there's no expected release date, and second, there's no independent reports on how well all of this works sans cabling.
ThinkLogical debuts Velocity USB KVM -- with a 25-mile range
Okay, we can't actually think of a single reason why you'd need a KVM switch with a max range of 25 freaking miles, but we do know it's pretty insane that such a product even exists. Built on top of an Icron ExtremeUSB chipset, the ThinkLogical VelocityKVM can pipe two 1920 x 1200 DVI signals, USB 1.1, serial, PS2 and stereo audio up to 40 kilometers over single-mode fiber with no loss in quality, and can be upgraded to support USB 2.0 as well. ThinkLogical doesn't even begin to list prices on its site, which probably means you'll need some deep pockets to get in on the action -- uh, yeah, we'll stick to VNC for now, thanks.[Via Wired]
Icron offers USB 2.0 over power line solution
Although there's never been an overwhelming amount of success in any one category, just about everything has tried its hand at traveling over power lines, but Icron looks to be the first to channel USB 2.0 over the medium. Taking advantage of Panasonic's HD-PLC technology and its proprietary ExtremeUSB magic that was already seen in a wireless USB endeavor, Icron's system "extends USB 2.0 over standard power lines enabling remote connection of standard USB devices such as keyboards, printers, flash drives, hard drives, and web cameras over the AC outlets in your home or office." (What, no hand warmers, aquariums, or drink chillers?) The prototype setup featured a four-port USB 2.0 OPL hub and dongle set that saw 190Mbps over standard power lines, and there won't be any additional drivers necessary for this to play nice with Windows, Linux, and OS X systems. No word just yet on when these kits will be available for sale, but we'd wait on a review before labeling ourselves an early adopter on this one.
Icron rolls out WiRanger wireless USB hub
First announced back in January, Icron's WiRanger wireless USB 2.0 hub has now finally made it out the door, joining the growing number of other cable cutting devices already out there. It doesn't look like the specs have seen any changes since we last heard about it, with the four-port hub boasting the same 802.11g radio on the inside, and promising the same 100 foot range between the hub and the dongle for your USB devices. Not announced last time, however, was the price, although we can now sorta understand why they were keeping it under wraps -- a $395 sticker price isn't exactly the best way to attract interest.
Icron's WiRanger joins the race to wireless USB
For almost a year, Belkin has been teasing followers of the Wireless USB hub by constantly pushing back the official release date. At the rate they're going, someone else might beat them to market, Icron hopes it's them. The WiRanger is a 4 port USB 2.0 hub that leverages the company's proprietary ExtremeUSB technology to connect devices to any PC or Mac via 802.11g within a 100-foot range. We're skeptical to say the least. Icron has set a Spring release date and considering Belkin's track record, it will likely be the first product out the door.
