We've already got the controller specs, now we just need the full-on protocol specs. Speaking at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference in Los Angeles, USB-IF president Jeff Ravencraft reportedly stated that he expects the "final specifications to be made public on November 17," and given that said day will mark the opening of the SuperSpeed USB Developers Conference in San Jose, we'd say it all jibes pretty well. Now, how many months will we have to wait before manufacturers can actually get the hasty new ports into machines?

Just last week, Intel gave AMD, NVIDIA and a whole host of friends what they had been clamoring for: 90% complete USB 3.0 controller specifications. Now, the cool cats over at MaximumPC have churned out an encyclopedic writeup that details USB SuperSpeed remarkably well. The highlights include assurance that USB 3.0 will be backwards-compatible with USB 2.0 and that it'll provide transfer rates up to ten times more than USB 2.0's 480Mbps limit (that's 4.8Gbps). Furthermore, we're told that uploads and downloads are kept on separate lanes, the cables are thicker, it will charge more devices more quickly, and it will be much more mindful of energy waste. Go on and get yourself completely schooled in the read link below.

What's with all the hate, guys? For months now, AMD, NVIDIA and a host of other caps-locked companies have been harshing on the chip maker for withholding critical information in relation to the USB 3.0 controller specification. At long last, Intel can finally throw up its left hand and ask those pundits to talk to it, as the outfit has finally unveiled the Extensible Host Controller Interface (xHCI) draft specification revision 0.9 in support of the USB 3.0 (SuperSpeed USB) architecture. The spec hopes to provide a "standardized method for USB 3.0 host controllers to communicate with the USB 3.0 software stack," and it's being made available under RAND-Z (royalty free) licensing terms "to all USB 3.0 Promoter Group and contributor companies that sign an xHCI contributor agreement." So, are we all happy now?

While you may be a tad more interested in concepts such as wireless USB or micro-USB implementations, the USB Implementers Forum is kicking out yet another (low key) improvement to the universal serial bus. The crew has now announced the availability of the Battery Charging Revision 1.0 specification, which defines "a standard way for portable devices to draw current from wall chargers or PCs," and furthermore, "allows PCs and hubs to provide increased levels of current in order to shorten the charging time of connected devices." Of course, the task force made sure safety concerns were adequately addressed, as the protocol also defines a mechanism for connected peripherals to detect what type of power source it's mated with and draw an appropriate amount of energy from said host. No word on when nor how the new spec plans on hitting the market, but there's plenty of emergency powering alternatives to snap up in the meantime.

[Via TGDaily]

The competition in the oh-so-lucrative medical field is most certainly heating up as a plethora of physicians are moving from paper charting to electronic documentation, but now we're seeing a battle brewing solely in the connectivity realm. Following Bluetooth SIG's Medical Device Profile, the USB-IF is concocting a working group to "improve healthcare technology" and make the adoption of USB more widespread in the wellness arena. Essentially, the team's initial goal "is to define a USB Personal Healthcare Device Class specification," after which it hopes to implement USB onto devices such as "blood pressure cuffs and exercise watches." Aside from allowing doctors to more easily track and archive changes in a patients history, the added USB connectivity in the hospital ward will purportedly "facilitate the communication between patient and doctor," as home-based clients could easily send their readings directly to a doctor's inbox thanks to the digital interface. Notably, the USB-IF is claiming that the new Personal Healthcare Device Class "should be available for use in devices near the end of 2007," so you better get to training granny on the ways USB -- STAT!

[Via EverythingUSB]

Despite earlier concerns voiced by chipset manufacturer Airgo that draft 802.11n gear will "degrade" or "disable," current 802.11b/g networks, Linksys claims that it has tested and approved its upcoming suite of draft-n routers and adapters for interoperability with current products on the market. Since 802.11n relies on the multiple channel MIMO technology to deliver higher bandwidths, there has been some speculation that pre-N networks would dominate the spectrum designated for 802.11 communications, even though the draft specification specifically requires so-called mixed mode operation. While it's certainly reassuring to know that Linksys has been working with multiple vendors to ensure that current WiFi gear will perform at "peak levels" in the presence of 802.11n signals, the real test will come when we start seeing actual real-world deployment of these speedy new networks.