Engadget

Toshiba trots out TransMemory-EX USB 3.0-compliant flash memory

Darren Murph — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST

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.

Continue reading Toshiba trots out TransMemory-EX USB 3.0-compliant flash memory

Toshiba trots out TransMemory-EX USB 3.0-compliant flash memory originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hitachi outs a pair of 4TB HDDs for your storing pleasure

Michael Gorman — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 02:11:00 EST

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.

Continue reading Hitachi outs a pair of 4TB HDDs for your storing pleasure

Hitachi outs a pair of 4TB HDDs for your storing pleasure originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Dec 2011 02:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Seagate plays the 4TB card with its GoFlex Desk external HDD, shipping now for $250

Darren Murph — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:01:00 EST

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: Seagate 4TB GoFlex Desk hard drive hands-on

Continue reading Seagate plays the 4TB card with its GoFlex Desk external HDD, shipping now for $250

Seagate plays the 4TB card with its GoFlex Desk external HDD, shipping now for $250 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ask Engadget: best 1TB+ USB 3.0 external drive on a budget?

Darren Murph — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 22:29:00 EST

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 1TB+ USB 3.0 external drive on a budget? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Aug 2011 22:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ask Engadget: best USB 3.0 hub on the market?

Darren Murph — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 22:29:00 EST

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!

Ask Engadget: best USB 3.0 hub on the market? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Jul 2011 22:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

ASUS MS248B 24-inch display does it all with one cable, thank you USB 3.0

Sharif Sakr — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 15:43:00 EST

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?

ASUS MS248B 24-inch display does it all with one cable, thank you USB 3.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 15:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Intel to support USB 3.0 alongside Thunderbolt, coming with Ivy Bridge in 2012

Vlad Savov — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 04:07:00 EST

We were just pondering this very thing yesterday -- would Intel dedicate itself to Thunderbolt and give USB 3.0 the cold shoulder -- and now we have our answer from the Santa Clara crew, albeit delivered from Beijing. The Chinese capital is the site of Intel's currently ongoing developer conference, which is where Kirk Skaugen, VP of the company's Architecture Group, assured the world that the promise for native USB 3.0 support in Intel chipsets will be fulfilled. Not this year, mind you, but it'll be with us in 2012 as part of the Ivy Bridge CPU refresh. That matches AMD's plans to support USB 3.0 in Fusion APUs, and was augmented with a strong word of endorsement from Skaugen about the connector's future. He urged developers to embrace USB 3.0 on an equal footing with Intel's proprietary Thunderbolt interconnect, describing the two technologies as "complementary." If you say so, captain.

Intel to support USB 3.0 alongside Thunderbolt, coming with Ivy Bridge in 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Apr 2011 04:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Seagate starts shipping pencil-thin $99 GoFlex Slim hard drive

Darren Murph — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST

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: Seagate GoFlex Slim portable hard drive hands-on

Continue reading Seagate starts shipping pencil-thin $99 GoFlex Slim hard drive

Seagate starts shipping pencil-thin $99 GoFlex Slim hard drive originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Toshiba updates STOR.E external HDDs to USB 3.0, sees no lightning and hears no thunder

Tim Stevens — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 10:56:00 EST

Allegiances are being drawn and battle plans laid out as the USB 3.0 vs. Thunderbolt war truly begins. Toshiba is, for the moment at least, staying friendly with the USB side, announcing updated versions of its STOR.E external HDDs, both packing Superspeed tech. On the smaller side is the ALU 2S, packing a 2.5-inch HDD internally that has up to 1TB on platters. If you need a little more you can step up to the Steel S, another external unit containing a 3.5-inch HDD with up to 2TB of storage. That one, unfortunately, will require an external power supply, while the littler ALU 2S will get by with only a USB cable. Both feature metal exteriors, increasing their usability as impromptu bludgeons, and both are slated to start shipping before this first quarter is through -- which should mean any time now.

Continue reading Toshiba updates STOR.E external HDDs to USB 3.0, sees no lightning and hears no thunder

Toshiba updates STOR.E external HDDs to USB 3.0, sees no lightning and hears no thunder originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 10:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

USB 3.0 for Mac review and benchmarks (with a LaCie 2big USB 3.0)

Darren Murph — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 14:45:00 EST

It took LaCie nearly a full year to ship the 2big USB 3.0 RAID drive -- a device that was announced in the fall of 2009 -- but now that it's here, it's being accompanied by a concept that actually far outshines the unit itself: USB 3.0 on a Mac. For whatever reason, Apple has refused to offer SuperSpeed USB on any of its machines, even a fully specced-out Mac Pro costing well north of $10,000. We've seen purported emails from Steve Jobs noting that USB 3.0 just isn't mainstream enough to sweat just yet, but coming from the guy who's still bearish on Blu-ray, we get the feeling that it'll be ~~quite some time~~ far too long before Apple finally caves and upgrades from USB 2.0. We're obviously no fans of the holdout -- after all, even a few sub-$500 netbooks are enjoying the SuperSpeed spoils already -- so we couldn't have possibly been more excited to hear that a longstanding storage vendor was about to fill the void that Cupertino continues to ignore. We were able to pick up a LaCie USB 3.0 PCIe expansion card as well as a 4TB (2 x 2TB) 2big USB 3.0 drive and put the whole setup through its paces on our in-house Mac Pro. Care to see how it stacked up against USB 2.0, FireWire 400 and FireWire 800? Head on past the break for the grisly details.

Gallery: LaCie USB 3.0 PCIe expansion card and 2big HDD

Continue reading USB 3.0 for Mac review and benchmarks (with a LaCie 2big USB 3.0)

USB 3.0 for Mac review and benchmarks (with a LaCie 2big USB 3.0) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

LaCie's Hub4 quadruples your USB 3.0 pleasure

Vlad Savov — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 07:49:00 EST

Even in their prime, USB hubs were never the sexiest part of a tech geek's shopping trip -- people would typically grab the most functional (or crazy) looking option and move on to picking out their next set of "future-proof" RAM sticks. We're not convinced LaCie's really going to change all that with its Hub4, but it sure is trying hard by giving it a curvaceous exterior and those oh-so-desirable blue USB jacks. Yes, the USB 3.0 color coding is large and in charge here, highlighting a full quartet of ports for all that SuperSpeed gear you've been stashing. Of course, you'll still need at least one 3.0 connector on your computer to make the most of this USB peripheral (otherwise you'll have a very curvy and very standard USB 2.0 hub), but if that's already accounted for, you'll just need $59.99 and the source link to get yourself connected to the future.

LaCie's Hub4 quadruples your USB 3.0 pleasure originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 07:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Super Talent USB 3.0 RAIDDrive nabs an extra 55MB/sec

Darren Murph — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 07:58:00 EST

How's this for post-purchase pleasantries? Super Talent has just revealed a new tidbit surrounding the world's first USB 3.0 thumb drive (that would be the RAIDDrive), and it's one that takes full advantage of second generation USB 3.0 controller technology -- presumably on the PC side and not via a firmware update. The end result? An extra 55MB/sec on the benchmarking front, pushing its proven maximum speed to 370MB/sec. Head on past the break and mash play if you don't believe us, and feel free to start pressing your own storage boutique of choice for something similar for all those other SuperSpeed products.

Continue reading Super Talent USB 3.0 RAIDDrive nabs an extra 55MB/sec

Super Talent USB 3.0 RAIDDrive nabs an extra 55MB/sec originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Nov 2010 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Kingston unveils HyperX Max 3.0, a SuperSpeed SSD for your pocket, we tear it down (video)

Vlad Savov — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 08:02:00 EST

USB 3.0 and SSDs, they were just made for each other, don't you think? Kingston certainly seems to agree, as it's now rolled out its first SuperSpeed portable solid state drive, giving it the catchy title of HyperX Max 3.0. It fits within the dimensions of a conventional 2.5-inch hard drive, but differs in being able to pump 195MB of data per second when reading or 160MBps when writing. Although pricing and availability details aren't yet available, we can expect 64GB, 128GB and 256GB varieties to crop up some time soonish. Until then, can we interest you in some unboxing and teardown action, courtesy of our brethren over at Engadget Spanish? You'll find it on video just past the break.

Continue reading Kingston unveils HyperX Max 3.0, a SuperSpeed SSD for your pocket, we tear it down (video)

Kingston unveils HyperX Max 3.0, a SuperSpeed SSD for your pocket, we tear it down (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Iomega serves up adorable 1.8-inch External USB 3.0 SSD pocket drives

Darren Murph — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:49:00 EST

Some might say that you have somewhat of a problem when calling a solid state drive "cute," but what do they know, anyway? Iomega's newest batch of external SSDs are easily the most adorable we've seen, as these 1.8-inchers can just about slip into any oversized Fifth Pocket that you may have. Available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB sizes, the diminutive drives support USB 3.0 and are built to be lugged around and occasionally dropped, stepped on or used as a stress-relief tool. Specifically, the metal enclosure is engineered to handle drops from up to ten feet, and the 256-bit hardware encryption ensures that only you and your cronies will see what's inside. The company's also tossing in its Protection Suite (loaded with anti-virus, cloning and backup applications), and it'll be hawking these in early November for $229, $399 and $749 from least capacious to most. Oh, and that noise you hear? A hundred million USB 3.0 flash drives getting all sorts of perturbed.

Gallery: Iomega External USB 3.0 SSD drive

Continue reading Iomega serves up adorable 1.8-inch External USB 3.0 SSD pocket drives

Iomega serves up adorable 1.8-inch External USB 3.0 SSD pocket drives originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Marvell unveils 1.5GHz triple-core application processor, all current smartphones look on in envy

Vlad Savov — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 06:18:00 EST

Marvell's decided to whip out the "game changer" tag for its latest slice of silicon, but when you read the spec sheet that accompanies it, you might be willing to forgive it. Just this once. The new Armada 628 application processor delivers three cores, two of which crank along at 1.5GHz, and enough graphical prowess to churn 200 million triangles a second. You might remember we were once impressed by the Hummingbird's 90 million -- yeah, not so much anymore. The 628 is capable of 1080p 3D video and graphics (meaning it can sustain two simultaneous 1080p streams, one for each eye) and pledges to have an "ultra" low power profile: more than 10 hours of 1080p video or 140 hours of music playback are on offer. If that's not enough, it's also the first mobile SOC to include USB 3.0 support, adding yet another speed crown to its bulging resume. Now if it can also be SuperSpeedy in coming to market, that'd be just swell.

Continue reading Marvell unveils 1.5GHz triple-core application processor, all current smartphones look on in envy

Marvell unveils 1.5GHz triple-core application processor, all current smartphones look on in envy originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 06:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gigabyte H55 Mini-ITX motherboard and Silverstone SG07 used to build (almost) perfect gaming toaster

Vlad Savov — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 07:12:00 EST

We know you've seen Mini-ITX motherboards before, but how many have managed to fit in a PCI Express x16 lane, two full-sized DIMM slots, and Intel's LGA1156 socket? Gigabyte has done just that with its H55 circuit slab, squeezing the basic requirements for a gaming rig into a 6.7- x 6.7-inch footprint, and the lads over at Tech Report have taken notice. Pairing that tiny rig with a Silverstone SG07 small form factor case, they set out to discover if the PC craze of the Naughties -- SFF computing, mostly sparked off by Shuttle's efforts -- can be resurrected with more modern gear. What they found was that the SG07's 600W PSU stood up to the power demands of a GeForce GTX 470, all parts were somehow maintained in an acceptably cool state without making the enclosure sound like a wind tunnel, and gaming performance was highly satisfactory. Of course, there were some compromises and flaws to both the motherboard and case, but overall it turned out to be "one heck of a midget gaming system." Hit the source link for all the build details.

Continue reading Gigabyte H55 Mini-ITX motherboard and Silverstone SG07 used to build (almost) perfect gaming toaster

Gigabyte H55 Mini-ITX motherboard and Silverstone SG07 used to build (almost) perfect gaming toaster originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 07:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Kingston issues its first USB 3.0 thumb drive: DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0

Darren Murph — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 10:52:00 EST

It ain't the first, but it's Kingston's first, regardless. The DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 is the company's first foray into the wild and blossoming world of high(er)-speed thumb drives (following the likes of A-DATA with its own N005), with this guy in particular pulling down read speeds of up to 80MB/sec and write speeds of 60MB/sec. It's available in a trio of sizes (16GB, 32GB and 64GB), with a five-year warranty affixed to each. Regrettably, such speed and capaciousness won't run ya cheap, as these fellows are priced at $89, $138 and $270 in order of mention. Nothing the corporate card can't handle, though.

Continue reading Kingston issues its first USB 3.0 thumb drive: DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0

Kingston issues its first USB 3.0 thumb drive: DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 10:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Imation Apollo D300 pairs 2TB of storage with USB 3.0 connection for $220

Vlad Savov — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 00:10:00 EST

Decisions, decisions. The $200 price range tends to be reserved for happy shiny smartphones in our minds nowadays, but spare a thought for the demure hard drive as well. Imation's just announced an overhaul of its Apollo line of external plate spinners, with the headliner being the Expert D300 unit you see above. Accompanied by its very own detachable stand and backup software, this $220 USB 3.0 drive promises oodles of room and a decent turn of speed as well. Set for an October launch, it'll find lower price points for archivists with needs closer to 500GB or 1TB in size, and there's also a selection of classically minded USB 2.0 HDDs for the more frugal among you -- learn more about them in the full press release after the break.

Continue reading Imation Apollo D300 pairs 2TB of storage with USB 3.0 connection for $220

Imation Apollo D300 pairs 2TB of storage with USB 3.0 connection for $220 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 00:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

DisplayLink aims for 'any device, any display connectivity' with USB 3.0

Darren Murph — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:16:00 EST

We'd heard back at Christmastime 2009 that USB 3.0-infused DisplayLink kit would be hitting shelves in 2010, and lo and behold, it looks as if someone is dead-set on keeping a promise. Here at IDF 2010, DisplayLink has come forward with public plans to gravitate towards "any device, any display connectivity" with its new USB 3.0 chip platform. The DL-3000 and DL-1000 single chip series are being introduced in San Francisco, with each offering integrated display and networking connectivity, HD video support and "third generation DisplayLink adaptive real-time compression technology that dynamically manages bandwidth, taking full advantage bi-directional throughput of SuperSpeed USB." The gist of all that? Thanks to SuperSpeed bandwidth increases, multiple full HD videos, high resolution graphics and networking data can be processed simultaneously, and there's even the potential to enable graphics delivery over gigabit Ethernet. Essentially, USB 3.0 has opened up an entirely new playing field for DisplayLink, and we're hoping that 2011 is the year that we finally put those resolution caps behind us on USB-enabled docking stations. We'll let you know if we hear more from the show floor -- much to our dismay, hardly anything is said about actual product implementation dates in the PR.

Continue reading DisplayLink aims for 'any device, any display connectivity' with USB 3.0

DisplayLink aims for 'any device, any display connectivity' with USB 3.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Iomega pushes ahead with USB 3.0 transition, promises to keep drives at USB 2.0 prices

Donald Melanson — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:32:00 EST

Iomega's already begun its transition to SuperSpeed USB 3.0 hard drives, but it's making a bit more news on that front today -- it's announced that it plans to keep all its USB 3.0 hard drives at USB 2.0 prices. As expected, that transition begins with its eGo line of portable hard drives, which are officially set to be available this October in 500GB and 1TB capacities, each of which will include Iomega's Drop Guard Xtreme to guard against drops of up to seven feet. Those will be followed by Iomega's Prestige line of portable hard drives, which will begin their transition to USB 3.0 sometime in the first quarter of 2011. We should note, however, that plenty of retailers are already selling USB 3.0 eGo drives now, but it seems that it'll take until early October for the full line to make the jump and receive the aforementioned price-match. Head on past the break for the complete press release.

Continue reading Iomega pushes ahead with USB 3.0 transition, promises to keep drives at USB 2.0 prices

Iomega pushes ahead with USB 3.0 transition, promises to keep drives at USB 2.0 prices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Super Talent's USB 3.0 SuperCrypt thumbdrive reviewed, Cryptkeeper approves

Sean Hollister — Mon, 03 May 2010 11:39:00 EST

Sure, USB 3.0 can make external hard drives pretty snappy, but who wants to lug around a rock? We want to know where the SuperSpeed port takes our tiny USB keys, and the fine folks at PC Perspective have the answer to that question. They found the Super Talent SuperCrypt not only a capable performer, but nearly as fast as a modern SSD, with average read and write speeds of 185MB / sec and 50MB / sec respectively. Given that the silver stick costs more than an SSD, too (from $119 for 16GB to $778 for 256GB), that's not so surprising... but the idea of transferring the full contents of a dual-layer DVD from this sucker in under a minute is positively jaw-dropping. Assuming that -- like Cryptkeeper -- you still have one to drop.

Super Talent's USB 3.0 SuperCrypt thumbdrive reviewed, Cryptkeeper approves originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 May 2010 11:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

LaCie Rugged USB 3.0 external HDD to hit stores this May

Joseph L. Flatley — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:43:00 EST

The gang at LaCie sure do love their orange, life raft-esque external HDDs. As you've probably guessed, the Rugged USB 3.0 takes the already familiar device, which is designed to resist drops up to 2.2 meters, and throws SuperSpeed USB into the mix. The 500GB (7200 RPM) model becomes available in early May for $150. If anything, it looks like this company definitely got its money's worth out of Neil Poulton!

LaCie Rugged USB 3.0 external HDD to hit stores this May originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Super Talent debuts SuperCrypt thumbdrives with USB 3.0, 256-bit encryption

Joseph L. Flatley — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:14:00 EST

Hot on the heels of its USB 3.0 thumb drive the kids at Super Talent have announced the SuperCrypt line of secure portable storage. These devices are available in capacities up to 256GB and offers up to 240 MB/s transfer rates, with your choice of either 128-bit ECB (SuperCrypt) or 256-bit XTS (SuperCrypt Pro) encryption. As for the rest of us, this bad boy is fully backward compatible with USB 2.0, so you'll be able to access Grandma's famous top secret chicken recipe (why else would you own one of these?) on damn near any computer you need to. No word on a price or release date, but we'll be keeping our eyes peeled. In the meantime, feel free to check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading Super Talent debuts SuperCrypt thumbdrives with USB 3.0, 256-bit encryption

Super Talent debuts SuperCrypt thumbdrives with USB 3.0, 256-bit encryption originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

USB-IF certifies 50 SuperSpeed USB products, leaves five shrouded in mystery

Tim Stevens — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:40:00 EST

That 80-port hub you bought to increase your military might? Obsolete. Novelty thumb drives? Their days are numbered as the USB-IF announces the completion of SuperSpeed USB (3.0) compliance on 50 devices. Yes, of all the countless, teeming masses of USB 2.0-compliant whatsits out there, a whole 50 3.0 devices currently officially exist, ranging from PCIe adapters to... well... ExpressCard adapters. Yes, there are a few legitimate devices in there, like HP's Envy 15 laptop and WD's My Book 3.0 external hard drive, but that the vast majority are adapters says a lot about how early this format is. Of the 50 said to be certified only 45 are listed on the site, meaning there are five left unidentified, ready for a stunning, blue-plugged unveiling. It'll surely be a magical event.

USB-IF certifies 50 SuperSpeed USB products, leaves five shrouded in mystery originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

NEC manages 16Gbps, tries to put a dimmer on Light Peak (updated)

Tim Stevens — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:26:00 EST

If you didn't know it, there's a brewing interface war between the effortlessly backwards compatible USB 3.0 and the decidedly fresh break offered by Light Peak. Most people are fans of new stuff that works with their old stuff, but so too do people like stuff that's really fast, and USB 3.0's 5Gbps just can't match Light Peak's 10Gbps. ~~Or can it?~~ ~~NEC says it can, indicating that its USB 3.0~~ NEC has demonstrated a new chipset managing a whopping 16Gbps (2GB per second) over a single cable, finding a way to overcome ~~that standard's~~ signal interference problems to more than triple the USB 3.0's held ceiling. ~~It remains to be seen whether NEC's technique will be integrated into the still young 3.0 spec, but that would certainly be the logical thing to do.~~

Update: TheLostSwede commented to point us to an English version of the press release that, in Japanese form, seems to have led to the Electronista story we used as a source. Apparently something previously got lost in translation as the release actually talks about a wholly new inter-chip serial interface offering 16Gbps speeds, not an extension to USB 3.0. This could provide the system internals to shovel bits to whatever new external interface reigns supreme.

NEC manages 16Gbps, tries to put a dimmer on Light Peak (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

ASUS N82 and N61 join the USB 3.0 laptop party

Vlad Savov — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:43:00 EST

We're kind of starting to figure out ASUS' naming scheme -- E is for Easy, and N is for eNtertainment, jolly good. In other self-evident news, Engadget Chinese is the place to go if you want the lowdown on happenings in China and its nearby states. Joining HP's Envy 15 in the USB 3.0-sporting ranks will soon be the familiar 16-inch ASUS N61 and the seemingly brand spanking new N82 14-incher. See the galleries below for the eye candy, but keep it here for specs. Core i5 and i7 CPUs will populate the role of orchestrator inside, while ATI and NVIDIA discrete graphics options will also be made available when these make their imminent Taiwan debut. In live demonstrations, the one USB 3.0 port (yes, you only get one) was shown to be three times as fast as USB 2.0, so not quite reaching its theoretical superiority, but hardly an unwelcome improvement. Let's hope for quick global distribution following the Taiwanese launch, which is slated for the middle of this month.

Gallery: ASUS N82

Gallery: ASUS N61

ASUS N82 and N61 join the USB 3.0 laptop party originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

USB 3.0 SuperSpeed gone wild at CES 2010, trumps even your new SSD

Tim Stevens — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 10:01:00 EST

Just in case you didn't notice the arrow, that's a USB 3.0 cable up there, plugged into a USB 3.0 port, running in a Fujitsu laptop that is the first to pack integrated support for USB 3.0. How fast was it? On the other end of this one was a Buffalo external enclosure stuffed with an old-fashioned, platter-based hard disk, which still delivered perfectly absurd transfer rates of about 135MB/sec. When another, similar setup ran with an Intel SSD what happened the results were even more impressive: a few ticks over 200MB/sec. Yes, we're about to enter another dimension. A time when external drives are as fast as internal ones. Where the speed at which you can fill up your MP3 player is limited only by the speed of the storage on that device itself. You are about to enter... the SuperSpeed zone.

Gallery: USB 3.0 displays at CES 2010

Continue reading USB 3.0 SuperSpeed gone wild at CES 2010, trumps even your new SSD

USB 3.0 SuperSpeed gone wild at CES 2010, trumps even your new SSD originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Jan 2010 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

USB 3.0-infused DisplayLink products coming in 2010

Darren Murph — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 16:48:00 EST

DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort may be enjoying the spoils right now, but the world's most popular port may just give 'em a run for their collective dollars by the end of next year. DisplayLink, which enables monitors to receive signals via USB instead of through one of the more conventional cables, has been mildly successful with USB 2.0 at the helm, but a whole new world is about to open up with the introduction of USB 3.0. As you've no doubt seen by now, the third iteration offers up over ten times the bandwidth of v2.0, which would obviously allow for great resolution support when channeling video. In reality, USB 3.0 is the first USB protocol that could support a legitimate high-def video stream, and it's expected that a prototype device will be shown at CES next month transmitting content at up to 4.8 gigabits per second. In theory, at least, USB 3.0-enabled DisplayLink would allow vast 30-inch panels to be connected to netbooks via USB without having to rely on a sub-native resolution, but then again, said netbooks will probably need a GPU with a bit more oomph than the current Ion can provide. Not like that'll be an issue for long, though.

USB 3.0-infused DisplayLink products coming in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Dec 2009 16:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

USB 3.0 ExpressCard adapter promises more than it can deliver

Vlad Savov — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:27:00 EST

Been fretting over the upcoming slew of USB 3.0 devices and your relatively new laptop's inability to exploit their full speed? Well this isn't going to help you much, but it's a great example of why you should shop with a careful eye and preferably from reputable stores. British e-tailer StarTech.com (no, we haven't heard of them before either) is now offering an ExpressCard-based USB 3.0 adapter for £39 (about $64), which seems a bargain considering the promised 5Gbps transfer speeds and general bragging rights associated with having SuperSpeed. But here's the rub: while USB 3.0 certainly supports such speeds, the ExpressCard 1.0 device in question doesn't. In fact, you'll be limited to ~~a tenth~~ half the speed the 3.0 controller onboard is capable of, leaving us to question what the exact point of this device really is. Any ideas?

Update: We've double-checked the specs and this card can in fact give you 2.5Gbps throughput, which isn't quite so terrible, but still isn't the full USB 3.0 spec which is lauded on their sales page.

USB 3.0 ExpressCard adapter promises more than it can deliver originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Super Talent introduces world's first USB 3.0 flash drive

Darren Murph — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:27:00 EST

USB 3.0 devices are just now starting to peek their heads out at retail, and it looks as if Super Talent is doing its darnedest to not be left out of the spotlight. Said company has just introduced what looks to be the planet's first USB 3.0 thumb drive (or "RAIDDrive," as it were), promising transfer rates of up to 320MB/sec when relying on a separate UAS Protocol driver with a USB 3.0 port. If you're using a stock USB 3.0 socket, you'll see speeds as high as 200MB/sec, while those bold enough to slam this into a USB 2.0 connector will see it slow to USB 2.0 speeds. There's no mention of a price or release date, but it should ship relatively soon in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB flavors.

Gallery: Super Talent introduces world's first USB 3.0 flash drive

Filed under: Storage

Super Talent introduces world's first USB 3.0 flash drive originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

NVIDIA confirms Intel chipsets won't support USB 3.0 until 2011

Vlad Savov — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:59:00 EST

What was once an unverifiable rumor from an anonymous source has now, sadly, become a confirmed fact. Intel won't be integrating USB 3.0 support into its chipsets until at least 2011. Motherboard makers such as ASUS can still opt to add discrete 3.0 controllers at an extra cost, but Intel -- already accused of dragging its heels on the standard's development -- won't be. NVIDIA spokesman Brian Burke has expressed, in no uncertain terms, his company's disappointment with Intel, while also claiming that chipsets by NVIDIA are more feature-rich and just plain better than Intel's own efforts. We'll add this to our ever-growing collection of things NVIDIA doesn't like about Intel, but we also hope that the immature outburst doesn't obscure the real issue. NVIDIA is correct in noting that Intel needs competition in the chipset space, and the new interconnect's dependence on Intel's whims demonstrates the market-altering powers that reside in Santa Clara, CA. Unless another chipmaker gets serious about competing with Intel, we could face plenty more of these seemingly arbitrary delays in tech rollouts.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

NVIDIA confirms Intel chipsets won't support USB 3.0 until 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Dane-Elec comes clean with external USB 3.0 HDDs / SSDs

Darren Murph — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:01:00 EST

It's been almost an entire year since we heard a peep from the good lads and ladies at Dane-Elec, but those very individuals have today informed us that a few USB 3.0 drives are on the way from its labs. 'Course, we'd like to point out that it's being a little ambitious with that whole "world's first" thing, but given the youth of the format, we'll take all the competition (and excitement) we can get. The outfit's So SuperSpeed line of external drives will soon be taking on the US market, offering consumers up to 250MBps data transfers starting on December 11th. Sizes will range from 500GB to 2TB (in both 2.5- and 3.5-inch forms), and we're told that the SSD options (80GB and 160GB) will indeed be Intel-branded under the hood. Looking for prices? Sure you are -- they're just past the break.

Continue reading Dane-Elec comes clean with external USB 3.0 HDDs / SSDs

Filed under: Software

Dane-Elec comes clean with external USB 3.0 HDDs / SSDs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Point Grey puts USB 3.0 into a webcam, along with other telltale signs of over engineering

Paul Miller — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 20:58:00 EST

We kid, we kid. We're sure it was totally necessary to put SuperSpeed USB 3.0 into this new desktop video camera to push uncompressed 1080p, 60 fps video to a computer. According to Point Grey, that unbridled bandwidth allows the camera to offload compression duties to the computer and allows for spiffy applications like face recognition and a general level of uncompressedness. At the heart of this camera is a 3 megapixel Sony IMX036 CMOS sensor, but we'll have to wait until IDF next week to get the lowdown on the rest of this camera's crazy ways -- and sure-to-be-crazy price.

[Via TG Daily]

Filed under: HDTV

Point Grey puts USB 3.0 into a webcam, along with other telltale signs of over engineering originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 20:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

USB 3.0 logos now being handed out to certified wares

Darren Murph — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:56:00 EST

Aww suki suki now. With CES 2010 leaning around the corner and refusing to leave our periphery, we're getting more and more evidence that the January trade show will be a launching pad for a new suite of USB products. Several months after the first USB 3.0 cables curiously went on sale, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) has announced the availability of the USB 3.0 Compliance and Certification Program. What's that mean? It means that a program is now firmly in place to provide compatible wares with a SuperSpeed USB logo, which in turn means that USB 3.0 gear is that much closer to retail shelves. So, who's anxious to slap a USB 3.0 PCI expansion card into their shiny new PC?

[Via HotHardware]

Filed under: Peripherals

USB 3.0 logos now being handed out to certified wares originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

ASUS kills USB 3.0-laden P6X58 motherboard for reasons unknown

Darren Murph — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 06:26:00 EST

Such a shame, no? As has become all too common in the uncertain world known as ASUS' R&D lab, it looks as if yet another promising product has been canned before it ever had a chance to truly live. After the aforementioned company's P6X58 Premium motherboard set the world ablaze just over a week ago, primarily due to the USB 3.0 sockets shown there on the left, the mainboard has reportedly been canceled for reasons unknown. According to a report over at The Inquirer, an ASUS spokesperson claimed that the mobo had been shelved "not for any particularly interesting reasons," leaving us to wonder when we'll ever see a motherboard equipped with that so-called SuperSpeed magic. Our true emotions are captured nicely in the video just past the break.

[Via HotHardware]

Continue reading ASUS kills USB 3.0-laden P6X58 motherboard for reasons unknown

Filed under: Peripherals

ASUS kills USB 3.0-laden P6X58 motherboard for reasons unknown originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 06:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Finalized USB 3.0 tests just months away, consumer devices set for next year

Tim Stevens — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:57:00 EST

We've heard the details and watched the bits fly in person, and now representatives from Agilent Technologies Inc. are saying that test specifications for the SuperSpeediest standard ever will be fully ratified by the end of June. Sure, you probably don't care much about the internal workings of the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF for those fond of acronyms), but without tests manufacturers can't certify their devices, and with no certification that 500MBps external USB HDD of your dreams will never come to market. However, if all goes to plan and those standards fall in place before the dog days of summer begin, USB-IF members expect consumer devices should hit shelves in 2010. Better start saving.

Filed under: Peripherals, Storage

Finalized USB 3.0 tests just months away, consumer devices set for next year originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments