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SATA 3.2 standard finalized, promises faster and smaller storage
There's no doubt that Serial ATA storage is hitting a wall when even mainstream PCs like the MacBook Air and VAIO Pro use the PCI Express interface to get around performance bottlenecks. It's a good thing that SATA-IO just ratified the improved SATA 3.2 specification, then. The new standard centers on SATA Express, which lets SATA storage ride on the PCIe bus and more than doubles the available bandwidth to 16Gbps (2GB/s). Version 3.2 also brings support for the M.2 format, giving Ultrabooks and tablets access to SATA Express in a tiny form factor. We're already getting a peek at what the new spec can do when M.2-based PCIe drives offer comparable performance, but SATA 3.2's ratification should bring that kind of speed to many more PCs in the future.
Ofcom approves UWB for use in the UK
Though it did take a bit longer than the six months Ofcom's chief technologist, Professor William Webb was hoping for, ultra-wideband has finally been given the green light in the UK. New legislation will mean that "UK users will not need a license to use UWB devices when they hit shelves in the future," and Ofcom's Chief Executive Ed Richards was quoted as saying that "where possible, we want to remove restrictions on the use of spectrum to allow the market to develop new and innovative services, such as UWB, for the benefit of consumers." So there you have it (UK-based) folks, just a few more days (August 13th, to be precise) before UWB usage is fair game on your side of the pond.[Via The Register]
Netgear gets 802.11n draft 2.0 certified with RangeMax NEXT routers
Surely bitter after being one-upped by D-Link by a matter of hours (strictly in terms of time to press, of course), Netgear is still tooting its own horn over being the second to receive the Wi-Fi Alliance's 802.11n draft 2.0 certification. The firm's first two devices to include the newfangled seal are the RangeMax NEXT Wireless-N Router Gigabit Edition (WNR854T) and the RangeMax NEXT Wireless-N Router (WNR834B; seen after the break), both of which are fully backwards compatible with the slower flavors of 802.11. Thankfully, citizens who currently own a RangeMax NEXT 802.11n Draft 1.0 product can upgrade their device free of charge via a firmware download, and Netgear even proclaims that the rest of its Wireless-N products are "being tested" and should be up to snuff soon.
JEDEC finally unveils official DDR3 standards
Rest assured, this isn't the first (nor the last) time you'll see products launch before the official specs get ratified, but JEDEC is doing the honors today by introducing the DDR3 (Double Data Rate 3) memory device standard. Key improvements that were noted include a 1.5-volt power supply, increased operating temperature range, memory device reset, burst chop, dynamic on-die termination, output driver calibration, and write leveling among others. The standard is reportedly intended to operate over a "performance range from 800 to 1600 MT/s (million transfers per second)," and while we certainly appreciate the details finally coming forward, the bevy of product launches from months past sure dampened the thunder. [Warning: Word document read link][Via Inquirer]
WiMedia UWB gets thumbs-up, becomes ISO / IEC-certified
Just recently, we finally heard a bit of good news from the IEEE camp in regard to 802.11n's progress, and now wireless freaks can celebrate a little more as UWB has been officially published as an ISO / IEC international standard. We've already seen a number of related certification programs, prototypes, and even products, but just a few months after edging legality in the UK, it seems the deal is done. WiMedia-based ultra-wideband technology, which is the "approved format for Wireless USB," unsurprisingly enables "short range multimedia file transfers" at data rates up to 480Mbps that operate in the UWB spectrum of 3.1 to 10.6 GHz. So while the brief rivalry was indeed entertaining, we're sorry about your luck, Freescale.[Via ExtremeTech]
