Hasta La Gadget!

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.

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It may not be the first USB 3.0 hard drive, but Active Media’s new Aviator 312 external SSD does look to be the fastest one around at the moment– assuming it actually lives up to the company’s claims, that is. The biggest of those are read speeds “up to” a blazing 240MB/s and write speeds up to 160MB/s — both, of course, made possible through the magic of USB 3.0, which also just so happens to let the drive be an external one, and be powered solely by USB. Of course, there are a few not insignificant trade-offs as well, the most notable being that the drive is limited to just 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models, which also unsurprisingly demand more than their capacities would suggest: $89, $119, and $209, respectively.

[Via Electronista]

Filed under: Peripherals, Storage

Active Media debuts ‘seriously fast’ Aviator 312 USB 3.0 SSD originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It might not look like much — in fact, we’re not sure what it’s trying to look like — but that there is what Freecom purports to be the world’s first SuperSpeed USB 3.0 hard drive. Dubbed the Hard Drive XS 3.0, the drive will be available mid-November in 1TB, 1.5TB and 2TB sizes, with a surprisingly accessible starting price of 119 Euro (about $175 US). Of course, it takes more than just a speedy cable to up hard drive speeds, but we’d say 130MB/s ain’t a bad start. The drive can handle AES 256 bit encryption, is backwards compatible with USB 2.0, and the fanless, rubber-clad enclosure weighs in at 1.9 pounds.

[Via PCLaunches]

Filed under: Storage

Freecom announces world’s first USB 3.0 hard drive, the XS 3.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You heard it here first, folks: SuperSpeed USB is a reality. After waiting around for what feels like ages, USB 3.0 can now say it has its first certified product in NEC’s xHCI host controller. We know this may not be the most exciting first product to get the all-important seal of approval, but you’ve got to start somewhere. And hey, for those who know a thing or two about building a product to spec, having a legitimate host controller could sure come in handy. We spoke to Jeff Ravencraft, president and chairman of the USB-IF (the group that oversees certification and the like), and he stated that (officially) the group is still anticipating end products to hit shelves in early 2010. That said, this here host controller is available now in the open market, and he did confess that a number of manufacturers would likely try to get USB 3.0-equipped wares onto store shelves before that magical day in December.

He also noted that a smattering of companies would be showcasing USB 3.0 gear at upcoming trade shows, with a Buffalo external hard drive, an ExpressCard-to-USB 3.0 adapter and even a full-on laptop with a functioning USB 3.0 port making a stop at IDF later this week. Aside from the aforesaid ExpressCard adapter — which will let existing lappies enjoy the spoils of SuperSpeed USB — he also noted that a PCI card would be available for desktop users looking to add a few sockets to their rig. We were also informed that USB 3.0 receptor ports will play nice with USB 2.0 cables and gadgets, albeit at USB 2.0 speed; additionally, USB 3.0 wares will be able to connect via older USB 2.0 sockets, though again at a slower rate. We’ve got to say, the dual-backwards compatibility is pretty sweet.

We also asked him about cabling and the general market transition to USB 3.0, and he did note that USB 3.0 cables will be physically different inside. In other words, a USB 2.0 cable cannot carry data at USB 3.0 speeds, end of story. To enjoy USB 3.0, you’ll need a USB 3.0 receptor port, a USB 3.0 cable and a USB 3.0 product; if you swap any of those pieces with USB 2.0, everything slows to USB 2.0 rates. Jeff also noted that the USB-IF would be coordinating the release of end products and cables, and he even said that older USB protocols may actually never completely fade from the market. After all, wireless keyboards would never need USB 3.0 speeds unless some sort of display were integrated, and particularly in cheaper products, using an older USB chipset could help keep costs down and MSRPs lower. So yeah, USB 3.0 is officially here, but the public can’t play with any USB 3.0 gear just yet. But if our hunches are correct, we’d bet on at least one or two big players pushing out SuperSpeed-packin’ wares before the year ends.

Filed under: Peripherals

First USB 3.0 product gets certified, floodgates get closer to breaking originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

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