The new Echo Thunderbolt to ExpressCard/34 adapter from Sonnet allows you to plug in ExpressCard/34 accessories and then use them via your Mac’s Thunderbolt port. When it arrives in October, it’ll be a way for users to connect Thunderbolt-equipped Macs to USB 3.0 drives and more. Read more »
Rumor has it we’ll see refreshed Apple iMacs as soon as Tuesday, May 3, including new Intel Sandy Bridge processors and new Thunderbolt ports. Even if the iMac isn’t something you’re terribly interested in, this is a release that all Apple-watchers should be excited about. Read more »
In September 2009, Intel demonstrated a new technology, dubbed Light Peak, that many were hailing as USB’s successor. Thirteen months later, and CNET predicts that Light Peak will be featured in new Macs in 2011 when it finally arrives. I’m not so sure about that. Read more »
Digital cameras and camcorders will drive the adoption of SuperSpeed USB faster than any other segment, according to market research firm In-stat. SuperSpeed USB, a faster bus implemented in USB 3.0, provides a high-speed transfer mode reaching 5 Gbit/seconds, perfect for transferring HD video to computers. Read more »
SuperTalent already sells a speedy USB 3.0 flash drive. But not everyone is willing to shell out hundreds of dollars just yet. Maybe that’s why the company pared down the speed and price of a lower end model that still rocks a 125 MBps transfer. Read more »
Intel this afternoon reported fourth-quarter profits that rocketed past expectations, buoyed by a rebound in the PC market. But unlike the past two decades, the chip maker can’t count on continued growth in PC buying and other familiar benefactors to keep its momentum up. Read more »
Of all the connectivity technologies on the imminent horizon, USB 3.0 holds extraordinary promise. But although some devices based on it will debut at the upcoming CES show, we can’t herald the technology’s true arrival yet. Read more »
The 2010 Consumer Electronics Show, which takes place Jan. 7-10 in Las Vegas, is rapidly approaching. Numerous important technologies — such as 802.11b, the first really widely adopted Wi-Fi standard — got their early boosts at the show. Here’s what to expect this time. Read more »
Anybody who has spent any time around the technology industry knows that broad-based standardization is important, for many reasons. Likewise, openness in standardization processes is also important. Self-interested tech companies have pursued their own proprietary standards proposals and patent moats for years, and can often obstruct […] Read more »
Sometimes, technologies that are ready for prime time don’t arrive in official, finalized form for ages. For example, although many of us have been using high-speed Draft 802.11n Wi-Fi technology for years now, it was only a few days ago that the IEEE officially ratified the […] Read more »
Without the Universal Serial Bus standard we’d live in a world that Apple, with its infinite variations of specialized port formats and cable changes, would love to make possible. Think of the margins! But even the design-centric Apple has succumbed to the lure of USB, that […] Read more »
We’re nearing the end of the year, and now happens to be a good time to single out some of the disruptive technologies that are likely to affect web workers next year. 2009 is slated to bring a few very major connectivity technologies that have been […] Read more »