HighPoint Technologies, Inc., an industry leading HBA and storage solutions manufacturer, unveils the Industry's first 4-Port PCI-E Gen 2 x4, 20Gb/s USB 3.0 SuperSpeed HBA, the RocketU 1144A. Designed for high-performance Desktop PCs, each of the RocketU 1144As four dedicated USB 3.0 ports provides 5Gb/s of throughput, and are optimized for today's fastest USB 3.0 external storage devices. USB 3.0 HBAs that already exist in today's marketplace impose a performance bottleneck on multi-drive configurations, limiting transfer rates to 5Gb/s. Such controllers limit the potential of today's high-speed SSD's and external RAID enclosures.

HighPoint has capitalized on recent advances in USB 3.0 connectivity, and has made 5Gb/s per-port performance a reality. No longer limited to the convenience of plug-and-play, USB 3.0 has emerged as a truly viable option for today's high-speed SSD and hard drives. HighPoint's RocketU 1144A employs the latest USB 3.0 technology to deliver an unbeatable 20 Gb/s transfer bandwidth for under US $100. This optimal balance of cost and performance makes it an ideal external storage solution for high-performance PCs.

VIA Labs, Inc., a leading supplier of USB 3.0 integrated chip controllers, today announced its latest USB 3.0 device controller, the VIA Labs VL751 SuperSpeed USB to NAND flash controller. The VL751 is VIA Labs' second-generation single-chip solution for USB 3.0 flash drives, and offers enhanced performance using today's popular flash memories. The VIA Labs VL751 has been certified by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) for SuperSpeed operation, ensuring high quality, seamless interoperability, and effortless backwards compatibility.

The VIA Labs VL751 features a four-channel NAND interface, doubling or even quadrupling maximum throughput over single or dual-channel designs. The second generation VIA Labs VL751 offers improved parallelization and higher efficiency through integrated pre-read and pre-write buffers, better support for popular flash memories, and a pipelined ECC engine. Cumulatively, these enhancements translate into a nearly 100% performance boost over the VIA Labs VL750 with no increase in power consumption.

Patriot Memory, a global pioneer in high-performance memory, NAND flash, storage and enthusiast computer products, today announces the Supersonic Xpress USB 3.0 flash drive for mainstream users that combines portability and a SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface for maximum performance at an affordable price. The Patriot Supersonic Xpress USB 3.0 flash drive features a stylish cap-less design that hides the USB 3.0 connector when not in use - simply push the drive like a pen to reveal the connector.

KINGMAX, a renowned first-rate memory module and USB flash drive manufacturer, has recently released its new SuperSpeed USB 3.0 flash drive, the ED-01. The USB 3.0 supports data transfer rates of up to 5Gbps which is 10 times faster than the traditional USB 2.0 running at 480 Mbps, and takes less than one minute to download a 20GB movie. In addition, the contoured design of the ED-01 boasts delicate and sleek curves, perfected with leather-like texture and a glossy metal trim, adding a sense of chic style.

Adopting the USB 3.0 UFD Single Chip controller, the ED-01 USB 3.0's system is more stable and backward-compatible with USB 2.0. Moreover, using full-duplex bidirectional synchronization data transfer technology, the ED-01 read speed at 66 MB/sec and write speed at up to 41 MB/sec, way exceeding the performance of USB 2.0. Whether data is HD movies, photos or large presentation files with rich media, ED-01 will complete data transfers in an extremely short period of time. This new extreme flash drive not only meets the market's demands for large media file storage and transferring, but also transports the user to a super-speedy experience that every second counts.

Japanese manufacturer Green House unveiled its latest portable solid state drive (SSD), the GH-SSDE-U3A. Measuring 79 (W) x 137.5 (D) x 12.5 (H) mm, and weighing 141 g, the drive is inherently more tolerant to mechanical shocks than portable hard drives. It uses the USB 3.0 SuperSpeed interface, with a single cable drawing power from the host, and providing 5 Gb/s interconnect bandwidth.

The Green House GH-SSDE-U3A provides respectable transfer rates of 220 MB/s reads, and 180 MB/s writes, and comes in capacities of 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB. It uses MLC NAND flash memory chips, while its controller isn't known. The drive's body is completely made of metal, powder-coated matte-black. Backed by a one-year warranty, the Green House GH-SSDE-U3A will reach stores by the end of this month. Its price, however, is still under the wraps.

The first ever range of external hard drives from Sony keep your precious data safe, while offering a range of exciting new home entertainment experiences. With a generous capacity of 500GB, the new HD-PG5 series offers plenty of space to store and safeguard your videos, photos, documents, digital music and more.

The HD-PG5U connects via USB with compatible BRAVIA models, allowing direct recording of HD television programmes from the TV's tuner or connected cable/satellite service. The supplied USB adaptor cable also allows easy 'PC-free' transfers of video footage from compatible Handycam camcorders with Direct Copy function, including the new DCR-SX21E and DCR-SR21.

Weighing little over a kilogram, the new VAIO Z Series notebook PC from Sony is created for mobile professionals who demand absolute performance and portability. VAIO Z blends ultra-desirable styling and premium carbon fibre with no-compromise specifications and innovative productivity features. In the office or on the road, this class-leading business notebook helps demanding users work more efficiently with the ultimate in on-the-move computing power.

All-new VAIO Z takes cutting-edge styling by Sony to new extremes, with a 'full flat' body and display lid that are crafted in tough, ultra-light carbon fibre. At just below 1.2kg and 16.65mm slim, the new VAIO Z is the perfect partner for business travellers who demand ultimate power with less to carry.

Silicon Power today announces their ultra capacity 2.5inch USB 3.0 Stream S20 1TB external hard disk drive. It further strengthens powerful Stream Series of SP External Hard Drives. SP Stream S20 design concept comes from high-performance sports car. Front side of Stream S20 resembles sports car's low wind shear design as well as top and back-end. From any side Stream S20 displays its powerful performance. Metallic purple paint demonstrates its luxurious style and at the same time declares its superiority.

The range of USB3.0 terminals is growing rapidly, but there are still newer PC systems barely equipped with suitable interfaces. Accessory specialist Sharkoon presents an internal USB3.0 hub, which provides easy access to four identical SuperSpeed ports on the front of the PC. The Sharkoon 4-Port USB3.0 Hub, with black front panel, is a separate 3.5" or 5.25" drive bay with the provided 5.25" mounting frame already pre-assembled.

It is connected to an external USB3.0 port on the main board on the PC's backside. For orderly feed through a 120cm long USB3.0 cable is enclosed with a pre-installed backplate. Power is supplied to the attached USB3.0 devices through the integrated 4-pin power supply connection. All four USB3.0 ports are each equipped with a LED status indicator.

World leading flash memory manufacturer SP (Silicon Power) continues to use luxurious checkered design in-line with their Touch series USB flash drives and introduces the brand new 2.5 inch Diamond series USB 3.0 1TB external portable hard drive. New Diamond D10 featuring design with checkered stereoscopic effect combines USB3.0 interface with a massive 1TB storage capacity. As an external portable hard drive, D10 redefines indulgence and luxury!

The new Diamond series of external portable hard drives is designed by the SP R&D team. The focal point of the design was to sustain and continue the elegance of the Touch series using the checkered design. With a delicate and artistic manufacturing process, a stereoscopic effect was created that is gorgeous and eye catching wherever it goes!

Icy Box released three new drive enclosures, two of which, the IB-272StU-OT and IB-250StU3-BH, can make portable drives enclosing 2.5-inch SATA HDDs or SSDs. The third one, the IB-351StU3-B, is a 3.5-inch drive enclosure that makes for a desktop external drive enclosure. The IB-250StU3-BH and IB-351StU3-B take advantage of the USB 3.0 SuperSpeed interface, with interface bandwidths as high as 5 Gb/s between the enclosure and the host. Between the enclosure and the drive, however, they use SATA 3 Gb/s interface.

The IB-272StU-OT is very slim, and can only hold 9.5 mm thick drives (most 2.5-inch notebook HDDs and 2.5-inch SSDs are that thick). It uses the older USB 2.0 interface, and is Plug & Play and Hit Swap compatible. It features a one-touch backup function. This drive is priced at €18.50. The IB-250StU3-BH supports USB 3.0, and can hold 9.5 mm as well as 12.5 mm thick drives, it costs €19.90. The IB-351StU3-B holds 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch HDDs/SSDs, its body makes lavish use of aluminum. It features tool-free drive installation. This one goes for €27.90.

Small enough for transit, ample storage space for large files and SuperSpeed for rapid data access - Sharkoon raises the benchmark for USB 3.0 sticks a little higher and presents in time for Computex another model in their high-performance segment: The Sharkoon Flexi-Drive Ultimate achieves sequential read rates of up to 200 MB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 120 MB/s. Storage capacity is available in either 64 GB or 128 GB.

The Sharkoon Flexi-Drive Ultimate uses a powerful Single Chip USB3.0 Controller and four eight-channel controlled MLC storage cells. The memory stick is in a high-quality, black aluminium case with a protective cap and keychain eyelet, measures 79 x 27 x 9.3 mm, weighs 40 grams and supports the operating systems Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 (32 and 64 Bit), Mac OS 10 as well as Linux.

Renesas Electronics today announced that the cumulative total shipment of the company's SuperSpeed Universal Serial Bus (USB 3.0) host controllers has reached 30 million units worldwide as of 19 May 2011. This achievement comes a year and a half after starting mass production of the world's first USB host controller (µPD720200) in September 2009. The company also announced that to further address increasing orders from customers, it plans to double production of USB 3.0 host controllers to a monthly production of six million units starting this June.

In May 2009, Renesas Electronics (then NEC Electronics) introduced the industry's first USB 3.0 xHCI host controller and, after four months of its release, the company became the world's first to earn the "Certified SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0)" certification from the USB-IF, and also started mass production of the µPD720200 host controller. In the following year, the company released its second USB 3.0 xHCI host controller (µPD720200A) and passed the compliance and certification testing in only two months. These host controllers have become the de facto USB 3.0 host controller standard realising the best interoperability between PCs and PC peripherals that support USB 3.0.

Lexar Media, a leading global provider of memory products for digital media, today announced the new Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual-Slot Reader, a high-performance card reader that enables professional and advanced amateur photographers and videographers to maximize their workflow with blazing-fast transfer speeds. The reader leverages SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) technology to deliver high-speed performance that supports the latest CompactFlash (CF) UDMA, Secure Digital Extended Capacity (SDXC), and SD Ultra High Speed-I (UHS-I) memory cards. The versatile reader is also backwards compatible with standard CF, SD, and Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) memory cards and USB 2.0 host devices.

"USB is the most popular connectivity option for PCs, and it's critical that professional photographers and videographers have convenient and versatile tools to maximize their workflow and fully leverage the performance of their high-speed memory cards," said Manisha Sharma, director of product marketing for cards, Lexar Media. "The Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual-Slot Reader combines extremely fast performance with a versatile, innovative design to provide pro and hobbyist shooters with a reader that dramatically reduces image transfer time. The speed offered by the reader enables users to move large volumes of high-resolution images and HD video faster than ever, allowing them to spend less time at the PC and more time on other activities."

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced the shipment of the Flash Voyager USB 3.0 family of USB flash drives.

The new Flash Voyager USB 3.0 models deliver SuperSpeed USB 3.0 performance, with read speeds up to four times faster than typical USB 2.0 drives. The Flash Voyager USB 3.0 product family shares the same rugged rubber housing and finger-friendly ergonomics that have made the Flash Voyager family a favorite of consumers looking for durable portable data storage. All Flash Voyager USB 3.0 models are shockproof, water-resistant, backward compatible with USB 2.0/USB 1.1 standards, and provide easy plug-and-play compatibility with most operating systems.

For the greater part of the last decade, PC device connectivity was limited to the 480 Mbps bandwidth of USB 2.0. The pressing need for more bandwidth to run external hard drives and disk racks was alleviated by eSATA, but eSATA lacked the versatility of USB. After quite some delay, came the next big version of USB, the USB 3.0 SuperSpeed, with its massive 5 Gbps bandwidth, plenty for fast and capacious flash drives, and external storage devices.

There was, however, a potential bottleneck lurking with running SSD-based RAID boxes in USB 3.0, as many SATA 6 Gbps SSDs are getting close to the bandwidth limit of USB 3.0. There has also been the need for an interconnect faster than USB 3.0 for high-bandwidth applications such as lossless ultra high definition video streaming in professional environments, and hence came Thunderbolt, which is a copper-electric variant of a fiber-optic interconnect Intel had been working on, codenamed Light Peak. The successor to Thunderbolt is reportedly already under development at Intel Labs.

Top leading flash memory manufacturer and brand Silicon Power realizes how individuals can't help to speak for themselves; thus, for those who dare to show their capricious personality, Blaze B10, the market's first USB 3.0 flash drive with color-changing pattern according to temperature, is born.

With USB 3.0 SuperSpeed interface, Blaze B10 boasts a remarkable read speed up to 70 MB/s. Compared to conventional USB 2.0 with 480MBps, USB 3.0 carries the bandwidth of up to 5Gbps. Based on real-world test results, transfer time of high definition data files such as videos, photos, music, etc is significantly reduced, making instant carrying and sharing rich digital contents quicker and easier.

Transcend Information, Inc., a worldwide leader in storage and multimedia products, today introduced two new high-capacity portable hard drives: the SuperSpeed USB 3.0-powered StoreJet 25H3P and the standard USB 2.0-powered StoreJet 25H2P. Both models boast 1TB of storage capacity, and come bundled with Transcend's advanced new Transcend Elite data management software, which allows modern users to keep their rich digital content organized, protected and up-to-date.

Housed in a robust shockproof case, the newly released StoreJet 25H3P and StoreJet 25H2P drives offer extra capacity for more downloads and files and provide the highest level of protection against accidental drops. Besides incorporating a brilliant purple anti-slip rubber enclosure, the new models include a reinforced hard casing that evenly distributes the force of an impact, and an internal hard drive suspension damper as a last line of defense. Both two drives have passed the rigorous U.S. military drop-test tests, making them one of the most robust portable hard drives in the market today.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, announced today its new family of hard disk drives, including two portable drives and a desktop storage station. Supporting the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface, the new external hard drives can provide data transfer speeds of up to 5 gigabits per second, delivering a maximum 10-fold higher data transfer rate over the USB 2.0, allowing users to transfer a 25-gigabyte full HD movie in just four minutes.

Samsung's portable drives come in two designs, the entry-level M2 Portable and the premium C2 Portable 3.0. The M2 Portable comes with a wave-like matte finish that covers scratches and fingerprints, with curved sides for a comfortable grip. The drives are available in densities of up to 1 terabyte, USB 2.0/3.0 interface, and four colors: Brown Black, Noble Beige, Mist Gray and Clay Orange.

Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) today announced that it is the first semiconductor company to receive certification from the USB Implementer's Forum (USB-IF) for its SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) four-port extensible host controller (xHCI). In addition to the four-port host controller, the TUSB7340, TI also achieved certification for its two-port host controller, the TUSB7320. These four- and two-port host controllers support such applications as notebooks, desktop computers, workstations, servers, add-in cards and ExpressCard implementations, as well as PCIe-based embedded host controllers for HDTVs, set top boxes and gaming console applications. Download datasheets, order free samples, and request evaluation modules (EVMs) here.

"The continuing certification of USB products is key to delivering a smooth and effortless experience to consumers worldwide as they purchase and interconnect their new electronic devices using SuperSpeed USB," said Jeff Ravencraft, President & COO, USB-IF. "We are pleased with the commitment Texas Instruments has made to this standard by delivering such a broad portfolio of SuperSpeed USB products, including their most recent four- and two-port host controllers."

The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) today announced the first certified SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) chipsets. The A75 and A70M FCH chipsets from AMD represent a major milestone for broad SuperSpeed USB adoption among manufacturers, as built-in USB 3.0 support enables designers to seamlessly incorporate SuperSpeed USB into their systems. Certification of AMD A75 and A70M FCH chipsets provides assurance to manufacturers and consumers that the SuperSpeed USB chipsets are interoperable and comply with the USB 3.0 specification.

"The ramp of the SuperSpeed USB ecosystem has been unprecedented, and the first certified SuperSpeed USB chipsets from AMD are a momentous step in the industry," said Jeff Ravencraft, USB-IF President & COO. "SuperSpeed USB integration into the chipsets is a strong incentive for manufacturers to bring an even broader range of SuperSpeed USB solutions to the market."

Some time in the first half of 2012, Intel will release its next generation of desktop processors for the LGA1155 socket, based on the new Ivy Bridge silicon. Ivy Bridge is a 22 nanometer die-shrink of Sandy Bridge, with a few features added/improved. Ivy Bridge's smaller die size will allow for increased clock speeds and reduced production costs. A presentation was leaked to the press, which reveals quite a bit about the new chips. To begin with, Ivy Bridge processors are seamlessly compatible with existing LGA1155 platforms, and "Cougar Point" P67, H67, H61, Z68, chipsets, although it will come with its own 7-series chipset.

For the most part, Ivy Bridge is identical to Sandy Bridge, being an optical shrink from existing 32 nm to 22 nm. It will feature a new dual-channel DDR3 memory controller with official support for DRAM speeds of up to DDR3-1600 MHz. There's the usual PCI-Express 2.0 x16 hub that can drive up to two discrete graphics cards with electrical x8 connections. The integrated graphics controller will face an overhaul, it will be DirectX 11 compliant. It will also support the next version of Intel QuickSync GPU-accelerated video encoding technology. Turbo Boost 2.0 will be carried forward. TDP ranges in the usual 95/65/45/35W options.

ASUS has just launched the new BW-12D1S-U, the world's fastest external 3D Blu-ray writer. It enables an easy transition from DVD, the fastest and most reliable Blu-ray burning performance, and a unique artistic approach to optical media.

With burning speeds up to 12X via USB 3.0, Optical Tuning Strategy (OTS) technology for the best writing quality available and high definition 3D playback, the BW-12D1S-U further highlights the attention ASUS pays to design, arriving in a form inspired by diamond shapes. It also includes a unique blue power indicator for an artistic touch, and features a matching stand that allows for practical two-way horizontal and vertical placement to help users save space with increased versatility.

Renesas Electronics Corporation, a premier provider of advanced semiconductor solutions, today announced the availability of its two new SuperSpeed Universal Serial Bus (USB 3.0) xHCI host controllers (part number, µPD720201 and µPD720202) for electronic devices such as PCs and digital TVs that feature faster effective data transfer speeds and reduced power consumption in low power mode.

The µPD720201 and µPD720202 devices make it easier for system designers to build electronic devices combining high-speed data transfer, compact size, and extended battery life. In addition, Renesas Electronics device drivers for Microsoft Windows with a proven track record, and device drivers with Linux support, are available for the µPD720201 and µPD720202 host controllers at no cost.

Transcend Information, Inc. (Transcend), a worldwide leader in memory and storage products, today announced a new addition to its SSD family, the SSD18C3 Portable Solid State Drive. The new portable SSD combines the benefits of USB 3.0 with all the performance and durability advantages of solid-state technology, providing unparalleled speed and stability that conventional portable hard drives cannot compete with.