In ASUS' latest entry into its EeeBox series of nettops, the company adds support for USB 3.0, with the unit featuring two SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports. The EeeBox EB1501U is about the shape and size of any variant in its series. It uses first-generation NVIDIA ION platform, with Intel Atom 330 dual-core processor, 2 GB of DDR2 memory, GeForce 9400M graphics, 320 GB hard drive, slot-in DVD writer, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, and a USB 3.0 controller. Other connectivity features include eSATA, USB 2.0, and display connectivity including HDMI and D-Sub.

We also dropped by the Chieftec booth and they have some nice enclosures on display. The most interesting one is the ITX case with large heatsinks on both sides, which are attached to heatpipes. These in turn cool the CPU and chipset of an Atom ION board. Due to the inability to accommodate the different board layouts, Chieftec will be offering these cases to OEMs who will then also receive a custom cooling solution to fit the mainboard they are using. The case also features a Soundgraph VFD and slot for a slim-line optical drive. We were also witness to a computer case which dispenses beer when needed. What else could you ask for?

At the ongoing CeBIT event, Gigabyte showed off its latest offer of motherboards including an interesting one based on AMD's upcoming 890FX chipset. Made for socket AM3 processors from AMD, the GA-890FXA-UD5 is based on the AMD 890FX chipset with SB850 southbridge. It expands a little on the chipset's features. The CPU is powered by a 10-phase VRM. It is wired to four DDR3 memory slots that are powered by a 2-phase VRM. The AMD 890FX drives four PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots (electrical x8 when all are populated, x16 on alternate slots otherwise). There are two PCI-E x1 and one PCI. All six of the SATA 6 Gb/s ports from the southbridge are internal, while an additional GSATA2 controller gives out two SATA 3 Gb/s ports, and drives the IDE connector. Connectivity options include 8+2 channel audio with Dolby Home Theater, two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, FireWire, and two USB 3.0 ports, apart from a number of USB 2.0 ports. The board is expected to release later next month.

MSI has undertaken a very interesting project: to use the Lucid Hydra chip on an AMD platform motherboard, its second design with Lucid Hydra. The 870A-GD60 Hydra is a socket AM3 motherboard based on the AMD 870 + SB850 chipset. The AMD 870 chipset succeeds the AMD 770, in being suited for single discrete-graphics setups. The chipset packs no PCI-Express external switching, and hence there is only one PCI-Express 2.0 x16 link it can give to a graphics card. MSI connected this link to a Hydra Engine chip, to give out two full-bandwidth PCI-Express 2.0 x16 links. "Why not simply use the 890FX?" could be a question for many, but its answer lies in Hydra's advantage over it: it allows you to pair two NVIDIA graphics cards, two ATI graphics cards, or even mix an NVIDIA and an ATI card in a mixed multi-GPU array, as has been demonstrated with MSI's P55 Big Bang Fuzion motherboard.

The AM3 socket is powered by a 10-phase DrMOS based VRM. The CPU connects to four DDR3 DIMM slots for dual-channel memory. It connects to the AMD 870 northbridge over the HyperTransport 3.0 interface. Its lone PCI-E 2.0 x16 port is taken up by the Hydra Engine chip located between the two PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots. Other expansion slots include three PCI-E x1, and one PCI. The SB850 southbridge gives out six internal SATA 6 Gb/s ports. Connectivity includes 8 channel HD audio with SPDIF connections, eSATA by an additional controller, FireWire, two USB 3.0 ports, and a number of USB 2.0 ports. The 870A-GD60 Hydra could be released late next month.

ASUS today launched the M4A89GTD PRO Series motherboard that delivers added core processing power by enabling the instant unlocking of latent AMD CPUs. Incorporating the latest AMD 890GX chipset with an advanced AMD graphics core, the M4A89GTD PRO Series also supports both ATI CrossFireX and Hybrid CrossFireX technologies. Combined with advanced rendering from the DX10.1 graphics API, the series offers spectacular visual output.

"By supporting both integrated and discrete graphics processing, the M4A89GTD PRO Series delivers enhanced graphics performance that will excite and impress both hardcore gamers and multimedia users," said Joe Hsieh, General Manager of ASUS Motherboard Business.

We dropped by A-DATA booth and did see a few interesting new products. First off, there are two new USB flash drives, the N909 with a USB Plus port and the N005 with USB 3.0. The former is a special USB connector with the possibility to be used on eSATA as well. There is also an SSD with SATA 3 and a micro USB 3.0 connector present.A-DATA is also displaying SDXC cards, just in time as the Canon 550D will be supporting the new format.

Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of Flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, today announced the new USB 3.0 SuperCrypt drive which features outstanding performance and supports AES hardware encryption. Available in 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB capacities, this new drive supports USB 3.0 speeds of up to 240MB/s. Downloading a 600MB movie takes a mere 7 seconds with this new drive.

Measuring 95 x 34 x 15.4 mm, the new SuperCrypt Drive requires no separate cable and is fully backward compatible with USB 2.0 ports, at USB 2.0 speeds. Super Talent offers two AES encryption options, both of which include the STT encryption utility for password control: the SuperCrypt drive features 128-bit ECB encryption, while the SuperCrypt Pro features 256-bit XTS encryption for very robust security. The USB 3.0 SuperCrypt drive will be available in March from Super Talent resellers worldwide. Interested parties can register here for USB 3.0 product availability updates.

MSI seems to have finalized design of its first motherboard based on the AMD 890FX chipset, the 890FXA-GD70. A possible prototype of this, then called the 890FX-GD70, was pictured back in early December, 2009. The 890FXA-GD70 has five PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots in all. Their electrical configuration, when all are populated, could be x8, x8, x8, x8, 1.1 x4, or x16, NC, x16, NC, 1.1 x4, supporting ATI CrossFireX. A PCI-E x1 and PCI make for the other two expansion slots. A large rectangular heatsink cools both the AMD 890FX chipset, and the 8-phase VRM, while a heat pipe connects this to the heatsink over the SB850 southbridge chip. The CPU is connected to four DDR3 memory slots with one-sided retention clips that don't come in the way of graphics cards in the first slot.

The SB850 gives out six SATA 6 Gb/s ports with RAID 0, 1, 0+1, 5, 10, JBOD support, while a JMicron made controller gives out an additional SATA 3 Gb/s port, an IDE connector, and possibly an eSATA connector. Connectivity options include 8+2 channel HD audio with optical and coaxial SPDIF connections, two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, two USB 3.0 ports (and a number of USB 2.0 ports), FireWire, and eSATA. This motherboard is ready for upcoming Phenom II X6 and Phenom II X4 processors, apart from existing processors in the AM3 package. It should be released in time for the six-core chips, late April.

Vantec Thermal Technologies, a worldwide leader specializing in computer accessories announces the expansion of the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 product lineup. Featuring the NexStar SuperSpeed Hard Drive Dock, available in both black and white and the NexStar SATA to USB 3.0 Adapter.

The NexStar Hard Drive Dock gives users a quick and easy way to access their SATA hard drives. By simply sliding either a 2.5" or 3.5" into the dock, users can begin reading and writing data from the attached hard drive. On the other hand, the NexStar SATA to USB 3.0 Adapter is extremely portable and is the perfect tool for a technician to have in their bag.

The proliferation of large-capacity external devices means they are being utilized in increasingly frequent manners for the backup of large files and high quality videos. However, users often have a long wait when they transfer large files of several Gigabytes. The primary cause for this is that the USB 2.0 interface is limited by its transmission speed of 480 Mbps. Thus, USB 3.0 devices were developed that possess ten times the transmission speed of the previous interface, winning consumer admiration. In order to fulfill consumer demands, Walton Chaintech, a world-renowned memory and storage device manufacturer, has officially launched a product that supports USB 3.0 standards today; the Astro Drive Series A101. Not only is it fully compliant with all USB 3.0 specifications, it is also the smallest USB 3.0 product available currently. A combination of all of these factors, in addition to its dual color design in red and silver, makes this a highly functional product that fulfills a great deal of anticipation.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards and other computing hardware solutions today proudly launched their latest AMD AM3 Socket GA-890GPA-UD3H motherboard, delivering loads of performance enhancing bandwidth for applications such as high end gaming and high speed data transfer on systems featuring new AMD 6 core CPUs.

The first motherboard featuring the AMD 890GX chipset paired with the all new SB850 South Bridge, the GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H offers the industry's first native support for Serial ATA 6Gbps for up to 6 devices. The AMD SB850 also offers the industry's first Serial ATA 6 Gbps RAID support, allowing users to configure RAID 0,1,5 and 10 for maximum data performance or enhanced data backup. Also equipped with GIGABYTE 3x USB Power Boost and USB 3.0 support by utilizing the industry-leading NEC controller, the GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H ensures users are ready to take advantage the next wave of high speed data transfer and storage technologies.

At CeBIT 2010, Team Group Inc will launch two novel 2.5-inch external hard disk drives, TP1021 and TP1022. In addition to high-capacity up to 640GB, the TP1022 is equipped with the future-trend interface USB 3.0 to significantly enhance data transfer speed. These two stunning external hard disk drives will shock the viewers and enrich the product ranges of Team.

The Team TP1021 equipped with the USB2.0 interface delivers a maximum data transfer speed up to 480Mb/S. The Team TP1022 equipped with the latest USB 3.0 interface renders a maximum data transfer speed even up to 4.8 Gb/S, allowing users to freely enjoy the superb sense of speed in data transfer. Both models support hot swap and PnP. Without restarting the computer or using an external power supply, users can connect the Team 1021 and 1022 directly to the USB port on the computer, making it convenient to use and energy saving. Both models have high capacity up to 640GB for storing up to 180,000 pictures and 160,000 songs in the MP3 format. Whether it is movies, pictures, music of documents, you can always bring the complete database with you at all ease.

ASUS is excited to be an NVIDIA launch partner in introducing the new NVIDIA Optimus technology for its latest range of notebooks in coming months. These include the powerful multimedia N Series, several slim and light U/UL Series models and versatile mainstream K Series notebooks.

The ASUS N Series notebooks represent the latest in mobile multimedia entertainment technology, combining optimized graphics performance and long-lasting battery life that will satisfy even the most discerning of multimedia fans. Its capabilities are due to the new NVIDIA Optimus technology, which intelligently monitors applications, and then summons the right amount of graphics performance for the job. It uses the discrete GPU for multimedia, games, and GPU computing applications, and integrated graphics for the Internet, emails and documents. It does so automatically and without the need for user intervention, delivering both convenience and a seamless computing experience for users on-the-go.

RaidSonic is ready with three new external storage solutions that make use of USB 3.0 SuperSpeed interface, in its Icy Box series. To begin with, the Icy Box IB-230StU3 is a compact enclosure that makes for a portable, pocketable solution that can house a single 2.5 inch SATA HDD or SSD. It gets a healthy dose of brushed metal and aluminum overalls that keep it light and sturdy. It uses USB 3.0, and is backwards compatible with USB 2.0. It will ship next month for 27 EUR a piece.

Next up, is the Icy Box IB-330StU3 enclosure, which although portable, is fit for the desktop. It can house a single 3.5" HDD or SSD. It has silicone inserts for noise dampening. Again, it uses USB 3.0 for connectivity. This one is slated for an April 2010 release, and will be priced at 39 EUR.

Lastly, there's the Icy Box IB-RD4320StU3-B desktop enclosure. It can house two 3.5" SATA drives with RAID 0, 1, 0+1, and JBOD support, and USB 3.0 interface to let you make use of the transfer speeds. Its release date and price are not known at the moment.

NEC Corporation (NEC) and NEC Electronics Corporation (NECEL) announced today the development and successful demonstration of LSI technology for next-generation high-speed serial communication interfaces. This new technology allows inter-chip communication that is three times faster than modern communication interface standards, such as USB 3.0 and PCI Express 2.0, without using complicated transmission modes like multilevel transmission.

In recent years, due to the appearance of high-definition (HD) TV and 3D video content, the volume of data being processed for personal use has rapidly grown. This growth has resulted in greater demand for high speed transmission of data both between and within a wide variety of equipment. In order to provide for this demand, various types of sophisticated transmission schemes have been proposed to compensate for the large waveform distortion of input signals fed to the receiver, and to reach high-speed communications of more than 10 Gb/s to facilitate next-generation USB and PCI Express.

Sharkoon SATA QuickPort Duo USB3.0: Dual docking station for SATA Hard Drives with USB 3.0 ports / direct PC connection for two external supported SATA hard drives in 2.5" and 3.5" format / MSRP 59.90 Euros.

USB 3.0 has seized the market. Since Sharkoon was the first provider to introduce a USB3.0 controller and equip the Sharkoon SATA QuickPort USB 3.0 hard drive docking station with this terminal as a standard port, the accessory specialist now introduces a USB 3.0 variant model to its popular QuickPort series:

Active Media Products, manufacturer of SSDs and innovative USB drives, today launched the new Aviator-2 SuperSpeed USB 3.0 external 2.5-inch SSDs, which offer a 400% performance gain compared to USB 2.0 external HDDs.

SuperSpeed USB 3.0 supports transfer speeds up to 4.8Gbits/sec -- ten times faster than USB 2.0. Aviator-2 SuperSpeed USB 3.0 external SSDs take advantage of USB 3.0's massive bandwidth, delivering unprecedented performance in a mobile flash storage device. Measuring just over 3 x 5 inches, the Aviator-2 is slim enough to slip into a jacket pocket.

ASUS seems to be ready with one of its first motherboards based on the AMD 890GX chipset. This socket AM3 series of motherboards seems to come in two variants: M4A89GTD Pro and M4A89GTD Pro USB3 (with the latter having support for USB 3.0 SuperSpeed connectivity. An early development version of this motherboard was displayed at this year's CES event. Fresh pictures show a production-grade model, complete with chipset and VRM cooling, as well as a box design.

The M4A89GTD Pro / USB3 is a socket AM3 motherboard with a 10-phase CPU VRM supporting future AMD CPUs with 140W TDP, 2-phase memory VRM powering the four DDR3 DIMM slots, AMD 890GX chipset with faster DirectX 10.1 compliant graphics, and AMD SB800 southbridge. The SB800 provides six SATA 6 Gb/s ports, while an additional JMicron-made controller gives out the IDE connector (and possibly the lone eSATA port). Expansion slots include two PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots (x8/x8 when both are populated), two PCI, and one each of PCI-E x1 and PCI-E x4. Connectivity includes 8+2 channel HD audio with optical SPDIF output, gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 ports (on the USB3 variant), FireWire, and display connectivity including DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. The M4A89GTD Pro / USB3 is expected to be launched a little ahead of AMD's launch of its six-core Phenom II X6 processors.

Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of Flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, today announced the new USB 3.0 Express Drive. Available in 16GB and 32GB capacities, this new drive supports USB 3.0 speeds of up to 125 MB/s. Downloading a 600MB movie takes a mere 12 seconds with this new drive. And the company expects to improve this performance even further in coming weeks by applying their advanced driver technology.

"This product underscores Super Talent's continued leadership in the USB 3.0 storage market.", said Super Talent COO, C.H. Lee. "We've listened to our customers and responded with a USB 3.0 product that not only meets the market needs but hits the balance point between price and performance."

Lian Li Industrial Co. Ltd Ltd today has launched the PC-A77F Full Tower chassis ideal for PC power users and server systems. Incorporating USB 3.0 functionality with 4x new USB 3.0 ports as well as the standard e-SATA x1 and HD+AC97 Audio. The hair-line brushed all black aluminum chassis features three Blue LED fans on the front (3x 120mm@1200RPM), and 2x Top 140mm fans @1000RPM, as well as 1x 120mm rear fan (1500RPM). The 8x PCI expansion slots enable CrossFireX and three way SLI graphic card setups. The chassis front panel clips off conveniently as needed. The inlet fans have filters that are washable. The entire chassis is designed for tool-less implementation, so installing your hardware a nd getting your system up and running is extremely quick and easy. The dimensions stand at 220mm x 572mm x 590mm (W, H, D) for the PC-A77F.

The Lian Li patented Power Supply Bracket which allows the PSU to be secured using only the tool-less clasp is very useful to hold the PSU without the need for securing screws. The 9x internal HDD 3.5" bays have a tool-less bracket mounting system where the HDD's are secured along secure rails. The rails lock fast to ensure all HDD's are held in place with rubber grommet struts to prevent movement and vibration from today's fast moving and highly specialized HDD components. The locking mechanism slides into place and secures all the HDD's simultaneously. The PCI securing brackets are made of aluminum and have a special tool-less clip with rubber padding to secure your graphics and daughter cards with the utmost of ease. The front panel and top panel are easily detachable for access to fans and air filters. The PC-A77F chassis have all the functional and user friendly design aspects users have come to expect in high quality Lian Li cases.

ASRock is developing a new upper-mainstream socket LGA-1156 motherboard based on the Intel P55 Express chipset: the P55-Deluxe3. This motherboard builds on the chipset's feature-set, and offers USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s connectivity. It further borrows from a design ASUS innovated with its P7P55D Premium, which makes use of a PCI-Express 2.0 bridge chip, which connects to the P55 chipset over its PCI-Express 1.1 x4 link, and gives out PCI-Express 2.0 x1 connections to the USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s controllers. The SATA 6 Gb/s controller gives out two SATA ports (color-coded white), and an IDE connector. The NEC USB 3.0 controller gives out two external ports color-coded blue.

Expansion slots include two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x8 when both are populated), a PCI-Express x1, and two PCI slots. Both NVIDIA SLI and ATI CrossFire, are supported. Other connectivity options include 8+2 channel audio with SPDIF connectivity, gigabit Ethernet, eSATA, FireWire, and a number of USB 2.0 ports. The ASRock P55 Deluxe3 should be priced somewhere in the $180~$200 range.

MSI seems to be almost ready with a new high-end motherboard for the socket LGA-1366 Intel Core i7 platform. The new MSI Big Bang XPower motherboard is based on the usual Intel X58 Express + ICH10R chipset, and offers six PCI-Express x16 slots, which which it can support CrossFireX, SLI, and still have room for dedicated PhysX accelerators or other PCI-E devices. The XPower also features support for SATA 6 Gb/s and USB 3.0 using additional controllers.

The CPU is powered by a 16-phase DrMOS PWM, which draws power from two 8-pin power connectors. It makes use of High-C capacitors for higher durability. An additional 6-pin PCI-Express power input adds electrical stability to the PCI-Express x16 slots. The socket is wired to six DDR3 DIMM slots for triple-channel memory support, which are powered by a 3-phase VRM.

Gigabyte's top of the line socket LGA-1156 motherboard, GA-P55A-UD7 just got a face-lift before release to the market. The GA-P55A-UD7 was pictured in its production form as early as in November, 2009. The retail model has notable changes from the production version. To begin with, GA-P55A series motherboard are characterized with SATA 6 Gb/s and USB 3.0 support. The new GA-P55A-UD7 has four PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots instead of three on the production one. The four slots are connected to an NVIDIA nForce 200 PCI-E bridge chip, which is connected to the processor. The two x16 links from this chip can be split into four x8 links for each slot. A PLX-made bridge chip provides additional PCI-Express 2.0 lanes (probably connected to the P55 PCH), to drive the USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s controllers.

The area south of the CPU socket (typically where you expect a northbridge to be located in older generation motherboards), has the nForce 200 and PLX bridge chips. This is cooled by a fusion heatsink which can be connected to a water-cooling loop. It can also offload heat from the CPU VRM and PCH heatsinks. Of the ten internal SATA ports, six are 3 Gb/s ports provided by the P55 PCH, two 3 Gb/s ports from a Gigabyte GSATA2 controller (which also gives out an IDE connector), and two 6 Gb/s ports from a Marvell-made controller. Other features include two color-coded blue USB 3.0 ports, several USB 2.0 ports, Firewire, two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, and 8-channel HD Audio with optical and coaxial SPDIF outputs.

Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS), a leading motherboard, graphics card, barebone system and notebook manufacturer, today announced the launch of the ECS U3N2 and S6M2 expansion cards as the most flexible solution for many upcoming USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps external devices.

The ECS U3N2 USB 3.0 expansion card which is powered by NEC USB 3.0 controller chip delivers a brand new standard SuperSpeed USB 3.0 performance up to 5Gbps data-transfer rate which is 10 times faster than USB 2.0 and at least 900mA current output for each port to easily access SuperSpeed external devices, also, the ECS U3N2 USB 3.0 expansion card provides a great flexibility with its backward compatibility to USB 2.0 and earlier devices.

NEC gave its ValueStar W line of all-in-one PCs which it released last year a specifications upgrade. Variants feature Intel's new dual-core processors, with a choice between the Core i5 650 which runs at 3.20 GHz, and the Core i3 530 clocked at 2.93 GHz. Other features include 4 GB of DDR3 memory, 1 TB of storage, Blu-ray disc drive, and Intel integrated graphics. TV tuner and USB 3.0 controllers are also optional. Another major change is the Windows 7 Home Premium operating system, which takes place of Windows Vista, on the specs sheet. The PCs come with bezel colors of red, black and white. They feature screen sizes of 21.5" and 23", both with resolutions of 1920 x 1080 pixels.