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CES 2010 Roundup: USB 3.0 (aka SuperSpeed USB)

Posted on 20. Jan, 2010 by Nana Kwabena Owusu in Gadgets

USB is one of those interface connections which we have come to overlook because it is now so prevalent. It is no longer thought of as a separate interface on its own, but something which comes with every computer. The current version is USB 2.0 and when USB 3.0 (aka SuperSpeed USB, the USB implementers prefer this name) was announced last year, it promised faster transfer of content using USB devices.

SuperSpeed USB brings significant performance enhancements to the ubiquitous USB standard, while remaining compatible with the billions of USB enabled devices currently deployed in the market. SuperSpeed USB will deliver 10x the data transfer rate of Hi-Speed USB, as well as improved power efficiency.

• SuperSpeed USB has a 5 Gbps signaling rate offering 10x performance increase over Hi-Speed USB.
• SuperSpeed USB is a Sync-N-Go technology that minimizes user wait-time.
• SuperSpeed USB will provide Optimized Power Efficiency.No device polling and lower active and idle power requirements.

There are however two important things to note about USB 3.0;

1. There is a competing standard, Light Peak, which is backed by Apple and Intel. This means there may be a format war as happened with HD-DVD and Blu Ray when the transition to high definition optical dics began. However SuperSpeed may have an upper hand currently because of device rollouts and also support by PCIExpress 2.0 for USB 3.0.

2. There aren’t a lot of laptops supporting SuperSpeed currently; there’s the HP 15 Envy, Fujistsu FMV-BIBLO NF/G70. Although more laptops and notebooks with native support are expected later this year, you will probably still need an external converter of sorts, of which PCI Express based cards seem the most commonly available.

Here’s a quote from an Engagdget hands on with a Buffalo USB 3.0 device at CES.

Yes, we’re about to enter another dimension. A time when external drives are as fast as internal ones. Where the speed at which you can fill up your MP3 player is limited only by the speed of the storage on that device itself. You are about to enter… the SuperSpeed zone.

Western Digital also showcased the first version of its popular My Book devices to support USB 3.0 at CES. The My Book 3.0, is certified to work with the new serial bus standard.

Here is Western Digital’s feature list:

• SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface with transfer speeds up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0 to accelerate data transfers with the fastest available interface;
• Compatible with USB 2.0 ports – USB 3.0 interface is backward compatible with USB 2.0 with no additional hardware needed;

The My Book 3.0 is available either as 1TB for ($199.99) or 2TB for ($279.99)  product kit that includes a a PCIe adapter.

Seagate also announced the BlackArmor® PS 110 USB 3.0 Performance Kit. This all-in-one USB 3.0 toolkit packages a 500GB 7200RPM 2.5–inch portable hard drive, power cable and PCI express card, to deliver real-world, proven speeds up to three times faster than its USB 2.0.

With the BlackArmor PS 110 USB 3.0 drive , a 25GB HD movie can be transferred in just four minutes versus the 14 minutes it would take using a traditional USB 2.0 drive.

USB 3.0 speed has been specified at 4.8 Gbs per second or a ten times improvement over USB 2.0, however this is theoretical performance, and the new Seagate BlackArmor USB 3.0 portable drive achieves 3X performance over USB 2.0 in real world testing

Seventeen devices have been certified as USB 3.0 compliant. Will 2010 be the year when copying media on and off external drives become an afterthought because it is as fast as on internal drives? We’ll see. I personal think 2011 is the year but who knows…..

Related posts:

1. CES 2010 Roundup (Updated)
2. CES 2010 Roundup: Wi-Fi Direct
3. CES 2010 Roundup: ioSafe, disaster proof hard drives
4. CES 2010 Roundup: Eye-Fi, Memory + Wi-Fi

Tags: 2010, blackarmor, certified, ces, ces 2010, compliant, electronics, envy 15, events, highlights, mybook, mybook 3.0, PCIexpress, ps110, roundup, superspeed, usb, usb 3.0