Belkin Gets You Ready For USB 3.0 With New Accessories
SuperSpeed USB is finally here, and while it's not going anywhere fast, it's also not exploding into the market place at a rapid pace. As with any brand new technology, it takes awhile for companies and consumers to let go of what's familiar and embrace something different, particularly when there are incompatibilities involved.
USB 3.0 is a fantastic upgrade to a globally famous standard, and while USB 2.0 products will work with USB 3.0 sockets at the slower speed, users will need actual USB 3.0 ports in order to make the most of any external hard drive or other USB 3.0 peripheral that they may purchase over the next few months and years. Belkin, which knows a thing or two about making accessories, has just announced four new products to help people upgrade their existing systems with USB 3.0 support. It's not exactly cheap to upgrade, but it's far less expensive than buying an all new machine once USB 3.0 ports are commonplace on them (which still hasn't happened, by the way).
For desktop/tower users, the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 PCIe Add-In Card has you covered. All you need is a free PCIe card slot, and once you pop this in, your machine will now be able to take full advantage of USB 3.0 speeds. For notebook users, the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ExpressCard gives you a pair of USB 3.0 ports if you're willing to deal with a bulge, while a couple of USB 3.0 cables ensure that the transfers remain speedy from drive to PC. In case you're wondering, USB 3.0 are required to take advantage of USB 3.0 speeds, so your stash of USB 2.0 will soon be a lot less attractive.
All of the devices will ship in April (U.S.) or May (Canada), with pricing listed below.
USB 3.0 is a fantastic upgrade to a globally famous standard, and while USB 2.0 products will work with USB 3.0 sockets at the slower speed, users will need actual USB 3.0 ports in order to make the most of any external hard drive or other USB 3.0 peripheral that they may purchase over the next few months and years. Belkin, which knows a thing or two about making accessories, has just announced four new products to help people upgrade their existing systems with USB 3.0 support. It's not exactly cheap to upgrade, but it's far less expensive than buying an all new machine once USB 3.0 ports are commonplace on them (which still hasn't happened, by the way).
For desktop/tower users, the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 PCIe Add-In Card has you covered. All you need is a free PCIe card slot, and once you pop this in, your machine will now be able to take full advantage of USB 3.0 speeds. For notebook users, the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ExpressCard gives you a pair of USB 3.0 ports if you're willing to deal with a bulge, while a couple of USB 3.0 cables ensure that the transfers remain speedy from drive to PC. In case you're wondering, USB 3.0 are required to take advantage of USB 3.0 speeds, so your stash of USB 2.0 will soon be a lot less attractive.
All of the devices will ship in April (U.S.) or May (Canada), with pricing listed below.
SuperSpeed USB 3.0 PCIe Add-In Card (F4U023) - $79.99
* Connects up to 127 USB devices (through cascading additional hubs)
* Supports plug and play and hot-swap functionality
SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ExpressCard™ (F4U024) - $79.99
* Fully compliant with ExpressCard specification 1.0 and Universal Serial Bus 3.0 specification Revision 1.0
* Supports plug and play and hot-swap functionality
* Connects up to 127 USB devices (through cascading additional hubs)
SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Premium A-B Cable, 4 ft.(F3U158-04) - $39.99 ; 8 ft. (F3U158-08) - $49.99
SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Premium Micro-B Cable, 4 ft. (F3U165-04) - $39.99; 8 ft. (F3U165-08) - $49.99
