SuperSpeed USB 3.0: More Details Emerge

Intel's Jeff Ravencraft, who is also president of the USB Implementers Forum, discussed more details about USB 3.0 today at the Storage Visions conference in Las Vegas.
The focus of the new spec is three-fold: Retain backward compatibility, increase speed, and provide better power handling.

"USB has been the most successful interface in history of personal computing," Ravencraft noted. "Over 6 billion products are in the market, and over 2 billion ship a year now."

Compatability

Backward compatibility shows up in the new standard. USB 3.0 maintains the extensive device class driver infrastructure of USB 2.0, and a USB 2.0 devices will work via a 3.0 connector.

Performance

Performance improvements are notable, too. "We have research that shows that after 1 minute, 1.5 minutes waiting for a transaction, users get impatient.," says Ravencraft. "The transfer times have to get much faster." Hence the evolution of USB SuperSpeed's Sync & Go concept.

SuperSpeed USB 3.0's 5Gbps data rate (compared with Hi-Speed USB 2.0's 480Mbps) should help--and with very clear real-world advantages. For example: A 25GB HD movie will take 13.9 min to transfer with USB 2.0, and 70 seconds with USB 3.0, says Ravencraft.

Practically speaking, the implications are tremendous. Imagine not having to wait hours on end for your full-drive data backup to complete, or not having a lengthy delay when off-loading 32GB flash memory cards from your digital camera.

Power

As for power consumption, "power today is king for portable devices. It is the pinnacle, the focus for the PC, the notebook, and all devices. All of these new specs had to be optimized for power efficiency," says Ravencraft.

For example, there's no longer any device polling, so connected USB devices can enter a virtual sleep mode; more power will be able to go to the device (which will hopefully eliminate some of the power issues we see today with portable hard drives that require extra power from a second USB port); and USB 3.0 will no longer broadcast information to all connected devices, thereby saving power, too. Plus, when a device's battery is drained, it will now still be recognized by a laptop, for example, so you can charge it (this doesn't work with USB 2.0).

The intention is for SuperSpeed USB 3.0 to provide headroom for the next five years.

"We've designed the protocol so it should operate at up to 25 gigabit per second data rates if the pipe supplies that type of data rate," says Ravencraft. "I don't think we'll get to that over a copper wire, but we might look at an optical interface next. And we're ready if it does."

Ravencraft expects host controllers and device controllers by mid-2009, and consumer products by early 2010. His estimates are more conservative than those offered by Symwave, which is demonstrating USB 3.0 at CES 2009 in conjunction with Seagate.

Intel to Offer Touchscreen Classmate PC

Intel will unveil a touchscreen version of its Classmate PC at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, next month.

The new Convertible Classmate is a tablet PC with a touch screen that swivels, which Intel claims makes data input easier.

The Classmate is a rival to Asus' Eee PC and as well as being marketed as an educational laptop for kids in developing countries, it will also be available in the general market. The touch-screen interface makes software more interactive and easier for kids to use, Intel said.

The Classmate is a reference design created by Intel, but the laptops are actually shipped by PC makers throughout the world. PC makers will discuss their plans to ship Convertible Classmate products at CES, an Intel spokeswoman said. Laptops built by using the reference design will become available in early 2009.

The new laptop has a clamshell design with an 8.9in screen. The screen can be used with either a stylus or a finger. There is also an option to rest palms on the touch screen while inputting data.

The laptop has a number of other bells and whistles, including an accelerometer that changes the display's orientation horizontally or vertically depending on the laptop's position.

The Convertible Classmate will run on an Intel Atom processor and come loaded with either the Windows or Linux OS.

With the new Classmate, Intel is a step ahead of its other competitor, the XO laptop from nonprofit One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), which plans to offer a touch-screen interface in its XO-2 laptop, due to ship in 2010. The XO-2 will include a software-based, touch-sensitive keyboard and two touch-screen displays.

The laptop is also an upgrade from the current Classmate PC, which is widely known as Classmate 2. Classmate 2 is a no-frills laptop without a touch screen that can be used for basic applications such as surfing the web and checking email. Priced at around $300 (£194), Classmates do include many of the basic features found in laptops today, like USB ports and wireless networking capabilities.

From http://pcworld.in/

The Best 5 All-In-One PCs, you might be glued to...

All-in-one PCs provide consumers with a single stop solution for those looking for a personal computer to be used in a home environment without the need of a separate case and display. This can reduce clutter of cabling and also enable the use of a computer in a much smaller space. Consumers have a greater choice among all-in-one PCs than they have in the past. (Based on Review of 'All in One PCs' by About.com)

1. Apple iMac 20-inch

Considered to be one of the biggest selling all-in-one PCs models in history, Apple has not sat back with the recent increase in competition. The 20-inch iMac provides a very strong balance between performance, size and price. The 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo makes it one of the fastest on the market and the 20-inch display is a good compromise in terms of size and functionality. Of course, those wanting a larger screen can always upgrade to the 24-inch model. The clean, attractive design is very functional and limits the amount of cable clutter one might expect to see.

2. HP TouchSmart IQ804

HP sets itself apart from the other all-in-on systems by being the only one to integrate a touch screen display into the TouchSmart IQ804. The huge 25.5-inch display is the largest available as well. It even has VESA compatible mounting points to make it easy to hang on a wall. What makes the TouchSmart is the new UI interface and TouchSmart software suite that makes navigation and application access so easy to use, all without the need of a mouse. Because of the larger display and frame size, HP was able to incorporate its pocket media bay that allows for easy expansion of hard drive space using one of HP's Pocket Media external drive units.

3. Sony VAIO VGC-LT35E

Sony's all-in-one offer is all about high definition media. The VGC-LT35E is an update to their previous model. They have increased the processor power and the amount of memory used in the system. It still retains the media features such as the Blu-ray drive, digital TV tuner and dual hard drives for extra hard drive space. The 22-inch display panel still only features a 1680x1050 panel, falling short of the 1080 full HD resolution. It certainly is a system that someone looking to have a PC and media center for a small room in a single package would want to consider. Just be aware that it is one of the most expensive on the market.

4. Dell XPS One

Dell's XPS One had many things going for it when it was first launched, but it stumbled in a number of areas that make it a less than ideal solution. The most glaring of these has to do with the graphics. The XPS line-up has always been geared towards performance, and the desktop Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 certainly provides that for most computer tasks. The problem is that ATI Radeon Mobility HD 2400 graphics built into the system provide less than stellar 3D graphics performance. The design for the rear cabling all off the center pivot point for the screen can cause a fair amount of desktop cable clutter. The real drawback though is that it just is not priced competitively enough with the other all-in-one PCs available on the market.

5. Gateway One ZX190

Gateway's One ZX190 certainly isn't the fastest among the all-in-one PCs, but it does have a lot to offer. It provides some of the strongest 3D graphics available in the market segment and it offers some excellent upgrade features. Probably the most notable design feature though is the power adapter that also incorporates all of the peripheral connectors. This provides a desktop environment that is free from wire clutter that is seen from external peripherals plugged into a PC. The case design also features an easy to open panel that allows for pain free upgrades of the system memory and even the installation of a second SATA hard drive. It also helps that the Gateway One is one of the least expensive all-in-one systems available right now.