Two companies are using the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) as a platform to demonstrate storage devices based on the new USB 3.0 format. Seagate and Symwave worked together to have the first application of the "SuperSpeed" USB 3.0 technology in a real product.
"Symwave is honored to be working with Seagate in this show of the first USB 30 solution in a real world application of data backup, storage and media streaming," Symwave president and CEO Yossi Cohen said in a statement.
The Seagate display shows an external FreeAgent HDD supported with USB 3.0 with the speed results of a read/write test on the screen. Smywave promises 5 Gb/ps transfer speed for all streaming data, with transfers from a PC to an external HDD.
USB 3.0 promises a 10x speed increase and will be backwards compatible with the older USB 2.0 format. A 1GB file can be transferred via USB 3.0 in about 3.3 seconds, while a regular USB 2.0 1GB file transfer takes 33 seconds.
USB has had to compete against SATA, Ethernet and FireWire, though USB 3.0 supporters believe the new format will be able to trump all competitors. Microsoft, Seagate, Symware, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, NEC, NXP Semiconductors, and several other companies are on the USB 3.0 bandwagon.
The current USB data connectivity protocol hasn't had a significant upgrade in about 10 years, and around 90 percent of all storage devices used are USB-powered devices. Even though more products are finally USB 2.0 compatible, USB 3.0 devices will first begin to surface sometime in 2010, manufacturers predict.
Reactions: 1004
Forumposts: 1
Karma: 20090 , Wed 7 Jan 2009 14:43
1GB in 3.3 seconds? Holy crap, I can't wait. Now all I need is a hoverboard and I'm all set.
1GB in 3.3 seconds?
Same speed as E-SATA. Where is the improvement ?
Actually eSATA is 3 Gbps and USB 3.0 is 5 Gbps
Reactions: 376
Forumposts: 14
Karma: 7660 , Wed 7 Jan 2009 19:17
E-Sata can't power devices by itself (yet)
E-Sata is not backwards compatable with USB1 and 2.
E-Sata is not a popular consumer port used by many different manufactures for many different uses
E-Sata cables are not really ment for constant movement. They are way to thin and unprotected.
Reactions: 19
Forumposts: 86
Karma: 1240 , Wed 7 Jan 2009 19:25
eSATA is not supported well with some software. I have two programs that will de-activate if you open it with an eSATA drive connected. eSATA is great for speed, but a PITA do deal with sometimes.
Reactions: 45
Forumposts: 87
Karma: 1770 , Wed 7 Jan 2009 19:51
dlanthem, that doesn't really make sense to me. What is the software ?
eSata drives are usually connected to the motherboard like any internal SATA drive, using a standard SATA cable from the PC backplane to the motherboard, the external connection is just an extension of a that SATA cable from the motherboard. At least that is my understanding.
Maybe the software is deactivating for the same reason Windows sometimes deactivates when you change your hardware. It thinks you are on a different computer because you modified the hardware. That is lame...
Reactions: 167
Forumposts: 0
Karma: 3340 , Wed 7 Jan 2009 20:12
Very nice!
Reactions: 1742
Forumposts: 1678
Karma: 51620 , Wed 7 Jan 2009 22:01
USB 3.0 is one thing that has my interest enough to go for some sort of upgrade. Everyone uses USB to transfer info to and from a PC to or from some sort of portable device, be it a flash card or a camera or a music player whatever. I also hope we see portable music players with USB 3.0 capability soon. This is an exciting tech!
Reactions: 58
Forumposts: 9848
Karma: 101440 , Thu 8 Jan 2009 00:44
Let's hope they do not connect USB3 to the Southbridge and connect it to the Northbridge instead. Otherwise that 5Gb/s will be meaningless.
Reactions: 19
Forumposts: 86
Karma: 1240 , Thu 8 Jan 2009 03:02
ivid
The software is Phase One Capture One a professional RAW digital image conversion tool. It deactivates because it sees eSATA as a change in hardware. It is a problem in the software I have been talking with them about for many months. It would work fine if I left the external eSATA drive on all the time. However, I have 11 external hard drives with almost 200,000 high resolution digital images on them. I only spin up the drive I need for the time I need it. I use firewire and USB 2.0 because Capture One does not de-activate. I also have problems with PhotoShop...however that is quickly fixed...Phase one is not.
