Archive for: I/O
- February 24, 2011 10:48 am
While the use of Intel’s latest Sandy Bridge platform on the hot off the assembly line refresh MacBook Pros, there is something potentially even more exciting — Thunderbolt. To those of you not familiar with Thunderbolt, it is really nothing more than a renaming of Intel’s LightPeak technology that we’ve heard bantered about every once in a while over the last several years. The promise from Intel is 10Gbps of data transfer — twice as fast as USB 3.0′s theoretical maximum of 5Gbps. Adding to the party is that LightPeak is dual channel meaning you can get 10Gbps up and down.
Of course, one other intriguing part about Thunderbolt, is that according to Intel’s official Thunderbolt page, Thunderbolt is compatible with current DisplayPort ports and devices as well as also using the PCI Express protocol for increase compatibility. Add in the ability to daisy-chain devices together and you’ve got quite a strong USB contender with Thunderbolt.
Now that a major hardware manufacturer (Apple) has jumped on board with Thunderbolt, other manufacturers should join the party as well in the coming months.
The cost of USB 3 controllers and hardware combined with the relatively low support overall means laptops will go at least another year before said technology goes main stream, this according to sources of notebook vendors. In regards to price, because Taiwanese manufactures have failed to pass the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) specifications for USB 3, NEC has been able to grab the USB 3 controller market by the horns. And because they hold such a dominant position, they can charge $4-$5 per controller/chip. Combine that with the relatively small USB 3 accessory market and you’ve got a recipe for stagnation.
Intel is finally getting in gear with the USB 3 game which should help in getting USB 3 adoption to increase. Though their main interests are still vested in their upcoming LightPeak technology which will offer far greater bandwidth than even USB 3 — 10Gbps – 100Gbps. Nevertheless, it’s a sad state of affairs for laptop users looking to cash in on USB 3, for they’ll have to pay a premium to get it.
If you’re a fan of the movie Transformers, are an avid gamer, and love to change things up a big, the Mad Catz R.A.T. 7 gaming mouse is for you. Right off the bat, you’ll notice this mouse very, very different than your typical gaming mouse. Everything from palm swell to pinkie grip to overall length of the mouse itself can be changed and dialed in specifically to your liking. Of course, the obvious settings including DPI and changeable weights means this is a very configurable mouse.
The coolest part (for me anyway) is the “Precision Aiming” button. When playing a FPS or similar game, holding down said button while aiming/shooting will instantly cut the DPI by half, making very precise movements amidst the chaos that FPS’s tend to have inherently easier. Releasing the Precision Aiming button will instantly return your lighting quick DPI as it was before — no need for rudimentary DPI changes during gameplay.
It seems like an awesome mouse. For gamers, there’s no question as to what to get now. The Mad Catz R.A.T. 7 is hot. Doing a little shopping around online will net your one for under $100, so it’s rather affordable for what you get to boot. But don’t let my starry eyed drool session blur your decision making. Stop on by Everything USB and go through the very thorough hands-on review.
Anyone feeling mouse envy?
USB 3 and eSATA may be the king and queen when it comes to external speed, but no technology is more promising than Intel’s Light Peak. While USB 3.0 was a marginal, linear progression from USB 2.0 and 1.0 before it, Light Peak is exponentially faster. For example, USB 3.0 has a theoretical top speed of 5.0Gbps. Though real-world speeds tend to hover around 100-130MB/s. Still, that’s a helluva lot better than their previous technologies. Light Peak on the other hand has a theoretical top speed of 10Gbps, which will obviously offer at least double the real-world transfer speeds. But what’s slightly surprising is that Intel showed off the successor to Light Peak — mind you, Light Peak still has 3-5 years before we actually see it in mainstream products.
If Light Peak is all the rage in geek world currently, the successor has to be something special, right? Right! Light Peak tops out at 10Gbps. Ok, awesome. But Intel’s even faster laser-based technology will allow data transmissions of up to 12.5Gbps across (4) laser beams, netting nearly ~50Gbps of total bandwidth. That’s inane! But that’s just the beginning…
With all of the focus on the iPhone, App Store, and mobile sphere in general, it would seem that Apple has forgotten or given up on their desktop clientèle. But a fresh Mac Mini refresh slightly pushes off that belief.
The first part worth noticing is the new, $100 higher pricetag, which now pushes the bottom-of-the-line Mac Mini up to $699. Slight criticism aside, what does that extra hundred bones get you? For starters, a new once-piece aluminum body mimicking similar construction techniques found in the Macbook/Pro line, HDMI and user-accessible RAM.
The one-piece aluminum build is a nice feature bringing more rigidity and a cleaner look. HDMI is a pretty decent deal if you’re going to be hooking up to 1080p monitors. (And honestly, in 2010, who isn’t?) User accessible RAM is a biggie for sure as Apple is notorious for needlessly locking down hardware in order to overcharge customers for routine upgrades later on down the line.
And…that’s it. Is it worth $100 extra? I would say no. Then again, if you’ve already got the rest of a typical computer put together and just need a “tower”, $699 for OS X isn’t bad at all. I guess it all depends on where your needs lie…
Walyou took it upon themselves to put together a little show showing off some neat concept mice as well as real mice that have actually made it to the production line. There’s some known favorites in there by popular manufacturers such as Razr as well as many other creative designs.
If you’ve got a thing for gadget concepts, especially digital rodents, then hop on in…
I’ve been hitting the Android news hard the last couple of days and for good reason. Google had plenty to dish out at their I/O conference. This week was indeed a great week for Android fiends. First up on the list, the HTC Vision. What is the vision you ask? Think of it as the HTC Desire — but with a keyboard. As you may know, such a combo is my favorite form factor of choice. Unfortunately, all of the touchscreen + keyboard Android devices that have rolled out so far are mid-range, lackluster units save for of course, the Droid. But that could all change very soon…
It’s one thing for developers to look at Android and say that any updates can easily be ported to older hardware. But it’s an entirely different story if Android employees themselves get caught saying the same thing under the radar. According to the Android Police, a quick chat session they had with Android employees after the I/O event had wrapped up for the day is pretty alarming, if not somewhat common knowledge.
USB 3.0 currently has nerds fixated as it offers substantial speed improvements over USB 2.0. Compared to it’s cousin — eSATA — the difference is much less and at many times neck and neck. But even things such as USB 3.0 and eSATA are child’s play for what Intel’s Light Peak promises. Blowing past USB 3.0′s 5Gbps speeds to a scorching 10Gbps is quite the claim. Can it deliver…?
