Will let non-USB 3.0 laptops interface with SuperSpeed products

Aug 3, 2010 08:43 GMT  ·  By

The largest woe of the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface is the fact that it is not nearly as widespread as its predecessor, and still mainstream, USB 2.0. Granted, storage solutions developers did release a decent number of USB 3.0-ready storage units, but they are still few, as are motherboards that support the connection. Wanting to at least slightly remedy this unfortunate state of affairs, Transcend created a small device that will use a laptops' ExpressCard slot as a leverage to confer upon them the theoretical bandwidth of 5.0 Gbps.

The electronic goes by the name of TS-PNU3 and is, obviously, an ExpressCard adapter that has two USB 3.0 ports. It makes use of the ExpressCard/34 interface and is compatible with most, if not all current notebooks. Also, it installs quickly and easily and, of course, is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 connectors. Finally, the product has full support for the Microsoft Windows 7 Operating System and will benefit from the optimized power efficiency that the standard has over USB 2.0. Pre-orders can be already set for $33.90.

“For laptop users desiring to join the USB 3.0 revolution without replacing their existing computer, Transcend's USB 3.0 ExpressCard Adapter is a highly cost-effective solution for connecting to and taking advantage of USB 3.0-compatible peripherals,” states the press release. “The card's ExpressCard/34 interface is compatible with virtually all current notebook computers, and offers unrestricted two-way communication between notebook PCs and the latest generation of USB devices.”

“The new USB 3.0 ExpressCard Adapter comes with two high-speed USB ports that fully support SuperSpeed USB 3.0 standard with connection bandwidth of up to 5Gb/s. Besides its quick and easy installation, the card enables speed enthusiasts to experience data transfer rates up to ten times faster than USB 2.0 with optimized power efficiency. Thanks to its backwards compatibility with USB 2.0 and USB 1.1, users can be assured that their older devices will still work with the new interface.”