Belkin launches first USB 3.0 devices
Belkin has expanded its product lineup with several peripherals that support the new USB 3.0 standard. Two are expansion cards, the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 PCIe Add-In Card for desktops, and the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ExpressCard adapter for laptops. Belkin has also unveiled two USB 3.0-compliant cables, the SuperSpeed A-B Cable and the SuperSpeed Premium Micro-B Cable....
published on Tuesday, the 23. February 2010, macintosh-news-network
USB forum buys up ExpressCard, PC Card assets
The USB Implementers Forum this afternoon said it would buy the assets of the PCMCIA group. The deal gives the USB-IF control over testing, developing and managing all of the removable notebook card formats that the PCMCIA controls, including ExpressCard as well as the legacy CardBus and PC Card formats. Officials hope the move will simplify certifying devices and doesn't expect it to necessarily disrupt the existing process....
published on Thursday, the 21. January 2010, macintosh-news-network
Brief: WTO: China violates int'l trade law by limiting media imports
The World Trade Organization has ruled that China's practice of funneling media imports to state-owned companies—which facilitates the country's long tradition of censorship—violates international trade laws. The ruling was a result of complaints filed by a number of US media companies, which contend that China's practices illegally restrict business opportunities. The WTO said that China cannot limit distribution of movies, music, books, and other media to government-controlled companies. The ruling does not restrict China from reviewing materials for "objectionable content," but asserted that such restrictions were not necessary for the protection of public morals (one of the few possible exemptions a country can claim for limiting trade). China's Commerce Ministry expressed "regret" over the WTO's rulings. The complaint was brought by the US, based on complaints from a who's who of big content: EMI, Sony Music Entertainment, McGraw Hill, Simon & Schuster, Warner Bros, Disney, Paramount, Universal, and 20th Century Fox. These companies contend that the effective limits on imports of US media represent a loss on millions of dollars in potential business. The restriction against selling directly to Chinese consumers is also cited as the main reason there is no official Chinese iTunes Store, despite the popularity of iPods and iPhones in the country. Chinese consumers often bought from the US iTunes Store using credit cards issued by a US bank as a workaround, but China cut off access to the US iTunes Store last year because of a pro-Tibet album that was popularized during the Olympics. Access was later restored after the album was blocked for Chinese users. The WTO has given China one year to get its act together and bring its import policies in line with international trade laws. If not, the US can ask the WTO to bring commercial sanctions against China. A similar tactic was proposed as a way to effectively break down China's infamous "Great Firewall," which routinely blocks access to Wikipedia, Twitter, blogs, and other websites. Though the current WTO ruling doesn't address access to websites and web-based services specifically, it serves as a precedent that such a complaint could prove successful. What is a "Brief" post?"
published on Wednesday, the 23. December 2009, ars-technica
Boot some MacBook Pros via an ExpressCard solid state drive
Looking for ways to speed up performance on my Macbook Pro (2.4 Gig processor), I came across an article about Solid State Drive (SSD) performance. I then located an ExpressCard SSD hard disk, for use in the ExpressCard slot on my MacBook Pro. Setting the system up on this card produced fairly impressive results; I will detail here what I did to configure this setup, some of the limitations, and some of the advantages. I bought a FileMate SolidGO 24GB ExpressCard 34 SSD to use with my MacBook Pro (I have no connection with this company, nor with newegg.com where I bought the drive for $109.00). This drive is fast -- really fast. But it is only 24GB, so you can't just copy your complete system to this drive and boot up. My solution was to create a new blank user account on my primary drive. Then I used ...
published on Thursday, the 17. December 2009, macosxhints
QuickerTek intros Wi-Fi antenna upgrade for MacBooks
QuickerTek has introduced a Wi-Fi antenna upgrade claimed to offer up to three times the wireless range compared to the stock MacBook components. The antenna mounts to the LCD screen, while the cord attaches directly to the internal AirPort card by passing through either the security slot or ExpressCard slot of any unibody MacBook or MacBook Pro, including 13-, 15-, and 17-inch models. It requires no extra software and includes a detailed installation manual to assist with installation....
published on Monday, the 14. December 2009, macintosh-news-network
NVIDIA quietly adds $99 GeForce GT 240
NVIDIA in a low-key move today launched the GeForce GT 240. The chipset brings performance from the mid-level to sub-$100 cards and uses the newer 40 nanometer manufacturing process to make itself a reasonable fit in budget PCs: its low energy use both helps it occupy only one slot and to run entirely off the power of the PCI Express bus instead of needing a separate power connector....
published on Tuesday, the 17. November 2009, macintosh-news-network
Sonnet intros Allegro PCIe card with 3 FireWire 800 ports
Sonnet on Tuesday introduced the Allegro FireWire 800 PCI Express (PCIe) adapter card. The upgrade features Texas Instruments' XIO2213A FireWire 800 controller, along with three FW ports that support write speeds of up to 70MB/s. Power is provided for bus-powered external drives, audio interfaces, or other equipment, while plug-and-play compatibility automatically supports PCIe 1.1 and 2.0 slots. Users can also connect FireWire 400 devices using an adapter or adapter cable....
published on Tuesday, the 10. November 2009, macintosh-news-network
HighPoint launches SATA 6Gb/s PCI-Express 2.0 cards
HighPoint is launching a new series of SATA PCI-Express 2.0 cards, the Rocket 600 series. The new cards offer a SATA 6Gb/sec host adapter that will allow single or dual drives to reach 600MB/sec throughput, geared to reach maximum speeds using SSD drives. The cards are backward compatible with PCI-Express 1.0 technology and older SATA 3Gb/sec and 1.5Gb/sec drives. The new PCI cards use the same cables and connectors as previous generation SATA devices....
published on Thursday, the 29. October 2009, macintosh-news-network
Sierra intros five new AirCard 3G data modems
Sierra Wireless has added five new AirCard 3G data modems to its lineup, including the AirCard 503, AirCard USB 308/309 and AirCard USB 301/302. The 503, 309 and 308 all support high-speed HSPA+ networks, allowing for peak download speeds of 21Mbps. The 503 has a two-in-one design that fits both PC card and ExpressCard slots. The AirCard 503 supports quad-band regular HSPA (850/900/1900/2100MHz) bands....
published on Wednesday, the 30. September 2009, macintosh-news-network
FirmTek intros two Snow Leopard compatible storage adapters
FirmTek has introduced Snow Leopard-compatible versions of its SeriTek/2SE2-E and the SeriTek/2SM2-E storage adapters; the adapters are used to add external eSATA ports to any Mac, offering speeds twice as fast as FireWire 800 connections. The SeriTek/2SE2-E ExpressCard, a two-port SATA II controller, supports hot-swap FirmTek enclosures. Using the new FirmTek 5.4.x driver makes both adapters compatible with Apple's new Snow Leopard operating system....
published on Thursday, the 24. September 2009, macintosh-news-network