ASUS today announced the availability of Xonar U5, a compact USB-powered sound card and headphone amplifier featuring true 5.1-channel surround sound, 192kHz/24-bit high-definition audio, Perfect Voice technology, and dedicated microphone and output volume controls for incredible gaming, music and movie experiences. Xonar U5 comes with Sonic Studio, powerful configuration software that allows complete, fine-tuned control of the audio experience via an elegant and intuitive user interface.

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With its easy plug-and-play setup, Xonar U5 is an ideal solution for laptop gamers looking to experience true 5.1-channel surround sound, and for PC gamers who want an incredible audio performance without the hassle of having to open their PC's case to install a sound card.

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HighPoint Technologies, a pioneering force in the storage industry for over 19 years, continuously strives to deliver the fastest performing USB Drive Docks to today’s marketplace, and has announced the release of its 3rd Generation Dual Dedicated 5Gb/s USB 3.0 Storage Dock – the RocketStor 5422A.

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The RocketStor 5422A delivers the industry’s fastest USB transfer performance with a premium USB 3.0 feature set. With an MSRP of $59.99, the RocketStor 5422A is the is the easiest, quickest and most affordable way to add dual-bay, high-speed SATA SSD and multi-terabyte hard drive storage to any computer with USB ports!

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Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the MobileLite Wireless G2. Shipping later this month, MobileLite Wireless G2 allows smartphone and tablet users to extend onboard device storage and stream and share content with multiple users. Additionally, the ultra-portable MobileLite Wireless G2 has a 4640 mAh 3.8v battery for mobile charging and a direct Ethernet port for wireless Internet routing, Wi-Fi bridging. The USB port also allows 3G dongle support.

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Kingston’s new MobileLite Wireless G2 is the best solution for more mobile device storage capacity. Instead of deleting files from a smartphone or tablet to create room, users can wirelessly transfer photos, movies or music to a USB drive or Flash card. It’s perfect for entertainment or travel as pictures, videos, songs or documents can be shared and streamed with multiple users. In addition, photos and videos can be sent directly to the social media platform of choice without the need to connect to a PC.

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lexar_professional_workflow_hr2_thunderbolt.pngLexar, a leading global brand of flash memory products, today enhanced its Professional Workflow line to include the new Lexar Professional Workflow HR2, a four-bay Thunderbolt 2 reader hub, and the new Lexar Professional Workflow CR2, a CFast 2.0 Thunderbolt 2 reader. Both solutions give professional photographers and videographers the ability to quickly transfer 4K video and other large media files at speeds up to 20Gb per second, four times the performance of the current USB 3.0 HR1 hub.

The Professional Workflow HR2 provides dual Thunderbolt 2 ports for daisy-chaining and one USB 3.0 port, giving users total freedom to choose which interface they want to connect with. The Professional Workflow CR2 can be used in the reader hub alongside other readers or removed and used individually when in the field.  Both the reader hub and reader are fully backwards compatible with the first generation of Thunderbolt and USB 2.0.

“Providing reader solutions that are compatible with Thunderbolt 2 offers photographers and videographers high-speed performance that can dramatically lower the time spent transferring photos and 4K video,” said Jason Ziller, marketing director for Thunderbolt, Intel. “Lexar is ahead of the curve when it comes to the latest memory formats and reader technologies, and their new reader hub based on Thunderbolt 2 can provide significant time and cost savings for content creators by transferring up to four cards at once.”

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Sonnet Technologies today announced the launch of the Fusion QR, a compact and portable four-drive RAID 5 SATA storage system. The Fusion QR replaces the company’s Fusion D400QR5, which also offered reliable and affordable RAID 5 storage. Like the legacy system, the Fusion QR integrates a high-performance RAID 5 controller for maximum versatility, critical data protection, and added value, and offers a flexible quad interface that includes eSATA, dual FireWire 800, and USB 3.0.

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“With the Fusion QR, we took everything that pros loved about the D400QR5 and made it lighter, more portable, and more affordable than ever. It is a great solution for on-location or mobile productions that require a reliable and versatile four-drive SATA storage in a compact package,” said Robert Farnsworth, Sonnet CEO.

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Creative Technology Ltd today launched an all-new series of small but powerful USB audio solutions for PCs, Macs, smartphones and tablets – The Sound Blaster E Series. Consisting of the Sound Blaster E3 and the Sound Blaster E1, the Sound Blaster E Series builds upon the popularity of the Sound Blaster X-Fi Go! Pro. They utilise USB plug-and-play connectivity to provide PC, and now even Mac users, with access to a powerful USB audio experience through real-time advanced audio processing.

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Top audio quality is ensured even on smartphones and tablets through the Sound Blaster E Series’ high SNR levels and 600Ω headphone amplifiers that supply more power than a standard headphone jack. The Sound Blaster E3 can also function as a high performance USB DAC for selected smartphones and tablets, and users can alternatively enjoy high quality wireless audio by pairing with smartphones and tablets via Bluetooth.

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As motherboard manufacturers unveiled their new Intel 9 Series products one after another, we can see the proliferation of PCIe Gen2 x2 M.2 interface on Desktop motherboards very clearly. However, ASRock Inc. took the lead among other competitors once again. This time it's the Z97 Extreme6 which boasts "Ultra M.2 PCIe Gen3 x4" socket stands out. With its doubled transfer bandwidth, ASRock Ultra M.2 is able to completely break through the speed limit of SATA3 6Gb/s and blow others away!

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Ultra M.2 is one of ASRock creative innovations. Compared to normal M.2 with PCIe Gen2 x2 bandwidth, ASRock is the first one in the world to double the M.2 bandwidth to PCIe Gen3 x4! Furthermore, the layout of Ultra M.2 is also specially designed. On a regular motherboard design, the signal route starts from the M.2 device, goes through the onboard chipset, and finally reaches CPU. In contrast, by connecting the M.2 interface to CPU directly, ASRock Ultra M.2 has lower latency and pushes the I/O speed to a new level!

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ASUS today announced that research and development work supported by Intel has led to the discovery of a BIOS structure that unleashes the true full potential of the latest SATA Express interface standard on future ASUS motherboards.

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Following the CES 2014 debut of the ASUS Z87-Deluxe/SATA Express concept motherboard, ASUS and Intel continued working together to ensure that users enjoy the full performance of the SATA Express interface and SATA Express components.

The joint research effort means that ASUS is the first motherboard manufacturer in the world to discover and implement a technology that is critical for SATA Express to perform at its best — the Separate Reference Clock with Independent Spread Spectrum Clocking Architecture, or SRIS for short.

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TRENDnet, a best-in-class wired and wireless networking hardware brand, today announces the availability of the Powerline 500 Wireless Kit, model TPL-410APK, which extends a home wireless network using existing electrical lines.

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The included TRENDnet Powerline adapters (TPL-406E + TPL-410AP) auto-connect out of the box over a pre-encrypted Powerline signal. Network the standard Powerline 500 adapter, model TPL-406E, to a router and plug in the Powerline 500 AV Wireless Access Point, model TPL-410AP, into an outlet on the same electrical system to extend a high performance wireless network.

"The TPL-410APK is well suited to extend a wireless network in large homes or homes built with concrete or masonry construction which degrades wireless signals," stated Zak Wood, director of global marketing for TRENDnet. "Installation couldn't be easier. Simply plug in the adapters and you're up and running."

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Akitio has expanded their line of Thunderbolt storage solutions to include the new Thunder2QUAD, a 4bay Thunderbolt 2 product that is large enough and fast enough for professional 4K video editing and can be used in various other occupations where larger storage capacity and high-speed data transfer speeds are required.

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The QUAD holds up to four drives and can handle 3.5”, 2.5” or solid state drives. Capacity can reach up to 20 Terabytes when using 3.5” drives and reaches transfer speeds of up to 1.4 Gigabytes per second when four SSDs are installed.

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