highpoint_rocketu_1144cm.pngHighPoint Technologies launches the industry's fastest USB 3.0 RAID HBA's available for Mac OS X 10.8x Mountain Lion - the RocketU 1144CM. This third generation, PCIe 2.0 RAID HBA delivers 5Gb/s per-port performance and supports up to 4 external USB SSD's, hard drives or Enclosures.

Dedicated 5Gb/s per-port Performance

HighPoint's innovative 4-Port HBA architecture delivers revolutionary USB 3.0 performance. Unlike conventional USB 3.0 HBA's, each port has a dedicated USB 3.0 SuperSpeed controller, and delivers the fastest SATA performance possible over USB connectivity. The four independent 5Gb/s USB 3.0 Type-A connectors can be used simultaneously, and deliver an unprecedented transfer bandwidth of 20Gb/s; ideal for multi-drive configurations of high-performance SATA 6Gb/s SSD's and hard drives.

Add a comment

addonics_cipher_raid_tower.pngAddonics Technologies today announced the Addonics Cipher RAID Rack and the Cipher RAID Tower, two RAID Storage solutions with AES 256-bit hardware encryption for high capacity storage. Both products are ideal for securing large volumes of sensitive information, data achieving or video recording.

The Addonics 1U Cipher RAID Rack is designed to accommodate up to four 3.5" SATA hard drives in a 1U Rack mount chassis. The Cipher RAID Tower accommodates up to five 3.5" SATA hard drives in a 4-bay lightweight sturdy aluminum chassis for easy transportation.

Both units, which are operating system independent, connect to systems via a single eSATA or USB cable to a USB 3.0 or 2.0 port. Both Cipher RAID storage solutions come integrated with bullet proof, highly secure AES 256-bit full disk hardware encryption that is simple to use.

Add a comment

Lite-On Technology (hereinafter “Lite-On”) announced today that its Board of Directors approved to commence a cash tender offer to acquire the remaining outstanding shares of Lite-On IT Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Lite-On IT”) through a 100%-owned subsidiary, Baoyuan Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Baoyuan”), at NTD 32.75 per share, in sight of industry trends and integration of corporate resources. The cash tender offer will start from January 31st, 2013 and conclude on March 15th, 2013. The acquisition is conditioned upon the purchase of minimum tender of 81,542,619 shares (i.e. 8.89% of Lite-On IT outstanding shares) and the approvals from domestic and international regulatory parties.

After the completion of the tender offer, Baoyuan will issue redeemable preferred stock as consideration in exchange for the remaining Lite-On IT common shares. Subsequently, Lite-On will commence the merger with Baoyuan and directly own 100% stake of Lite-On IT.

Lite-On expects to continuously retain its leading position as the world's largest player of optical drives and penetrate SSD market in the Information and Communication Technology industry and strengthen its competitiveness via this acquisition. With the benefit of shared R&D and product know-how expertise, Lite-On will be capable of providing a full range of products to global clients of both companies and materialize the cross-selling opportunities. In addition, with synergies of cross-marketing, the rise of high growth markets in cloud computing, automotive electronics and medical & biotech applications will further bring revenue growth and profit expansion.

Add a comment

Satechi, a mobile accessories manufacturer, announces the availability of the USB 3.0 Aluminum External Hard Disk Enclosure and Multifunction Card Reader. The two new peripherals feature a sleek, clean aesthetic complimenting Apple computers and laptops perfectly in both form and function.

satechi_usb3_external_hdd_enclosure.png

Satechi’s user friendly, USB powered Aluminum External Hard Disk Enclosure for 9.5mm and 12.5mm 2.5” SATA HDD/SSDs converts the user’s hard disk drive or solid state drive into a protected external drive ideal for protecting valuable data. The lightweight yet sturdy enclosure has USB 3.0 and eSATA interfaces which allow for fast data transfer and is also backward compatible allowing it to work with older products or technology. The External Hard Disk Enclosure also allows for fast and easy installation and disk swapping.

Add a comment

StarTech.com, a leading manufacturer of hard-to-find connectivity parts has announced the release of a rugged new 7-Port USB 3.0 Hub (ST7300USBM), which enables users to add multiple external USB 3.0 connection ports to a PC, server or thin client located within server rooms or industrial operating environments.

startech_st7300usbm_usb3_hub.png

The industrial-grade hub can be mounted to a wall or DIN rail, and features 350W surge protection on each port as well as a solid metal chassis designed to withstand harsh conditions.

“This addition to our extensive USB 3.0 Hub product line provides more USB 3.0 connectivity and flexibility to areas that require the most modern device connectivity” said Carey Cline, Senior Product Manager for StarTech.com’s Industrial I/O product line. “The hub not only delivers the convenient option of wall or DIN rail mounted installation, but also an impact-resistant metal casing that is durable enough for industrial applications ”.

Add a comment

FirmTek, a pioneer and leader in storage solutions for Apple Macintosh and PC systems, today announces the miniSwap/U3. An industry first and perfect for 2.5" solid state (SSD) and hard disk drives (HDD), the miniSwap/U3 enclosure provides trayless, hot-swap, USB 3.0 external enclosure support for Mac and PC computers.

firmtek_miniswapu3.png

The miniSwap/U3 was created to provide 2.5" storage devices with blazing fast 5Gbps bandwidth, amazingly simple disk mounting and ultra-quiet operation. The small, yet rugged, miniSwap/U3 can be integrated as a portable on-the-go 2.5" enclosure, or as a space saving high performance trayless 2.5" desktop drive mounting station. Multiple miniSwap/U3 enclosures can be connected to provide advanced RAID performance, expanded capacity, and simple or complex storage configurations. The unique miniSwap/U3 trayless bay design supports standard 2.5-inch Serial ATA SSD or HDD 9.5mm height devices along with 7mm, 12.5mm and even larger disks up to 14.9mm.

Add a comment

superspeed usb.jpgThe USB 3.0 Promoter Group today announced development of a SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) enhancement that will add a much higher data rate, delivering up to twice the data through-put performance of existing SuperSpeed USB over enhanced, fully backward compatible USB connectors and cables. This supplement to the USB 3.0 specification is anticipated to be completed by the middle of this year.

Key characteristics of the higher-rate SuperSpeed USB solution include:

  • New 10 Gbps USB data rate
  • Compatibility with existing cables and connectors
  • Improved data encoding for more efficient data transfer leading to higher through-put and improved I/O power efficiency
  • Compatible with existing USB 3.0 software stacks and device class protocols
  • Compatible with both existing 5 Gbps and new 10 Gbps USB 3.0 hubs and devices, as well as USB 2.0 products

“With USB technology continuing to be the data and power delivery path of choice across personal computing and consumer electronics, we are always looking ahead to how to best improve user experience and connectivity performance,” said Brad Saunders, USB 3.0 Promoter Group Chairman. “Doubling SuperSpeed USB performance will be especially beneficial for emerging USB docking and storage applications.”

Add a comment

VIA Labs, Inc., a leading supplier of USB 3.0 integrated chip controllers, today announced that the VIA Labs VL811+ 4-port SuperSpeed USB Hub controllers has achieved SuperSpeed USB certification from the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF). The VIA Labs VL811+ is among the first USB 3.0 hubs to achieve USB-IF certification.

via_vl811plus_usb3_hub_controller.png

"VIA Labs has been working with the USB-IF since the beginning and we've seen USB 3.0 grow from just a specification to being designed into computing platforms and peripherals that we hadn't even dreamed about," said Jay Tseng, Director, VIA Labs, Inc. "We're very pleased to offer the industry a certified SuperSpeed USB Hub and we look forward to new possibilities for innovation."

Add a comment

Introducing the FlexCage MB973SP-1B, a 3-in-2 Tray-less SATA Backplane Cage for 3.5" SATA hard drives. This is a commercially designed product in the FlexCage series for use in server environments, such as towers or rackmounts. This FlexCage incorporates the best technologies to meet those demands, with second to none fit, function, and reliability.

icy_dock_flexcage_mb973sp-1b.png

The MB973SP-1B has been designed to maximize space use by allowing up to 3 x 3.5" SATA III hard drives, while only consuming two 5.25" device bays. The FlexCage also only requires two 4-pin power ports (or two 15-pin power ports with included 4 pin to 15 pin adapter cables), to power up to three 3.5" hard drives. In order to further the convenience of the FlexCage, our renowned tray-less technology is integrated into the cage -- no screws or tools are required to insert or eject the drives, making hot swapping a completely hassle free experience. However, because of the tray-less technology used, maintenance becomes dramatically reduced to simply ejecting a failed drive, and then reinserting the replacement.

Add a comment

HighPoint Technologies, Inc., the industry's leading SATA 6Gb/s RAID HBA manufacturer, announces the availability of their second generation SATA 6Gb/s storage controllers – the RocketRAID 600L series. HighPoint's RocketRAID 600L series HBA's represent the industry's most comprehensive, and affordable selection of 6Gb/s SATA PCIe host controllers. Powered by industry-proven RAID technology, SATA port multiplier support, and an intuitive RAID Management Suite, HighPoint RocketRAID 600L HBA's are the ideal SATA 6Gb/s storage solution for any PC and Mac computing platform.

RocketRAID 2nd Generation SATA 6Gb/s PCIe Controller Portfolio
RocketRAID 600L series HBA's are the ideal 6Gb/s SATA storage solution for any PC or Mac. The four SATA/eSATA ports are available in internal, external and hybrid port-configurations, and are capable of supporting point-to-point and Port-Multiplier based storage devices. The compact board design, available low-profile form factor and industry standard port connectors make any storage upgrade, integration or expansion a seamless task.

HighPoint's newest 2nd generation SATA 6GB/s PCIe controller, the RocketRAID 642L, features both internal and external 6Gb/s SATA ports and is an ideal HBA platform for applications that require built-in storage expansion capabilities. The internal ports provide direct connections for up to 2 SATA hard drives and SSD's, while the external ports are capable of supporting an additional 10 SATA devices when used in conjunction with Port-Multiplier capable storage enclosures.

Add a comment