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Posts Tagged ‘USB 3.0’

Star Wars R2D2 USB Hub – 3.0 Speeds

Star Wars R2D2 USB Hub - 3.0 Speeds

Celebrate the all time fan favorite of Star Wars with this R2D2 USB hub that not only lights up but also plays his notorious R2D2 sounds. Before we get to the product, let us take a few minutes and review how awesome R2D2 is with this summary of his big screen persona.

R2-D2 is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise, and it is an astromancy droid known for its resourcefulness and loyalty. Here’s a brief history of R2-D2:

Creation and Introduction:

R2-D2 was created by George Lucas and designed by Ralph McQuarrie for the original Star Wars film, “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope,” which was released in 1977. R2-D2 made its first appearance in this film.

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Review: Nexcopy 3.0 USB Duplicator

Review: Nexcopy 3.0 USB Duplicator

Nexcopy USB duplicator product photoEverythingUSB posted a review of the Nexcopy 3.0 USB Duplicator with a bunch of “thumbs up” marks.  Let’s take a closer look.

Design and Build Quality

As far as USB duplicators go, the Nexcopy SSUSB160PC is actually pretty stylish. Its form certainly flows from its function, but Nexcopy has made it look engineered like a German car. Because of this form-from-function design, it’s rather rectangular with flat boxy sides. However, Nexcopy added some flair where they could. For example, the top slopes downward from back to front, giving it a more aggressive styling. This dash of style also makes it more functional, as inserting 16 flash drives into the USB 3.0 ports on that top surface is easier when they’re slightly vertically offset. It’s also easier to check all 32 status lights (red for bad, green for good).

Where the Nexcopy USB 3.0 duplicator is a serious tool meant for serious work, there is no plastic fascia to be found—only metal. Nexcopy managed to sneak in some pizazz by CnC milling the company logo out of the front panel. This allows air to be drawn in from the front and sides, flow over the internals, and exhaust out the back via a cooling fan. It’s a great example of proper form and function.

USB duplicator with flash drives inserted

Performance and Software

I first made an image file of my freshly installed Windows 7 64-bit flash drive using the included basic software. (Note: The professional version includes advanced features like write protection, partitioning, and setting drives as USB CD-ROM devices.) Once that was done, I created a new batch job, pointed the software to the image file on my hard drive, plugged in all 16 flash drives, and got down to business. With about 30 more seconds of setup, I had started a 16-way duplication process.

From the moment I clicked “start” to when the copy was completed, it took just over 11 minutes—not including the image creation. That’s 128GB of data written in under 12 minutes, which is solid performance, although I had hoped for even faster speeds.

Side view of USB duplicator hardware

The Nexcopy 3.0 USB duplicator is a true force multiplier. The more frequently you run the same task, the faster your process becomes. Most of the time in testing was spent on setup—once you’re past that, the duplicator can crank out 16 flash drives with custom images very quickly. The faster your flash drives, the faster the duplication process. If time is money, then the SSUSB160PC is a money-printing machine.

For the full Nexcopy 3.0 USB Duplicator review, head over to EverythingUSB for more details.

EverythingUSB.com is a long-standing technology website that launched in the early 2000s, focused exclusively on covering USB (Universal Serial Bus) technology and related peripherals. At a time when USB was revolutionizing how people connected devices to computers, EverythingUSB quickly became one of the go-to sources for in-depth product reviews, industry news, and technical analysis. The site gained popularity for its objective reporting and detailed writeups on USB flash drives, hubs, duplicators, gadgets, and even obscure USB-powered accessories.

Run by a small but dedicated team of tech enthusiasts and editors, EverythingUSB carved out a niche by maintaining a sharp editorial focus on USB-based innovations, both consumer and professional-grade. The site helped shape public perception around USB as a universal standard and provided early insight into game-changing technologies like USB 2.0, USB 3.0, and USB-C as they emerged. Though the pace of updates has slowed in recent years, EverythingUSB remains a respected archive and occasional contributor to USB-centric product reviews and commentary.

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Apple 30 Pin Connector Supports USB 3.0

Did you know Apple will license it’s male 30 pin connector technology to just about anyone, but they will never license the female 30 pin portion of their connector?  For most, not a big deal, for some, they’d love to have that ability. Things could get interesting down the road as Apple was just awarded another patent for their 30 pin connector.  This time the pin-out includes support for data and power communication to 3.0 devices and also Thunderbolt devices.  What does this mean? It means Apple will be able to keep their slim line design and proprietary connector interface via their 30 pin connector.  The new design will still communicate with 3.0 devices, but without the traditional USB port interface.  A bit brilliant if you ask me. With the increased sales volume of Apple products, this new connector type could become an industry standard – oh wait – it can’t – because Apple wont license their female part of the connector.  This means tablets like the Motorola Zoom and others could not pivot off the 30 pin design.  But rather stay with traditional power pins and USB interface.  This gives Apple the edge up on keeping their products slimmer and thus more light weight. What do you think? Continue Reading

Corsair Drops Drawers On USB 3.0 Pricing

Corsair has always gotten good reviews about the speed and performance of their 2.0 USB flash drives.  So it is no surprise to see Corsair enter the market of 3.0 USB sticks. As we said years ago, USB 3.0 will start to catch on, and the price points Corsair is publishing for the 8, 16 and 32GB drives proves the point. The USB 3.0 Flash Voyager looks like all their others, and comes in at a price of:
  • 8GB = 19.95
  • 16GB = 29.99
  • 32GB = 69.99
These seem like great prices for individuals.  The next question becomes, how does a corporate company who bought a pallet full, perform the data load function.  Maybe this USB 3.0 Duplicator by Nexcopy would help. Here is the company line from their press release:
The new Flash Voyager USB 3.0 models bring SuperSpeed USB 3.0 performance to the Flash Voyager family, and share the same durable rubber housing and stylish looks that have made the Flash Voyager family a favorite of consumers looking for fast, reliable, and portable data storage. All Flash Voyager USB 3.0 models are shockproof, water-resistant, backward compatible with USB 2.0/USB 1.1, and provide easy plug-and-play compatibility with most operating systems.
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Leaked PDF From Intel on USB 3.0

To be clear, we are not suggesting Intel has new information on the USB 3.0 SuperSpeed interface, but rather new information on how USB 3.0 technology will play with Intel’s new Panther Point Platform. What this means is that Intel will start native integration with their new chipset in the coming year.  An interesting point gleaned from the leaked PDF is that USB 3.0 will not [natively] support Windows XP or Vista operating systems.  For those computers, the user will need to purchase a PCI to USB 3.0 adapter controller card [NEC is most popular for that peripheral]. Panther Point will support up to 14 USB ports in total, four of which are USB 3.0 and rest are legacy USB 2.0. Texas Instrument and Renesas have plans for a 4-port USB 3.0 solution but none of their solutions have obtained USB-IF certification approval yet. This may all change once Intel starts shipping Panther Point laptops and desktops in 2012. Continue Reading

Nexcopy First To Market With SuperSpeed USB Duplicator

SuperSpeed 3.0 USB Duplicator

USB 3.0 is gaining momentum with every new product launch, and millions of PCs and peripherals are expected to ship with the SuperSpeed interface this year. That makes the timing of the Nexcopy SSUSB160PC USB duplicator especially relevant, offering users a high-speed solution to manage modern peripherals without relying on slower legacy USB 2.0 systems.

The SSUSB160PC is a 16-target duplicator designed to take full advantage of USB 3.0 technology, with theoretical transfer rates up to 5 Gbps. However, keep in mind that a USB 2.0 flash drive won’t automatically benefit from faster speeds just by being plugged into a USB 3.0 port—data transfer is always limited by the slowest link in the chain. That said, the SSUSB160PC excels when paired with modern USB 3.0 drives and hard disks, now common in professional environments.

Encased in a lightweight anodized aluminum housing, this duplicator is built for performance and portability. With an integrated 120-watt power supply, active cooling system, and support for data transfer at each device’s max speed, Nexcopy claims it can copy 32GB of data in as little as six minutes.

Who Needs a High-Speed USB Duplicator?

The SSUSB160PC is especially valuable for industries that demand rapid, secure content distribution—such as software publishers, government agencies, media production companies, and IT departments. When time-sensitive firmware, training materials, or confidential files need to be deployed across dozens of devices quickly and reliably, a professional-grade duplicator like this one becomes essential. Unlike cloud distribution, which requires stable internet access and setup on each machine, USB duplication delivers instant, offline access with full data integrity and copy protection options.

SuperSpeed 3.0 USB Duplicator, faceplate

Released in the early 2010s, the SSUSB160PC quickly became one of the most trusted PC-connected USB duplicators for government agencies, publishers, and tech manufacturers. It ships with Nexcopy’s proprietary Drive Manager software and supports features like binary copy, write protection, data streaming, and USB CD-ROM emulation (in the Pro version). These capabilities, combined with its durable design, helped Nexcopy earn a leading position in the USB duplication market.

SuperSpeed 3.0 USB Duplicator, closeup

Source: UberGizmo

About Ubergizmo: Ubergizmo is a consumer technology news website founded in 2005 by Silicon Valley tech veterans Hubert Nguyen and Eliane Fiolet. Known for visually rich coverage and an accessible tone, the site gained recognition for product reviews, previews, and global tech event coverage, especially at trade shows like CES and MWC. Ubergizmo carved a niche by blending user-oriented design analysis with insightful reporting on innovation and usability.

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5 New USB 3.0 Hard Drives From CES

Every tech guy I know anxiously awaits the CES trade show at the start of each year.  I think it’s the only help for getting us through the vacation blues after a long Christmas break.  I’ve seen a bunch of news about USB 3.0 gear from CES 2011.  Many of them are USB hard drives and here are the most recent five we’ve read about. Buffalo Buffalo launches a complete line of USB 3.0 storage devices.  The DriveStation Quad USB 3.0 is a four drive, high speed RAID enabled storage solution offering transfer speeds up to 235 MB/s, twice as fast as USB 2.0. Equipped with four hard drives configured in RAID 5, DriveStation Quad USB 3.0 also supports RAID 0, 10 and JBOD modes for flexibility between data redundancy and available storage capacity Seagate Seagate introduces some new ‘super slim’ USB 3.0 hard drives.  Seagate’s new ultra-portable GoFlex drive comes in a metal case that’s only 9 millimeters thick, which Seagate says is a full 38% thinner than their previous generation. This is made possible by some 7 millimeter thick 2.5″ drives that still manage to deliver 7200 rpm performance via USB power, and you get a solid 340 gigs for Continue Reading

PQI Now in USB 3.0 USB Drive Market

PQI introduced their first SuperSpeed USB 3.0 flash drive today, called the U339V.  The PQI 3.0 stick is available in 8GB through 64GB sizes.  As with any new technology, the performance is lagging behind the specification of performance.

PQI USB SuperSpeed 3.0

For example the smaller 8GB PQI drive shows a read speed of 55MB/s and a write speed of 10MB/s.  Verse the larger 16GB and larger sizes are more like 86MB/s read speed and 20MB/s write speed.  If you know anything about flash drives, it just means the bigger sizes are dual channel and the 8GB is single channel. Still far from the 5Gbps transfer rate USB 3.0 is suppose to offer, but once more advanced controllers come into the market, we’ll see the performance rise. The PQI drive will be available through Continue Reading

Sony VAIO Laptops Shipping SuperSpeed USB 3.0

When Sony officially supports the USB 3.0 specification by supplying a dual USB 3.0 port on their new VAIO laptops, it’s safe to say the transition is picking up steam.

Sony VAIO USB 3.0

The Sony desktop-replacements are HD VAIO laptops coming with possibly everything you can hope for with the exception of 3D and SSD. The more expensive model ($2,970) will have Core i7-740QM, GeForce GT 425M 1GB graphics card while the lower end laptop ($2,140) will only carry a Core i5-460M and GeForce 310M 512MB. Both Sony VAIO models are stocked with 4GB RAM, the same Blu-ray optical reader, 500GB 2.5″ drive and a dual HDTV tuner as well as a 16.4″ full HD LCD. In the connectivity department, both laptops will feature not one but two USB 3.0 ports – likely powered by Continue Reading

Lenovo F360 USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Hard Drive

With the fast pace of our multimedia lifestyles it’s getting more important to be able to transfer or save large files more quickly.  With this future trend it’s nice to see the USB 3.0 products hitting the market in larger quantities with different product offerings.  Lenovo is introducing their first portable USB 3.0 hard drive, the F360. With the 3.0 getting integrated into more products, it’s nice to see a large industry leader like Lenovo getting on board.

Lenovo F360

The slim F360 USB hard drive is only 11 mm thick with a brushed metal surface treatment and unique etching process to give it a contemporary look.  The no screw chassis is an additional feature, which I guess, is more common these days, but still looks great.The F360 will be a 7200RPM drive and includes a new calibration chip [no info on which one] which guarantees data transfer efficiency, error correction and security to insure your data is always safe, yet accessible. Continue Reading

Intel Planning Some Native – Adding USB 3.0 Chipset

If rumors are to be true, Intel will be adding a USB 3.0 chipset to their winter 2010 lineup.  The Intel Developer Forum is expected to showcase an Intel Cougar Point chipset for desktops.

USB 3.0, Intel

For a bit, it was said Intel will forgo the the USB 3.0 chipset in favor of LightPeak technology, but maybe that technology has hit a bump in the road?  Odd to have Intel flip-flop like this…or wait, maybe not.Currently integrators are turning to a third OEM for the USB 3.0 like NEC, but the Intel native would help reduce expense of motherboard manufacturers and speed the adoption of USB 3.0 technology into laptops, desktops and tablets. Source:  Electronista.com. Continue Reading

Iomega Makes Full Switch to USB 3.0

Iomega is charging forward with USB 3.0 technology integrated into all their products.  Despite the fact that recent reports [In-Stat] indicate USB 3.0 will be slow to adaption throughout 2011 and 2012.

Iomega USB 3.0

Iomega says the change will not cost consumers a penny more in retail cost, but will deliver faster transfer speeds.  USB 3.0, as we’ve reported, has a theoretical max of 5Gbps but we’ve only seen 70MB/s as best performing drives at the moment. Iomega continues their promise of better performance with not only speed performance, but now a “drop spec” of up to 7 feet before you can expect any kind of damage or malfunction with the device. Iomega’s drives come in 500GB and 1TB size starting at just $119. Continue Reading

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