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Taking advantage of USB 3.0 Spec

Posted on by R. Roz.

Taking advantage of expanding USB 3.0 technology?

Here’s what I mean, we all know or should know the new USB is USB 3.0!

Why?

Because what is now a predecessor USB specification, USB 2.0 will work from a USB 3.0 connection but its advantage isn’t in it backward compatibility, although that’s a plus if you are using an older version of the technology.

USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Information

  • SuperSpeed USB has a 5 Gbps signaling rate offering 10x performance increase over Hi-Speed USB.
  • SuperSpeed USB is a Sync-N-Go technology that minimizes user wait-time.
  • SuperSpeed USB will provide Optimized Power Efficiency. No device polling and lower active and idle power requirements.
  • SuperSpeed USB is backwards compatible with USB 2.0. Devices interoperate with USB 2.0 platforms. Hosts support USB 2.0 legacy devices.

The real USB 3.0 spec advantages are in its speed to process data whether that’s from a simple USB drive or full size external drive(s). Recently, within the last year, Toshiba who is a top player in the flash memory market has developed a USB 3.0 flash drive called TransMemory.

This flash drive has very high read and write speeds along with storage capacity. Why am I mentioning this particular piece of equipment?

The flash drive as mentioned is USB 3.0 spec. technology driven and I am giving this as an example of taking advantage of new technology to the market. Although this and many other flash drives on the market maybe fantastic and with ability far beyond those of older versions, you will only be able to use its full potential of read/write speeds if you are using a USB device that supports that kind of speed. This could be your PC, a USB 3.0 hub, or USB 3.0 cable, the point is that the USB 2.0 technology spec. just cannot perform in the same way USB 3.0 does.

In November of 2009 USB 3.0 consumer products were announced and became available for consumers by January 2010. The technology is growing and as of July 2013, USB 3.1 has been released called “SuperSpeed+”.

Taking advantage of this technology should be very high on your to-do list. CoolGear is a major manufacturer of USB and Serial electronics; we are keeping up with technology so YOU can take advantage of it!