USB 3.0 Connectors

The USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard has come a long way since its development in the 1990s, and the types of USB connectors have expanded as the standard has evolved.  The USB standard defines cables, connectors and protocols used in a bus for communication between computers and peripherals and for power supply.  USB has effectively replaced a variety of earlier interfaces, such as serial and parallel ports, as well as separate power chargers for portable devices.

The original USB specification only defined Standard-A and Standard-B plugs and receptacles.  As the specification has been revised over the years, many more connector types have been included as you will see in our survey of connectors for the USB 2.0 Standard and how they have been modified in the most recent USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Standard.

Here are the connectors defined in the latest versions of the USB Standard: Read more »

The Evolving World of SSD Form Factors

Solid State Drives have opened up a world of possibilities due to the many advantages they offer over traditional hard drives.

Here’s how SSDs compare to rotating media:

• Smaller
• Better read and write performance
• Use less power
• More durable
• Weigh less

These characteristics make SSD an ideal technology for use in a number of applications.  Their size, speed and durability are particularly desirable for use in portable computing devices, like laptops, tablets, cell phones and portable media players.  Their durability is a distinct advantage in embedded systems, industrial devices and military applications.

Until now, the use of solid state drives was limited by their high price and by the lack of standards that capitalized on SSDs many advantages.  However, both these factors have been changing. Read more »

Presenting the Streamlined Aleratec.com Shopping Experience

ALERATEC.COM CUSTOMERS CAN NOW CREATE PERSONAL ACCOUNTS

At Aleratec we don’t think it’s enough just to offer high-quality, innovative products that are reliable and easy-to-use. We think shopping for Aleratec products—including HDD duplicators, USB duplicators, Blu-ray duplicators, Secure Flash Drives, Media and Accessories—should be as pleasant as owning them. So we’ve been working to make sure our online shopping system is as reliable and easy-to-use as our products.

We’re pleased to announce significant enhancements to the shopping experience at Aleratec.com. The checkout process is faster and more efficient thanks to a new registration process, and we now offer the option to securely save credit card information.  These improvements will be of special benefit to regular Aleratec.com customers.

Once you register, you will have access to your own personalized customer account area where you can view the status of open orders and order history. The open orders section includes shipping and tracking information. Having access to your order history makes it possible to place repeat orders with just one click. Read more »

What Is USB 3.0?

You may have noticed the packaging on your new electronic devices touting USB 3.0 or “SuperSpeed” technology and wondered why you should care.  There are significant reasons to seek out products that meet the USB 3.0 standard, and this standard will make many new products possible.

“USB” or “universal serial bus” describes the cables, connectors and protocols used for connection, communication and power supply between computers and electronic devices.  It was designed to standardize the connection of computer peripherals—such as keyboards, digital cameras, and portable media players—to personal computers.

INCREASED USB SPEED

USB 1.1, released in 1998, was the first widely used standard, followed by USB 2.0 which resulted from an industry initiative to increase data transfer rates.  The data transfer rate in USB 2.0 has been increased Read more »