ExpressCard Standard 2.0 Available From PCMCIA

PCMCIA, the technology trade association for PC Card and ExpressCard technology, announced the newest release of the ExpressCard Standard 2.0, the latest version of the standard for high-performance expansion of notebook systems. This version was updated to accommodate the faster speeds demanded by today’s high-performance technologies.

The new ExpressCard Standard will support transfer rates ranging up to 10 times faster than ExpressCard Standard 1.2, depending on the data protocol used.

Some of the applications
that benefit from the improved performance are:

• E-Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (eSATA) adapters for external hard drives;
• High-performance streaming media/video adapters; and
• High-performance storage modules such as solid-state drives (SSDs).
• USB 3.0 adapters supporting large file transfers between computers and peripheral devices.

The ExpressCard 2.0 Standard will support the latest versions of the PCI Express and SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) specifications by offering transfer rates of up to 5Gbps. The ExpressCard 2.0 Standard supports backward compatibility with previously released products.

ExpressCard technology offers a high-performance optional expansion capability that enables users to upgrade their Apple or PC notebooks with applications that were not originally included by the manufacturer or were not available at the time of purchase.

The Standard continues to support the Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems.

Current ExpressCard ‘plug ‘n’ play’ applications include flash memory, WiFi, TV tuners, smart card readers, instrumentation, 3G, USB, 1394A&B (Firewire) and SATA.

ExpressCard and PC Card slots are found in more than 95 percent of consumer notebook computers.

AMD, Fujitsu Siemens, Intel, Lenovo, Lexar Media, LG Electronics, Microsoft, Qualcomm, SanDisk, Sony, Texas Instruments and Toshiba are among those supporting the ExpressCard Standard.

Brad Saunders, chairman of PCMCIA said: "The ExpressCard 2.0 Standard brings a whole new level of performance to the notebook market. Users of applications such as streaming media, flash memory and large data transfers will see up to 10 times higher transfer rates using ExpressCard 2.0 Standard products. We can expect to see these products on the market in 2011."

Jeff Ravencraft, president and chairman, USB-IF said: "The new SuperSpeed USB specification offers significant performance advancements for the next generation of consumer electronics, mobile and PC platforms including notebook computers. ExpressCard developers can leverage the performance enhancements offered by both the USB and ExpressCard standards to create some exciting, innovative new products for PCs, storage and multimedia."

Al Yanes, President and Chairman, PCI-SIG said: "The PCI Express technology is an industry standard, high-performance, general-purpose serial I/O interconnect designed for use in enterprise, desktop, mobile, communications and embedded platforms. As PCI-SIG innovates this technology, PCI Express continues to address developer demands for I/O expansion, performance and scalability. Working together with PCMCIA, the ExpressCard 2.0 Standard helps these developers bring high-performance PCI Express technology to I/O modules for the notebook and other mobile applications."

To read the ExpressCard 2.0 white paper in PDF