Judging by the reactions of the media outlets, everyone seems to be overly excited by the rumor that Intel intends to launch its first native USB 3.0 silicon and to ship it with the Cougar Point reference motherboard. However, this doesn't necessarily mean Intel will integrate USB 3.0 into the chipset level. The reason for the change of heart could be that Intel sees Light Peak still has a long road ahead before it becomes a standard and that the chip giant probably wants a share in the lucrative discrete USB 3.0 solution market that is largely dominated by Renesas. To date, Renesas and Fresco Logic are shipping USB 3.0 host silicons in significant quantity. In fact, nearly all the USB 3.0 host chips shipped to Asus, Gigabyte and ASRock are from Renesas; only a small quantity comes from Fresco Logic. ASMedia, VLI and other IC makers seem to be having some problems with USB 3.0 driver stack, a major obstacle before they can get their chips approved by the USB-IF. Of course, if the rumor (i.e. chipset integration) is true, this coupled with AMD's confirmed plan to support USB 3.0 will most likely push the SuperSpeed interface towards mainstream a year earlier than expected. We are keeping our fingers crossed until IDF 2010.
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SMSC ViewSpan 5G - First USB 3.0 Video Interface
Finally, DisplayLink has met its match. SMSC Semiconductor said its ViewSpan 5G USB 3.0 remote graphics technology is ready for sampling. There's also a USB 2.0 version, but it isn't anything to write home about. Like DisplayLink's solution, SMSC ViewSpan 5G consists of a discrete USB device controller that connects to the display and a piece of software that handles the compression on a USB host system. Our best guess is that there would be now be less compression involved as USB 3.0 can provide at least 300MB/s of bandwidth to the USB video sub-system. If DisplayLink can manage 1080p with only USB 2.0, it only makes sense we can expect silk smooth video at beyond HD over multiple high-res monitors. Docking stations, secondary monitors, mini display, thin-clients will be the battleground for SMSC and DisplayLink. The former company also intends to integrate USB 3.0 display, Ethernet, audio and flash media into one chip in 2012. SMSC will be showcasing the ViewSpan 5G USB 3.0 interface during IDF 2010 beginning September 13th.
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Creative D220W Soundbar is Sound Blaster Wireless-friendly
Besides Bluetooth, Creative is also embracing its proprietary 2.4Ghz RF for wireless music streaming. There's in fact an entire ecosystem bearing the Sound Blaster logo that includes a starter kit, a speaker set, a pair of headphones, a rock-lookalike waterproof speaker and now, a soundbar. The Creative D220W - unlike the D200 Bluetooth variant - receives lossless tunes from a USB dongle connected to either Mac or PC up to 100 feet away. The Sound Blaster Wireless doesn't piggyback WiFi so you don't have to worry about network congestion. Though, you may have to watch out if you have a lot of RF-based wireless gadgets. The Creative D220W soundbar has a pretty sleek form factor with a strong European styling. Encased in the glossy black shell are some high-end amplifiers and drivers that reportedly deliver deep bass and excellent sonic quality. But Creative didn't give us any specs for the speaker. For just $169.99 MSRP, the D220W is pretty affordable for wireless lossless music streaming considering the package already comes with the wireless USB transmitter.
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