After using Qi charging for a while, one of the bigger benefits (apart from the sheer convenience of charging a device by just putting it down) is the lack of any mechanical connector, so it results in very minimal wear. I can see a wireless variant of USB3 being useful simply because it means not having a small USB port that could be damaged through excessive wear or accident (drops, heavy object placed on cable near device port, etc)
Yep, really becomes obvious how important wireless charging is when you consider most phones need to be charged at least once a day and the connectors become a weak link over time. I can't tell you how many Kindles, Galaxy S 2\3's and various other tablets I've replaced USB ports or power receptacles on over the years, many not even 2 years old (the life of the mobile devices contract.)
Ok, I'm a little confused. If it's using the 60 GHz spectrum for transmission over short distances, what is the connector for? I'm guessing it just becomes a power/"I'm here" connection?
If they are actually connectors and that wasn't a mistake, it is a mag connector for power basically. That and considering the short distance, probably because it needs to be VERY close. 60GHz has abysmal penetration (I am kind of suprised they aren't using 27GHz, as penetration also stinks, but it is a LOT better than 60GHz).
60GHz is basically stopped by a piece of paper. So even the plastic casing of a device is going to block 60GHz. You can work around this a bit for 802.11ad since it is higher power as 60GHz is also reflected pretty well, so it'll bounce of walls and other surfaces in the same room. Very low power though...little reach and little chance of reflection.
It is interesting, my concern is it'll move towards even less connectivty for devices. Hard connectors are just plain NEEDED for some things. Want to add an ethernet adapter? Plug it in. Oh...you don't have a plug, just a wireless connection...um...uh. Hmm, put a battery in the ethernet adapter...errr...hmmm.
Rather than wireless I'd rather see us move to a standardized mag connector for data and power that is thin/small/can be surface mounted. Now maybe this thing will do the exact same thing with a couple of tiny power contacts and a magnet if your "wireless USB3" device needs power...but...
The attenuation of 60GHz is nothing like as bad as you state - it is absorbed by atmospheric oxygen with an attenuation of about 20dB/km but it is not heavily absorbed by plastic or dry paper - given a working distance of about 1cm (as in the photo) the main losses will be the antenna losses.
You could power the Ethernet adapter with PoE, so that's not really the best example to get your point across. Besides, just use Wi-Fi in this instance.
Nice, and just when poor old Apple was getting ready to start implementing yet another new connector model (for its usb3 on thinner macbook airs). would make for a nice mechanism for fast backups: plop an external drive on/by your computer case, let some autodetect start a routine backup, then just pick it up and take it offsite without having to mess with connectors/cables/power/etc.
The Type-C usb connector is the best thing to happen to USB since it was invented and it will hopefully replace all of the other usb connectors in the near future
With a range of only a few centimeters, I fail to see how this is useful for data transfer. It seems a lot more convenient having devices out of the way as I type/move the mouse.
Definitely cool...but do we really need another connector.
Did anyone catch the USB 3.0 network switch offered by develLAB Electronics? It seems they were an Innovation Award winner and use standard ports available today.
I'd imagine the best way for technology such as this to be easily integrated into existing laptops would be through collaboration with a touchpad manufacturer such as Synaptics. A double tap in one of the corners of the touchpad (like some of the HP laptops for enable/disable) could activate the pad for transfers. Tech like this needs to be implemented into some major brands for it to take off.
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edzieba - Friday, January 9, 2015 - link
After using Qi charging for a while, one of the bigger benefits (apart from the sheer convenience of charging a device by just putting it down) is the lack of any mechanical connector, so it results in very minimal wear. I can see a wireless variant of USB3 being useful simply because it means not having a small USB port that could be damaged through excessive wear or accident (drops, heavy object placed on cable near device port, etc)mr_tawan - Friday, January 9, 2015 - link
Waterproof devices could be much easier to make (and more reliable) as the weakest link is the connectors.alfredska - Friday, January 9, 2015 - link
Also, there's nothing small about a Micro USB3 plug.Samus - Saturday, January 10, 2015 - link
Yep, really becomes obvious how important wireless charging is when you consider most phones need to be charged at least once a day and the connectors become a weak link over time. I can't tell you how many Kindles, Galaxy S 2\3's and various other tablets I've replaced USB ports or power receptacles on over the years, many not even 2 years old (the life of the mobile devices contract.)djc208 - Friday, January 9, 2015 - link
Ok, I'm a little confused. If it's using the 60 GHz spectrum for transmission over short distances, what is the connector for? I'm guessing it just becomes a power/"I'm here" connection?psychobriggsy - Friday, January 9, 2015 - link
It's presumably the antenna?toe211 - Friday, January 9, 2015 - link
Antenna is in the package. No external components Differential signal in DC-to-6GHz and the Rx side derives the differential wires in the other deviceazazel1024 - Friday, January 9, 2015 - link
If they are actually connectors and that wasn't a mistake, it is a mag connector for power basically. That and considering the short distance, probably because it needs to be VERY close. 60GHz has abysmal penetration (I am kind of suprised they aren't using 27GHz, as penetration also stinks, but it is a LOT better than 60GHz).60GHz is basically stopped by a piece of paper. So even the plastic casing of a device is going to block 60GHz. You can work around this a bit for 802.11ad since it is higher power as 60GHz is also reflected pretty well, so it'll bounce of walls and other surfaces in the same room. Very low power though...little reach and little chance of reflection.
It is interesting, my concern is it'll move towards even less connectivty for devices. Hard connectors are just plain NEEDED for some things. Want to add an ethernet adapter? Plug it in. Oh...you don't have a plug, just a wireless connection...um...uh. Hmm, put a battery in the ethernet adapter...errr...hmmm.
Rather than wireless I'd rather see us move to a standardized mag connector for data and power that is thin/small/can be surface mounted. Now maybe this thing will do the exact same thing with a couple of tiny power contacts and a magnet if your "wireless USB3" device needs power...but...
Duncan Macdonald - Friday, January 9, 2015 - link
The attenuation of 60GHz is nothing like as bad as you state - it is absorbed by atmospheric oxygen with an attenuation of about 20dB/km but it is not heavily absorbed by plastic or dry paper - given a working distance of about 1cm (as in the photo) the main losses will be the antenna losses.Gigaplex - Friday, January 9, 2015 - link
You could power the Ethernet adapter with PoE, so that's not really the best example to get your point across. Besides, just use Wi-Fi in this instance.araczynski - Friday, January 9, 2015 - link
Nice, and just when poor old Apple was getting ready to start implementing yet another new connector model (for its usb3 on thinner macbook airs). would make for a nice mechanism for fast backups: plop an external drive on/by your computer case, let some autodetect start a routine backup, then just pick it up and take it offsite without having to mess with connectors/cables/power/etc.SunLord - Friday, January 9, 2015 - link
The Type-C usb connector is the best thing to happen to USB since it was invented and it will hopefully replace all of the other usb connectors in the near futurestephenbrooks - Saturday, January 10, 2015 - link
Sometimes it's not practical to have your devices a few cm apart. For those cabled cases, USB type-C looks promising as a general purpose connector.50bmg - Friday, January 9, 2015 - link
how does this tech compare to snap from silicon image (the guys that do MHL and HDMI)Mikemk - Saturday, January 10, 2015 - link
With a range of only a few centimeters, I fail to see how this is useful for data transfer. It seems a lot more convenient having devices out of the way as I type/move the mouse.Chris9594 - Saturday, January 10, 2015 - link
Definitely cool...but do we really need another connector.Did anyone catch the USB 3.0 network switch offered by develLAB Electronics? It seems they were an Innovation Award winner and use standard ports available today.
zodiacfml - Saturday, January 10, 2015 - link
umm, just how do you power this? i reckon it would still need a power connector or a battery, pretty cumbersome.Alex75 - Saturday, January 10, 2015 - link
I'd imagine the best way for technology such as this to be easily integrated into existing laptops would be through collaboration with a touchpad manufacturer such as Synaptics. A double tap in one of the corners of the touchpad (like some of the HP laptops for enable/disable) could activate the pad for transfers. Tech like this needs to be implemented into some major brands for it to take off.