PCMCIA ExpressCard Standard 2.0 Released

PCMCIA, the trade association for PC Card and ExpressCard technology, announced the newest release of the ExpressCard Standard 2.0. This version has been significantly updated to accommodate the faster speeds increasingly demanded by today’s high-performance mobile technologies.

ExpressCard technology is the next-generation PC Card technology for high-performance expansion of desktop and mobile systems. ExpressCard and PC Card slots can be found in more than 95 percent of notebook computers.

"ExpressCard technology is closely tied to the PCI Express and USB specifications, and the 2.0 release of our standard takes full advantage of recent advancements in both interface technologies," said Brad Saunders, chairman, PCMCIA. "Now that the new SuperSpeed USB specification is ready, PCMCIA can move forward to finalize the ExpressCard 2.0 release and make it available to members in early 2009. Consumers can expect to see new, innovative products that take advantage of the enhancements offered by the ExpressCard 2.0 Standard starting in 2010."

"SuperSpeed USB brings a whole new level of performance enhancements that will drive the next generation of consumer electronics," said Jeff Ravencraft, USB-IF president and chairman. "Having SuperSpeed USB support in the latest ExpressCard Standard gives developers an additional form factor to take advantage of these new features. ExpressCard technology is a natural extension of USB."

The new ExpressCard Standard will support transfer rates ranging from two 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:

• Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) 2.0 adapters supporting large file transfers between computers and various storage devices;
• USB 3.0 adapters supporting large file transfers between computers and peripheral devices;
• Very high-performance streaming media and video adapters; and
• Very high-performance storage modules based on flash memory technologies, e.g. solid-state drive applications.

The ExpressCard Standard is based on the advanced serial I/O technologies, PCI Express and USB. The Standard is being updated to comply with the recent release of the PCI Express specification, Version 2.0, which offers transfer rates of up to 5Gbps, two times faster than its previous version. The ExpressCard 2.0 Standard also supports the new USB 3.0 specification released today. SuperSpeed USB will support speeds of up to 10 times faster than Hi-Speed USB.

The ExpressCard 2.0 Standard supports backward compatibility with products compliant with any previous versions of the Standard. Any compliant ExpressCard product will work in any ExpressCard slot, regardless of which version of the Standard the product complies with. A new product compliance and logo program will be phased in once the ExpressCard 2.0 Standard is released.

Current ExpressCard plug ‘n’ play applications include memory, local area network (LAN), wireless broadband (WWAN), WiFi, memory adapters, parallel adapters, serial adapters, TV tuners, smart card readers, instrumentation, 1394A&B adapters, serial ATA (SATA) adapters and USB adapters.

Dell, Fujitsu Siemens, HP, Intel, Lenovo, Lexar Media, LG Electronics, Microsoft, Sony, Texas Instruments and Toshiba are among those supporting development of the ExpressCard Standard.