NewerTech has introduced a new USB adapter that offers high-speed data relays between computers and external hard drives.
The company introduced the new eSATA to USB 3.0 Adapter at this week’s Macworld Expo 2011. NewerTech says the adapter offers 247 MBps reads and 206.5 MBps writes, which it says is three times faster than the FireWire 800 or USB 2.0 interfaces used on Macs and PCs.
No software or driver installation is needed—but if you want to take full advantage of the speed, you’ll need a USB 3.0 expansion card, available from a number of vendors, such as LaCie. The adapter supports 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch eSATA hard-disk and solid-state drives, and is backward compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.1 devices, as well as previous versions of eSATA devices.
The adapter is available now, for a suggested retail price of $30. It is compatible with Macs running OS X 10.2.8 or later. It can be seen at the Macworld Expo 2011 through Saturday.
eSATA to USB 3.0 Adapter