New USB hub may boost tablets' ease of use
Hauppauge-based SMSC's internal USB 3.0 hub converter could be a high-tech boon to the growing number of tablet users.
Standard Microsystems Corp. on Monday unveiled a new internal USB 3.0 hub controller that serves up to seven ports, enabling a tablet computer to connect to basic peripherals -- and some frills.
The USB5537 hub can help tablet computer makers deliver something akin to a "full PC experience" even though many mobile computers have dispensed with multiple USB ports, card slots and other connectivity links, SMSC says.
With the SMSC controller a tablet or mobile computer can be hooked up to a docking station, mouse and external disk drive -- and also (and simultaneously) such extras as a full-size keyboard, LCD monitor, surround-sound speakers and an Ethernet connection.
USB hubs of the 3.0 generation are up to 10 times faster than the previous USB 2.0 standard.
SMSC, based in Hauppauge, says the wholesale price of the component, in quantities of 1,000, ranges from $3.30-$4.45 each.
The company says its new 7-port USB 3.0 hub delivers "the industry's smallest footprint" while helping meet consumer expectations of "a full PC experience out of the smaller, less capable" tablet or ultra-mobile PC.
SMSC in June saw its quarterly profits increase nearly tenfold compared to its performance in the same quarter last year.
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