Ultrabooks, despite their formidable computing power compared to netbooks, inevitably trade some of it for lower thermal/power specifications. LucidLogix feels that Ultrabook users could gain graphics processing power on demand using external graphics cards, that work in tandem with its VirtuMVP GPU virtualization technology. At IDF, the company demonstrated an external graphics card that uses 10 Gb/s Thunderbolt interface to communicate with an Ultrabook.

Lucid's external graphics card is a Thunderbolt to PCI-Express enclosure, which runs an AMD Radeon HD 6700 series GPU. With the VirtuMVP layer running, the Ultrabook uses the graphics computing power of the external graphics card to render complex graphics onto its display, which is wired to the processor's integrated graphics core. Lucid's idea of on-demand graphics compute power allows Thunderbolt-equipped Ultrabooks of all shapes and sizes to lack a discrete GPU, which adds to the device's cost, and taps its limited power and thermal-control resources. At the moment, Lucid's external graphics cards are still in development, with no concrete release date in sight. The concept is solid.

Scythe introduced a pair of new external HDD/SSD enclosures under the KAMAZO series. These include the KAMAZO-S35-U3-BK, designed for 3.5-inch SATA drives; and KAMAZO-S25-U3-BK, designed for 2.5-inch SATA drives. Both enclosures take advantage of USB 3.0 SuperSpeed interface to eliminate interface bottlenecks. Made of anodized aluminum, the KAMAZO-S35-U3-BK measures 112 x 197 x 30 mm (WxDxH), weighing 268 g. This enclosure draws power from an external AC adapter. The KAMAZO-S25-U3-BK, on the other hand, relies on USB for both bus interface and power. It measures 80 x 131 x 18 mm, weighing 126 g. Apart from running on PCs as USB mass storage devices, these enclosures are supported by smart TVs such as Toshiba Regza and Sharp Aquos. Slated for May 16, the KAMAZO-S35-U3-BK is priced at 2,480 JPY (US $31), while the KAMAZO-S25-U3-BK goes for 1,280 JPY (US $16).

Japanese peripherals company Marshal introduced Easy Go MAL-3435SBKU3, a desktop external hard drive enclosure, which can pack a 3.5-inch SATA hard drive. Apart from close to zero interface bottlenecks, thanks to its USB 3.0 SuperSpeed connection, the enclosure's design focus is on cooling. It packs an 80 mm fan on its side panel for ventilation of the hard drive and other electronics. The fan can be toggled, and its designers claim that running it can lower the drive's temperatures by as much as 10°C. Its native logic features an Eco Mode feature, which completely spins down the drive while keeping its volumes mounted on the host machine, when there is inactivity for a set amount of time. The enclosure is made of rugged materials such as steel and ABS. Measuring 46 x 210 x 146 mm (WxDxH), it weighs a little over 600 g. It is priced at 3,480 JPY (US $43).

Buffalo Inc. has today unveiled the SSD-PEU3 family of external solid state drives. Coming in two color versions - red and black, these SSDs measure 98 x 57 x 13 mm, they weight 70 grams, and feature a glossy finish, and a USB 3.0 interface enabling transfer speed of up to 266.7 MB/s.

The SSD-PEU3 drives are backed by a one-year warranty and are set to become available at the end of this month priced at $105 (64 GB model), $168 (128 GB) and $392 (256 GB).

Japanese company MARSHAL announced three new external storage solutions, which include two 2-bay enclosures and one 4-bay dock. The two enclosures are MAL-3235SBK (non-RAID mass-storage, USB 2.0), and MAL-3335SBKU (RAID mass-storage, USB 3.0); and the dock is MAL-3635SBK. The two enclosures bear essentially the same product design, that consists of two 3.5" SATA drive bays, differing only by the MAL-3335SBKU supporting RAID 0 and 1 modes, and USB 3.0. These enclosures measure 73 x 195 x 123 mm (WxDxH), use external power bricks, and cool installed hard drives using a rear fan.

The MAL-3635SBK is a one-of-a-kind top-loading 4-bay SATA drive dock, which supports both 3.5" and 2.5" drives on each bay. The main unit is merely a cuboidal box, with an ABS stand extending out, holding the four drives firmly in place. This dock is designed not essentially keeping external storage in mind, and more as a drive cloning station. For this reason, the dock connects to the host over slow USB 2.0, but packs a native drive cloning logic that can auto-clone three drives from one template, at a time, without needing a host. The dock measures 164 x 126 x 88 mm (WxDxH). The MAL-3235SBK, MAL-3335SBKU, and MAL-3635SBK, from MARSHAL, are priced at 3,580 JPY (US $42), 4,980 JPY (US $60), and 9,980 JPY (US $119), respectively. They are slated for launch this month.

Mach Xtreme Technology Inc., a worldwide leader in top performance, high reliability and user-friendly designed PC components, today unveiled Kapsling Series External Enclosure offering MacBook Air 2010/2011 users unmatched convenience.

Mach Xtreme Technology MX-KAPSLING external enclosure is compatible with stock MacBook Air 2010/2011 low-profile SATA SSDs offering users flexibility, reliability and fast data transfer speed thanks to USB 3.0 connectivity. MX-KAPSLING is perfect for adding more storage space to your notebook and freeing-up space on your internal SSD. The USB 3.0 interface supports quick and reliable data transfer to and from any desktop or notebook. The solid aluminum body design is effective against any external shock and offers excellent heat dissipation.

Other World Computing (OWC), a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, announced today it has expanded the storage capacity of its high-performance OWC Mercury Elite Pro single bay and dual bay desktop storage solution line to 8.0 TB.

By utilizing the industry's only 3.5" 4.0 TB SATA 6 Gb/s hard drive, OWC's Mercury Elite Pro storage solutions deliver 33 percent more storage/back-up capacity per drive over current 3.0 TB hard drives With up to a "Quad Interface" of FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0, and eSATA connections, the Mercury Elite Pro line offers Plug and Play data transfer speeds up to 300 MB/s with Mac and PC computers.

Plextor, a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media and storage equipment, announces the release of their new PlexEasy External DVD/CD Burner at 2012 CES in Las Vegas. The PlexEasy is a versatile stand-alone optical storage device with a host of special features.

PlexEasy is a compact 8X DVD/CD Writer with a built-in SD/MMC card reader and a USB connector. It has the ability to connect directly to a wide variety of devices including both mass storage devices and Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) devices such cameras, smartphones, tablets, and camcorders. And no computer is required.

Other World Computing (OWC) has this week launched a new version of its OWC Mercury Elite Pro mini external drive, one that adopts two speedy interfaces ensuring high transfer rates - eSATA 6.0 Gbps and USB 3.0 (aka SuperSpeed USB).

OWC's updated drive measures 96.52 x 139.7 x 27.94 mm, features an aircraft grade brushed aluminum enclosure, it makes use of the Asmedia 1051E and 1456 chipsets, and is backed by a three-year warranty. The Mercury Elite Pro mini is available in multiple versions, either with a 5400 RPM or a 7200 RPM hard drive, or a solid state drive. The cheapest of the lot is the 320 GB / 5400 RPM HDD model ($114.99) while the most expensive ($819.99) packs a 480 GB SSD. All models are available here.

German TV tuner maker Elgato has today announced an external solid state drive featuring Thunderbolt connectivity. Known simply as the Thunderbolt SSD, Elgato's drive measures 83 x 21 x 131 mm, it weights 270 grams, has a 'rock-solid' metal enclosure, and is capable of transfer speeds of up to 270 MB/s.

The Thunderbolt SSD will ship next month in 120 GB ($430) and 240 GB ($700) capacities.

On site at the Storage Visions conference in Las Vegas, the OCZ Technology Group (OCZ for short) has revealed to the world its newest portable storage solution, the Lightfoot solid state drive featuring Thunderbolt support.

Encased in a metal shell (resembling that of the OCZ Enyo), the Lightfoot makes use of a Marvell controller, is capable of transfer speeds of up to 750 MB/s and is set to be available in 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB capacities. Unfortunately OCZ didn't say when Lightfoot will ship or how much it will cost.

Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of NAND flash storage solutions, today announced the Storage POD Mini, a portable SSD that will change how you think about external storage.

External hard disk drives have made it easy to back-up important data and move data from one machine to another but its performance was limited and always slower than an internal hard drive. Thanks to USB 3.0 and SSD technologies, it is now possible to create a USB storage solution that is smaller, lighter and more rugged than a traditional HDD. A blue anodized, all-aluminum enclosure enables this drive to be both lightweight and rugged yet measure a mere 110 x 68 x 10 mm (roughly the same size as an internal 2.5" HDD; without the enclosure) It fits easily in your pocket and requires no power adapter. It's the perfect travelling companion.

Apart from the LinkStation WSX2.0TL/R1, Buffalo Technology also launched the HD-LBFVU2 external hard drive. The drive connects to the host over USB 2.0 interface, and provides 3 TB of storage. Measuring 189 x 123 x 39 mm, with about 1 kg of weight, the drive makes use of internal silicone cushioning to reduce operating noise, and protect the drive inside. Like the new LinkStation NAS, this drive is also set for market release in mid-August, priced at around $285.

Silicon Power today announces their ultra capacity 2.5inch USB 3.0 Stream S20 1TB external hard disk drive. It further strengthens powerful Stream Series of SP External Hard Drives. SP Stream S20 design concept comes from high-performance sports car. Front side of Stream S20 resembles sports car's low wind shear design as well as top and back-end. From any side Stream S20 displays its powerful performance. Metallic purple paint demonstrates its luxurious style and at the same time declares its superiority.

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) announced PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) (PCH-1000 series) as the official platform name for the next generation portable entertainment system at E3 2011. With an RRP of €249 for the Wireless model and €299 for the Wireless/3G version, PS Vita will launch in the global market starting at the end of 2011.

"Vita", which means "Life" in Latin, was chosen as the most appropriate name for the next generation portable entertainment system as it enables a revolutionary combination of rich gaming and social connectivity within a real world context as SCE aims to transform every aspect of a user's daily life into an entertainment experience and an opportunity to play.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, announced today its new family of hard disk drives, including two portable drives and a desktop storage station. Supporting the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface, the new external hard drives can provide data transfer speeds of up to 5 gigabits per second, delivering a maximum 10-fold higher data transfer rate over the USB 2.0, allowing users to transfer a 25-gigabyte full HD movie in just four minutes.

Samsung's portable drives come in two designs, the entry-level M2 Portable and the premium C2 Portable 3.0. The M2 Portable comes with a wave-like matte finish that covers scratches and fingerprints, with curved sides for a comfortable grip. The drives are available in densities of up to 1 terabyte, USB 2.0/3.0 interface, and four colors: Brown Black, Noble Beige, Mist Gray and Clay Orange.

Buffalo Technology released a new 3 terabyte external hard drive that uses the USB 3.0 interface. The HD-LBV3.0TU3 from Buffalo uses the traditional chassis shared by several hard drives from the company, but makes use of a single capacious 3 TB HDD. It connects to the system over USB 3.0 and draws power over an external DC power supply. Measuring 39 x 123 x 189 mm, it weighs about 1 kg. Silicone padding inside allows some amount of mechanical shock protection to the drive. The drive normally draws 18W of power, but can reduce that to just 1.6W, using the bundled ecoManager software, which spins down the drive when idling. Slated for market release a little later this month, the Buffalo HD-LBV3.0TU3 will be priced at ¥26,400 (about US $320).

Other World Computing (OWC), a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, announced today that its OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro mini 1.5TB model is the highest capacity 2.5" "Quad Interface" bus powered portable storage solution on the market and available for immediate ordering with 12 models priced from $99.97. Featuring a "Quad Interface" of FireWire 800/400, USB 2.0, and eSATA interface connectivity for data transfer speeds up to 300MB/s, the fanless Mercury Elite-AL Pro mini delivers the highest storage/backup performance available to Mac or PC users in a portable, brushed aluminum, no AC adapter required Plug and Play footprint.

Introduced way back in December 2009, I-O Data's ultra-slim BRP-U6 portable Blu-ray writer drive was found to be deficient of BD-RE capability. So the company updated its feature-set with the ability to read and burn them. The BRP-U6 can now burn both single layer BD-R and BD-RE discs at 6X and double Layer BD-R and BD-RE at 4X. Burning of older disc formats such as DVD±R/DVD±RW, double layer DVDs, and CD are naturally supported. The drive uses a USB 2.0 connector for both power and data. Slated for a December launch, the updated BRP-U6 will be priced at around ¥22,000 (US $263).

I-O Data announced a new external DVD-writer, which makes use of a full-sized drive, giving higher speeds. The DVR-UN24GE measures 170 x 240 x 50 mm (W x D x H), tipping the scales at 1.4 kg. It burns DVD-R/DVD+R at 24X, DVD-RAM at 12X, double-layer DVD-R/DVD+R at 8X, and 6X for rewritable DVDs. It uses a USB 2.0 interface. Nero Essentials and WinDVD are bundled. It is priced in Japan at ¥11,500 (about US $141).

Designed to address the explosive worldwide demand for digital storage, Seagate today launched the world's first 1.5 terabyte (TB) 2.5-inch portable external drive. Available immediately, the new 1.5TB FreeAgent GoFlex ultra-portable drive delivers an all-in-one, technically advanced solution to help store, share and enjoy libraries of digital content in one's preferred medium-whether on a Mac or PC, or a television, at home or on the go. With 1.5TB of capacity people can now store and carry up to 60 HD movies, 750 video games, thousands of photos or countless hours of digital music.

"Today's announcement is a 'triple-crown' of consumer technology-packaging record breaking capacity, blazingly fast USB 3.0 connectivity and the bonus of movie entertainment-making the 1.5TB GoFlex ultra-portable drive an unprecedented and innovative solution," said Darcy Clarkson, vice president of Global Retail Sales and Marketing for Seagate. "Bringing this solution to market on the heels of our 3TB GoFlex Desk drive and the Momentus XT solid state hybrid drive is proof of Seagate's continuing technology leadership and tradition of setting storage industry milestones."

ASUS showed off a new compact external DVD-Writer drive, a yet to be named model that the company refers to as the "Extreme Slim External DVD-RW Drive." The drive is roughly the size of two CD cases, at 14 mm thickness. It is essentially a notebook/slim optical drive inside a sleek, gray brushed-metal enclosure that takes both power and connectivity from its USB 2.0 cable. The unit weighs 320 g. The drive writes DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD+RW at 8x, DVD-RW, double-layer DVD-R/+R at 6x, and DVD-RAM at 5x. CD-R is written at 24x, CD-RW at 16x. ASUS did not give out pricing details, yet.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology, today announced its new 2.5-inch external hard disk drive (HDD), the S2 Portable 3.0. The new high performance external HDD features an on-board SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface and a 7200RPM spindle speed, delivering faster performance over preceding versions.

"As digital content continues to evolve from standard definition to HD and now 3D content, we expect the demand for high performance external HDDs to increase, especially among IT enthusiasts," Ho-Seong Lee, vice president, storage marketing, Semiconductor Business, Samsung Electronics. "The S2 Portable 3.0 delivers the benefits of top performance and quality, and as a result, lowers the power usage of the external hard drive also."

A-DATA Technology Co., Ltd., the worldwide leader in DRAM memory and Flash application products, today introduced NH03 -- its first 3.5" external hard drive with the new-generation SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface, adding yet another high-performance storage solution in its complete USB 3.0 lineup. With the actual transfer rates reaching up to 140 MB/s, NH03 takes data transfer performance on external HDD to a whole new level.

The SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface on the sleek-looking NH03 3.5" external hard drive is designed to deliver exceptional data transfer rates that was never seen on hard drives. With the addition of built-in TurboHDD USB software, the transfer performance is further accelerated, reaching up to 140 MB/s based on real-world test results. Users will able to experience a significant performance upgrade of at least 400% in terms of transfer speed compared to devices with conventional USB 2.0 interface. Meanwhile, SuperSpeed USB 3.0 is backward compatible with previous versions for greater flexibility and convenience in daily computing use.

Shuttle caught our eye with their external graphics card system called the i-Power GXT Mini, which routes the PCIe slot (as x1) to an external enclosure in which you can put any single slot GPU with a power draw of up to 90W. The system currently only works with two Shuttle notebooks, but the company will expand the range of notebooks in the future. They are also showing off their extremely compact and fanless HTPC based on ION2. It is a bit larger than a 3.5 inch hard drive enclosure, but packs all the components. A quick look at the rear shows four USB 2.0 ports and HDMI along with the the rest of usual connectivity.