Have you ever felt the need that your motherboard needs more ports? Different peripherals can occupy quite a lot of USB ports and almost fill up all of them quickly. That is where the Portwell PEB-9783G2AR motherboard comes into play. Being built on Intel's latest W480E/Q470E chipset designed to accommodate any 10th generation 10 core CPU with a TDP of up to 80 W, the board can run either a Xeon W CPU or regular Comet Lake-S Core CPU. However, what makes this board unique is not its chipset or anything, it is the number of USB ports present.

Portwell has put an astonishing 20 (you read that right) USB 3.1 Gen1 ports on the board, which you can run at a full 5 Gbit/s data signaling rate at the same time. The board doesn't use any splitting technology so you are getting the full bandwidth. To get that many ports to run at full capacity, Portwell has presumably re-routed chipset lanes for SATA 3 connectors and used them for USB ports, leaving only two SATA 3 ports. The board is built for the FlexATX form factor and features a sideways PCIe 3.0 port. Being built for Xeon, the board also features support for ECC memory and up to 128 GB of it. While the pricing is not yet available, you can get a quote on Portwell's website.

Kingston Digital Europe Co LLP, the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, today announces the availability of the 128 GB DataTraveler 2000 encrypted USB flash drive. DataTraveler 2000 features an alphanumeric keypad that allows users to lock the drive with a word or number combination for an easy-to-use PIN providing an extra layer of protection. For additional security, an auto-lock feature is activated when the drive is removed from the host device if not properly shut down before ejection.

While lower capacity drives offer their own benefits, larger capacity encrypted drives have become a necessity with the need to transfer higher amounts of sensitive data files as more people work from home," said Oscar Escayola, Flash Business Manager, Kingston EMEA. "The 128 GB DT2000 joins Kingston's full line of high-capacity encrypted drives providing security options for consumers all the way up to military-grade."

ROCCAT, Turtle Beach's Hamburg, Germany-based PC gaming accessories brand, today unveiled the Elo series PC gaming headsets as the first all-new products in its lineup of precision PC gaming equipment. Founded in 2007 by former pro gamer and current Head of PC Products at Turtle Beach, Rene Korte, ROCCAT has become a pioneering PC gaming accessories maker with a portfolio packed with technologically advanced and visually stunning products. In 2019, ROCCAT was acquired by Turtle Beach and became the Company's official PC gaming accessories brand. The Elo headsets are the first products that blend ROCCAT's award-winning design and innovation with Turtle Beach's unrivalled gaming audio expertise and exclusive audio technologies.

ROCCAT's Elo series includes three different headsets for PC gamers to choose from, each designed with premium, comfort-focused features such as memory foam cushions and a self-adjusting floating metal headband - offering a unique, durable, and weightless fit. The Elo X Stereo is a lightweight stereo headset with a MSRP of £39.99. The Elo 7.1 USB ups the ante with premium 7.1 channel surround sound, ROCCAT's AIMO intelligent lighting system, Variable Mic Monitoring and a USB connection for a MSRP of £59.99. The Elo 7.1 Air takes things even further with wireless connectivity, Turtle Beach's patented Superhuman Hearing sound setting for a competitive advantage, and a long-lasting 24-hour battery life for a MSRP of £89.99. All three Elo series headsets will be available at participating retailers worldwide on October 4, 2020. Pre-order now at ROCCAT.org.

Underscoring its mission to enable the world to solve its biggest data challenges by building a data infrastructure with next-gen security, Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) today introduced the ArmorLock Security Platform. A data encryption platform that rethinks how data security should be done, the ArmorLock Security Platform was created to help with the diverse security demands of data-centric and content-critical storage use cases in industries as varied as finance, government, healthcare, IT enterprise, legal, and media and entertainment. As data security concerns continue to rise in visibility, Western Digital plans to apply the platform across a range of storage solutions.

The first product to leverage this advanced technology, the new G-Technology ArmorLock encrypted NVMe SSD, is designed to deliver an easy-to-use, high-performance, high-grade security storage solution for creators in the media and entertainment industry. Facing the threat of hijacked media files and leaked films, studios, agencies, and especially investors are demanding a better way to protect critical content. While much of the industry's focus has been on cloud security, data often remains vulnerable on the portable storage devices holding critical commercial content.

Leading gaming audio and accessory brand Turtle Beach today announced it has launched a customized selection of high-quality, affordable audio headsets, accessories, and bundles that can elevate any work- from-home or virtual learning setup to the next level. The key to Turtle Beach's Work and School from Home PC Headset bundles is the Atlas Edge - a powerful USB audio enhancer for Windows PCs that delivers amplified and customizable sound, Mic Monitoring to help keep loud talking to a minimum, plus immersive Waves Nx 3D Audio, and over 60 inches of extra cable length. Connect the Atlas Edge with other award-winning Turtle Beach headsets like the Elite Atlas, Atlas One, or Battle Buds, and voice chat will become crystal-clear, background noises are reduced, mobility is improved, and all-day comfort can make the work and learn from home situations more productive.

"Turtle Beach gaming headsets have absolutely helped people stay entertained and socialize with friends since March, they're also perfect accessories for working and learning from home," said Juergen Stark, CEO, Turtle Beach. "In addition to staying connected with friends and family, we also understand the importance of staying connected at work and at school, and this selection of great products for affordable prices will certainly help keep up with peers, coworkers, teachers, and classmates."

SPC Gear, the gaming label of the European manufacturer SilentiumPC, announces a trio of new streaming microphone kits in order to satisfy the growing users demand for complete microphones bundles with an outstanding recording quality at a competitive price point. While SM900T is based on the same microphone as the SM900 Kit, it is mounted on a foldable tripod instead of a flexible arm. The new SM950 and SM950T microphone kits are bundled with a new microphone, featuring an easy to access mute button in addition to all the advantages of the successful SM900 bundle. With the updated portfolio, SPC Gear is able to offer a prefect kit for every Gamer, seeking an affordable full-fledged recording setup for streaming of games on Twitch or YouTube or recording of podcasts and voiceover.

SPC Gear has designed the SM950(T) and SM900(T) microphones with the focus on great recording quality and outstanding practicality. All models feature the cardioid collection pattern, which is praised by the majority of users working with their own voice - be it a musician, streamer or vlogger. It allows effective elimination of unwanted background noises, resulting in authentic and crystal clear voice recording. The microphones are able to capture a wide frequency range from 18 to 21.000 Hz while maintaining 135 dB sensitivity and sampling rate of 16-bit at 48 kHz.

Razer today introduced the Cynosa V2, its new value-oriented gaming keyboard succeeding the original Cynosa Chroma from 2017. The Cynosa line from Razer represents value-oriented membrane-type gaming keyboards. The new Cynosa V2 is priced at USD $59.99, and should go on sale from July 31. The new Cynosa V2 comes with individually-configurable RGB backlit keys (whereas the original Cynosa Chroma has lighting zones).

Razer also updated a handful other things over the original. The electronics supports full N-key rollover and 1000 Hz polling rate, and can interface with Razer Synapse 3 software (for individual key color and macro re-mapping). Other changes include new media shortcut keys (which the original lacks), ergonomic refinements, spill resistance, and improved USB cable management (winding grooves).

Synaptics Incorporated today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire DisplayLink Corp., a leader in high-performance video compression technology, for $305 million in an all-cash transaction. The deal is expected to close in Synaptics' first quarter of fiscal year 2021, subject to customary closing conditions, and be financed from existing cash on hand. Synaptics expects the transaction to add approximately $94 million in annualized sales and be immediately accretive to non-GAAP gross margins, non-GAAP operating margins, and non-GAAP earnings post-close.

DisplayLink's high performance software compression technology enables universal docking and casting of high bandwidth video from any device to any display using any transport medium such as USB, Ethernet or Wi-Fi. For the Enterprise IT market, the solution supports multi-OS environments including Windows, MacOS, ChromeOS and Ubuntu Linux enabling a myriad of devices to seamlessly dock to multiple high resolution (4K, 8K) displays.

Apple has recently announced its transition from Intel-based Mac computers to custom Arm-based Apple silicon equipped Macs. The speculations for such transition have lasted a few years and we finally got that confirmation. So the question remains: who will manufacture Apple's custom processors for Arm-based Macs? The answer is pretty simple. It is TSMC who will again become Apple's main supplier of silicon. With its broad offerings of the latest silicon nodes, it was no brainer choice for Apple. Combined with the history of collaboration with Apple, TSMC was the only choice for new Apple silicon. Whatever the company will use the new 5 nm node or use the "old" 7 nm one, the question remains.

TSMC expects to see huge orders from Apple in the second half of 2021, for Apple silicon, so Apple will become perhaps the biggest customer of TSMC. It is also worth pointing out that Apple will be using ASMedia's USB controller for Arm-based Macs, as the original report suggests.

USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), the support organization for the advancement and adoption of USB technology, today announced an updated USB Device Class Definition for MIDI Devices, Version 2.0 in support of MIDI 2.0 devices. The standard represents an industry-wide effort by the USB-IF, MIDI Manufacturers Association (MMA), and Association of Musical Electronics Industry (AMEI) to provide MIDI users with an expanded MIDI environment connected by USB.

"USB-IF is proud to support the MMA and AMEI by publishing an updated USB Device Class Specification for next-generation MIDI devices," said Jeff Ravencraft, USB-IF President and COO. "USB has been an integral part of the MIDI environment over the past 20 years, and we look forward to seeing innovative new devices that are enabled by this updated specification."

BIOSTAR, a leading brand of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices, today announces the B550MH motherboard that runs the 3rd gen Ryzen processors. Geared towards the business and casual users, the new BIOSTAR B550MH motherboard is designed to be efficient and reliable with bleeding edge technology built to be the best in the market with a new stylish PCB design.

The B550MH motherboard supports up to 64Gb of RAM across 2 DIMMs with the capability of reaching 4400+OC speeds and technologies like PCIe 4.0 that supports 16GT/s bit data transfer rates which is 2 times faster than PCIe 3.0 with backward compatibility, as well as PCIe M.2 4.0 which delivers lower latency on a higher bandwidth of 64 Gb/s which is 2x faster than the old PCIe M.2 3.0 making the new BIOSTAR B550MH motherboard a great choice for many applications.

Lenovo is giving finishing touches to the ThinkCentre M75n IoT, a fanless compact PC to be used as an IoT node, succeeding the Intel-powered M90n IoT. The new M75n is powered by an AMD Athlon Silver 3050e SoC (6 W TDP), compared to the M90n that uses a 15-Watt Core i3. The IoT box is rated for 24x7x365 operation, which makes it capable of use even as an industrial PC. The 3050e chip offers a 2-core/4-thread CPU, 1.40-2.80 GHz CPU clocks, 4 MB cache, and a basic AMD Radeon iGPU. Connectivity includes a pair of USB 3.1 gen 2 type-A, two type-C, an M.2-2280 slot with PCI-Express and SATA connectivity; an E-key slot for a WLAN module, gigabit Ethernet, and a pair of COM ports. The box measures 179 mm x 88 mm x 34.5 mm.

Cypress, an Infineon Technologies Company, today announced that in less than five years, the company has achieved a landmark milestone by shipping its one billionth USB-C device. As the leading provider of USB-C technology, Cypress' leadership position spans a wide range of markets with its controllers used within mobile, computing, and power applications.

Cypress offers the industry's most complete portfolio of USB solutions, including device controllers, embedded hosts, hubs, application-specific bridges, and transceivers. Cypress' EZ-PD portfolio was the first in the industry to support the latest USB Power Delivery (USB PD) 3.0 specification, which enables more robust end-to-end power delivery and charging solutions for laptop and mobile devices. Cypress also offers AEC-Q100 certified versions of its controllers for automotive-grade performance.

On today's episode of "this is just so wrong", the 5GBioShield USB Key: "guaranteed" by its BioShield Distribution manufacturers to protect you from a plethora of harmful frequencies "through a process of quantum oscillation". This USB key has some extra calls to fame, though: not only does it seemingly create a protecting field around you or your "family home", as the company puts it, but it also emits "a large number of life force frequencies favoring a general revitalization of the body." Oh my, the miracles of quantum physics.

BioShield Distribution claims that the 5GBioShield Key "provides protection for your home and family, thanks to the wearable holographic nano-layer catalyser, which can be worn or placed near to a smartphone or any other electrical, radiation or EMF [electromagnetic field] emitting device", whereby "through a process of quantum oscillation, the 5GBioShield USB key balances and re-harmonises the disturbing frequencies arising from the electric fog induced by devices, such as laptops, cordless pho4nes, wi-fi, tablets, et cetera." And get this: these quantum-oscillating-holographic-nano-layer-catalyser-life-force-emitting USB keys are available in a bargain basement-deal of $973 for a pack of three. Oh the temptation!

Ayute Co Ltd, is set to launch a series of five new HP gaming headsets and earphones this Friday May 29, 2020. The five new models include the H150, H320GS, H360GS, H500GS BLACK, and H500GS GOLD. The five new models feature prices between 20 - 60 USD and are set to be released in Japan. The H150 are budget earphones with an adjustable boom mic, the H320GS and H360GS are both entry-level gaming headsets with LED lighting while the H500GS BLACK and H500GS GOLD offer a more premium design and features.

Dutch researcher from the Eindhoven University of Technology has found a new vulnerability in Thunderbolt port that allows attackers with physical access to unlock any PC running Windows or Linux kernel-based OS in less than 5 minutes. The researcher of the university called Björn Ruytenberg found a method which he calls Thunderspy, which can bypass the login screen of any PC. This attack requires physical access to the device, which is, of course, dangerous on its own if left with a person of knowledge. The Thunderbolt port is a fast protocol, and part of the reason why it is so fast is that it partially allows direct access to computer memory. And anything that can access memory directly is a potential vulnerability.

The Thunderspy attack relies on just that. There is a feature built into the Thunderbolt firmware called "Security Level", which disallows access to untrusted devices or even turns off Thunderbolt port altogether. This feature would make the port be a simple USB or display output. However, the researcher has found a way to alter the firmware setting of Thunderbolt control chip in a way so it allows any device to access the PC. This procedure is done without any trace and OS can not detect that there was a change. From there, the magic happens. Using an SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) programmer with a SOP8 clip that connects the pins of the programmer device to the controller, the attacker just runs a script from there. This procedure requires around $400 worth of hardware. Intel already put some protection last year for the Thunderbolt port called Kernel Direct Memory Access Protection, but that feature isn't implemented on PCs manufactured before 2019. And even starting from 2019, not all PC manufacturers implement the feature, so there is a wide group of devices vulnerable to this unfixable attack.

Since the debut of its plans to create a custom Operating System and make itself independent from everyone, Huawei has been working hard to bring that idea to life. Creating custom software and custom hardware solutions, Huawei's engineers have been rather busy. And now, Huawei aims to be the new player in the Chinese PC industry, replacing the already available solutions that have foreign technology with potential backdoors that could represent a threat to Chinese information security. So to prepare for that, Huawei is creating a custom OS called HarmonyOS that will accompany custom hardware solutions.

The HarmonyOS was announced last year at Huawei Developer Conference 2019 (HDC 2019) as a project Huawei is working on. However, it seems like that project will become some of the more important things the company is working on. A well-known person for tipping about the latest industry news on Weibo said that Huawei is preparing to launch custom PCs very soon for domestic (Chinese) audience. Huawei is supposedly working with major cities and regions in China to supply its infrastructure with new solutions. And what those solutions will be? Well, Huawei plans to combine the HarmonyOS with its already launched Kunpeng Desktop Board.

Organizations around the world trust their sensitive data to Kanguru Defender Hardware Encrypted Flash Drives for their flexibility, mobility, and security. Kanguru expands on the Defender family with new 256 GB high-capacity drives to help security-conscious organizations get the most out of their investment.

With new 256 GB capacities on Kanguru Defender hardware encrypted USB flash drives, users can freely load enormous amounts of information on a single drive, without the worry of sensitive data getting into the wrong hands. Defender encrypted flash drives maintain the highest military-grade standards for secure data storage, with AES-XTS 256-Bit hardware encryption, FIPS 140-2 Certification, remote management capability, digitally-signed secure firmware and tamper-proof protection.

HyperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., today announced the release of two new headsets in HyperX Cloud Stinger family, HyperX Cloud Stinger Core + 7.1 and HyperX Cloud Stinger Core Wireless + 7.1 Gaming Headset. Both new Cloud Stinger Core headsets now feature 7.1 virtual surround sound1 via NGENUITY software.

"HyperX is excited to expand its Cloud Stinger gaming headset family with two new 7.1 surround sound headsets for gamers looking for an economic headset," said Nate Almond, audio business manager, HyperX. "With students, parents and gamers working and playing at home more than ever, HyperX has expanded the Stinger product line to offer more affordable headsets."

OWC a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company and one of the world's most respected providers of hard drives, SSDs, Mac & PC docking solutions and performance upgrade kits, today announced the latest edition of its legendary Mercury Elite Pro external storage system for Mac, PC, Linux machines, Smart TVs, and PS4 and Xbox consoles. The 3.5-inch USB 3.2 5 Gb/s hard drive system is a modern day workhorse, delivering real-world performance up to 283 MB/s and capacities up to 16 TB to keep pace with the demands of everything from video editing projects, critical business data, and irreplaceable personal content to expanding PS4/Xbox One game storage and enjoying music/video content via a Smart TV.

The Essential External Storage Solution for Everyone
The Mercury Elite Pro kicked off OWC's rich, storied history of storage solution innovations nearly 20 years ago, and it has successfully stood the test of time by continuing to offer an incomparable blend of performance, quality, and value in a single HDD storage solution.

BenQ today announced the latest addition to its monitor family design for professional use. The SW321C, as it is called, is a 32-inch monitor with an IPS panel of 4K (3840×2160p) resolution. The panel itself is a 60 Hz screen with 250 nits of brightness, 1000:1 contrast ratio, 5 ms GtG response time, and it offers 178-degree viewing angles, which is standard for IPS panels. When it comes to the color coverage and the ability to accurately represent them, the SW321C features 95% of the DCI-P3, 99% of the Adobe RGB, and 100% of the sRGB color gamut. It has a 16-bit 3D look-up table (LUT) and features calibration for DeltaE ≤ 2.

The monitor comes with HDR10 specification, however, due to the brightness of 250 nits, it is not capable of performing any serious HDR content editing. Another interesting note is that this monitor supports Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) standard, which is an uncommon one. For input, the monitor had support for one DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 2.0, and one USB-C port. There is a dual-port USB hub, which has an SD card reader right next to it, making this very useful feature for photographers. Exact pricing and availability of this monitor are unknown, however, it is supposed to hit the market soon.

zAnother day, another audio product quick look. This time, the folks over at Philips get some love with the US launch of their PH805 active noise cancelling (ANC) headphones, the news of which we covered before. The company has gone through big changes over the years, and one of the effects has been regional business units operating independently enough to have separate launch windows for products. Take this very product, for example, which had been out for purchase for a couple of months already last year in Europe and parts of Asia, and Philips USA only just got it in 2020. Somehow, we had no coverage on this to date, but that changes now.

The PH805, also referred to as the PH805BK or TAPH805BK, follows a trend of product names that make little sense, but all you need to know is that this is from the same company and team that brought out the excellent Fidelio series that offered great value for money to those wanting an open-back, over-ear headphones with a neutral signature without any real shortcomings across the frequency range. They are readying the new Fidelio x3 for launch soon, but the PH805 aims to interest a different segment entirely. In particular, the frequent traveler or mobile user that wants a lightweight set of cans with ANC and wireless connectivity. It ships in a retail packaging that is well designed, with the company and product name on the front along with a large render and marketing features throughout, with a clear note on Google Assistant compatibility. Sorry, iOS users! Read past the break for more on the Philips PH805BK, including an unboxing, user experience, and what it costs to get you one of these in the USA.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules, NAND Flash products, and mobile accessories today announces the launch of the ADATA SE760 external solid state drive (SSD). The SSD features a stylish and compact form factor for easy portability and implements the USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface for excellent read and write performance.

The ADATA SE760 sports a compact, streamlined design that's great for on the go. Its sleek metal exterior with a textured hairline-brushed surface looks and feels great. The SSD implements the USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface, allowing it to reach read/write speeds of up to 1,000 MB/s, which is over 12 times faster than an external hard drive. This blazing-fast performance will allow users to transfer a 10 GB 4K movie in approximately twenty seconds.

Today MSI announced the latest addition to its monitor lineup - the MSI Optix MAGG332CR gaming monitor. With its 180 Hz refresh rate, this monitor is targeting gamers who focus on first-person shooter games primarily. When it comes to the panel characteristics, this monitor is rocking a 31.5-inch anti-glare 1080p display with a 1500R curvature applied to it. The panel type in question is an 8-bit VA panel with Frame Rate Control (FRC) that enables the monitor to achieve a wider color spectrum withing the 8-bit range.

The monitor offers 1 ms Moving Picture Response Time (MPRT) performance, along with the brightness of 300 nits, and a contrast ratio of 3000:1. When it comes to the refresh rate syncing technology, there is VESA's Adaptive-Sync present with AMD FreeSync certification. Marked as "HDR Ready", it is not exactly meeting any requirements due to its 300 nits brightness, however, there is at least a possibility to view HDR content. The display covers 96% of DCI-P3 and 125% of sRGB color gamut. Additionally, for input, there are quite a few options. There is one DisplayPort 1.2a, two HDMI 2.0b connectors, and one USB-C port that supports DisplayPort alternate mode allowing for video input over USB. There is also a USB hub present with two USB 2.0 ports and for audio, there is one 3.5 mm headphone output port. Besides, support for MSI Mystic Light RGB setup is also present.

Acer has launched the latest addition to its portable monitor lineup -the PM1 portable monitor. The PM1 features a 15.6-inch IPS panel with 1920x1080 resolution, 15 ms GtG response time, a maximum brightness of 250 nits, and 800:1 contrast ratio. It boasts a 60 Hz refresh rate and wide viewing angles, along with anti-glare coating to prevent any unwanted light reflection. Being an IPS type panel, it has 178 degrees viewing angle so you can easily view content from all sides.

The display itself is a 6-bit panel, so it offers somewhat less color accuracy as it is limited to 262,000 colors. It is powered by a single USB type C cable which provides both the power and video input. When powered by a smartphone, which can not provide enough power, there is a secondary micro-USB port to supply additional power. There is also a hinge at the back of the monitor body to support it when it stands. Pricing starts at $179.99 if you are purchasing from Acer directly or $129.99 from Micro Center.