Connectivity & Cloud - Page 4
The latest and most important Connectivity & Cloud news - Page 4.
USB4 2.0 spec with 80Gbps of bandwidth tested in latest Windows 11 Insider Preview build
USB4 2.0 is kinda here thanks to Microsoft testing the new 80Gbps standard with its latest Windows 11 Insider Preview build, offering next-gen 80Gbps transfer speeds for future devices.
The new USB4 2.0 standard with 80Gbps of bandwidth was teased in September 2022, but it's only in the first few weeks of 2024 that the new specification is stretching its wings. Microsoft testing the new USB4 2.0 standard with 80Gbps speeds in Windows 11 is great to see, with the new USB4 2.0 standard offering double the 40Gbps of bandwidth delivered by USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4. We're seeing Thunderbolt 4 more and more, and now it's time for USB4 2.0 to shine.
USB4 2.0 is backward compatible with previous USB4 cables offering 40Gbps passive, but it will support up to the huge 80Gbps of bandwidth with new 80Gbps Type-C active cables. If you want huge speeds in the 8GB/sec vicinity, USB4 2.0 is here to deliver.
Acer worked with Qualcomm on its new router: world's first with 5G and Wi-Fi 7
Acer has just announced not one but two new gaming routers, teaming with Qualcomm and its Immersive Home Platform and tri-band Wi-Fi 7 for stable connections and enhanced wireless gameplay with the introduction of the new Acer Predator Connect X7 5G CPE. Check it out:
The new Acer Predator Connect X7 5G CPE will provide blazing-fast internet speeds with both 5G and Wi-Fi 7, as well as dual WAN connectivity. Acer says we can expect fast, reliable, and vast network coverage provided by the Predator Connect T7 Wi-Fi 7 Mesh Router, with the capabilities expanded through its multi-link Wi-Fi mesh system, making wired-level latency possible through the use of a mesh setup.
Qualcomm Technologies' advanced quad-core processor is inside of both the X7 and T7 routers, which provide gamers and streamers with boosted online experiences, improved Spectrum Utilization and Wi-Fi 7, as well as enhanced MU-MIMO and OFDMA across connected devices.
Sabrent's new USB-C Universal Docking Station is the ultimate docking station
Sabrent's new USB-C Universal Docking Station has been announced, with the new do-everything USB-C dock ready to provide you with every port imaginable for about every device imaginable. Check it out:
The new dock truly has it all, offering dual HDMI ports, dual DisplayPort ports, a 1GbE ethernet port, dual USB-C 10Gbps ports, dual USB 2.0 ports, and a headphone jack... and that's just on the back. On the front of the Sabrent USB-C Universal Docking Station, we've got two USB-A 5Gbps ports, USH-I SD and microSD card slots, another headphone/mic jack, and a single USB-C 10Gbps port. Sheesh, that's a LOT of connectivity, folks.
The external power adapter lets you power with device charging of up to 80W, while there are some front-facing LEDs for extra clarity, adds Sabrent.
Have loads of your Google Drive files vanished? There's a fix for that
Some of those using Google Drive's desktop app experienced a very worrying issue recently - namely a chunk of files disappearing from their cloud storage locker - but the good news is that there's now a fix.
As flagged up by The Verge, Google outlined the steps you need to take in a support post, giving affected people (some of whom lost six months of files, or more) several options for recovering their files.
By the way, we're told that only a small number of Drive for desktop users were affected (those running version 84 of the app).
Continue reading: Have loads of your Google Drive files vanished? There's a fix for that (full post)
PCI-SIG announces new naming scheme for PCIe cables: CopprLink
PCI-SIG has just announced a brand new naming scheme for PCIe internal and external cables, which will be called CopprLink, while the company has also announced new PCIe 5.0 and PCIe 6.0 cables coming in 2024.
In a press release in my inbox, the PCI-SIG PR representative said that PCIe 5.0 and PCIe 6.0 internal and external cable specifications are currently in development and are "targeted for release" in 2024. PCI-SIG is attending SC23, the international conference for high-performance computing (HPC), networking, storage, and analysis. At the show, PCI-SIG announced its new CopprLink naming scheme.
PCI-SIG is the body behind the troublesome 12VHPWR power connector on NVIDIA's fleet of GeForce RTX 40 series graphics cards, and while it provides up to 600W of power over a thinner cable, it has had its downsides. PCI-SIG went back to the drawing board and re-worked the cable, and now we're seeing a new naming scheme for PCIe 5.0 and PCIe 6.0 internal (and external) cables to CopprLink. I wonder how many people are going to use an "e" in that over the years, hah.
Continue reading: PCI-SIG announces new naming scheme for PCIe cables: CopprLink (full post)
Second largest telco in Australia goes down, grinds half the country to a halt
Australia's second-largest telecommunications provider -- Optus -- has gone down and has been down since the early morning hours in the country. Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin has said that the company is on a "path to restoration" right now.
It's now past 12 p.m. in Sydney, Australia, and millions of Australians are without a working phone or internet connection, unable to call emergency services or the police. The Optus CEO said: "Unfortunately, it was a nationwide outage ... [we are] very, very sorry that this occurred; we know how important it is for all our customers to be connected, and we have been working tirelessly since the outage started to restore services for our customers".
Personally, I'm with Optus and woke up to these issues. I couldn't make any phone calls and had no data service out of the house, so all of my financial services were pretty much useless (I don't use physical cards, tap-and-go is so relevant here in Australia), and worst of all, no one could call my number. This means I'm completely unreachable, and I can't reach anyone... including my daughter at school today, as her phone is with Optus as well.
Fury at unpopular OneDrive change causes Microsoft to backtrack on photo storage rules
After receiving a whole load of negative feedback around an incoming change to OneDrive, Microsoft has reversed direction on the move.
The idea was a simple one, but it could have had a major impact on the available storage for photos in the case of some users.
As Neowin spotted (via TechRadar), Microsoft had contacted OneDrive users and told them in an email that: "Soon, data from photos saved in your Gallery and in your albums will each count separately against your total Microsoft storage quota."
Intel reveals Thunderbolt 5 standard: 240W charging, 540Hz, 120Gbps, 3x 4K displays at 144Hz
Intel has officially announced the capabilities of the Thunderbolt 5 standard that comes with massive upgrades. For example, 120 Gbps bandwidth, 240W charging, and many other impressive performance leaps.
The company took to its website to share a press release that reveals what we can expect out of Thunderbolt 5, and according to Intel, "deliver significant improvements in connectivity speed and bandwidth benefits". Jason Ziller, the general manager of the Client Connectivity Division at Intel, said that Thunderbolt 5 will be aimed at providing high-speed connectivity to demanding users looking to take advantage of monitors, docks, storage options, and more.
The next-generation connectivity standard will deliver 80 gigabits per second (Gbps) of bi-directional bandwidth, with the Bandwidth Boost technology pushing its capabilities up to 120 Gbps. This jump in bandwidth is three times the currently most powerful connectivity solution. For comparison, Thunderbolt 3/4 is capped at 40 Gbps, which may not be enough for creators running multiple high-resolution monitors. However, with the extra headroom in Thunderbolt 5 (120 Gbps), users will be able to connect multiple 8K displays.
US government to spend $42 billion to make high-speed broadband universal by 2030
Some good news for those living in a broadband dead zone as the US government has announced that it's planning to spend $42 billion across the country's 50 states and territories "to make access to high-speed broadband universal by 2030."
As for areas that will be getting an upgrade, the announcement from the White House notes that it will use the new Federal Communications Commission coverage map detailing gaps in access to broadband. Two of the biggest state in the US, Texas, and California, will receive the most funding - USD 3.1 billion and USD 1.9 billion, respectively.
"It's the biggest investment in high-speed internet ever," President Joe Biden said in a White House address. "Because for today's economy to work for everyone, internet access is just as important as electricity, or water, or other basic services."
YouTube hack lets you store data in videos for unlimited cloud storage
We're now well and truly in the age of cloud storage for backing up files and having readily available access to things like photos and important documents. With that, several gigabytes of cloud data are becoming the norm for most PC users. Microsoft's OneDrive, Dropbox, and Google Drive are big players in this space, though access to cloud storage comes at a price.
But what if you could upload unlimited amounts of compressed and encrypted data and have it accessible on... YouTube? That's precisely what DvorakDwarf has managed to create as part of a "party trick" project called 'Infinite Storage Glitch' (via GitHub) which stores data in video files that can be uploaded to YouTube. An example can be seen above.
Naturally, it's a lot more complicated than that, as the current tool features code written in Rust, which converts data into pixels which are then represented as video. Originally it was going to use the full RGB spectrum, but due to YouTube compression, a binary mode (chunky black and white pixels representing ones and zeroes) was added for more reliable results. Plus, it's limited to Linux.
Continue reading: YouTube hack lets you store data in videos for unlimited cloud storage (full post)