ExpressCard 2.0: All You Ever Wanted To Know

Today we got wind from CeBIT that PCMCIA is going to be updating ExpressCard to version 2.0. The port standard, developed by the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA), is better known as the small slot on the right or left side of most laptops that’s used as an accessory plug. ExpressCard modules are made for Wi-Fi cards, mobile broadband cards, extra USB 2.0 ports, and even for adding external displays. So we jumped on the phone with Manny Pitta, the marketing chairman of PCMCIA, live from Germany, to get a better understanding of how the new changes will benefit a market that’s saturated with ExpressCard ports.

What is ExpressCard today?
“Right now, we’re seeing that most consumer notebooks are shipping with ExpressCard slots exclusively. We’ve come a long way in our transition from CardBus. We’re also seeing ExpressCard modules available for virtually every application. ExpressCard is even being used to provide legacy ports, ranging from serial, parallel, to extra USB ports. It’s used across all applications.”

How does ExpressCard work?
“The underlying technology of ExpressCard uses the PCI Express bus and the USB 2.0 bus that are wired directly to the chipset; USB-IF and PCI-SIG. Current accessories use both. We’re following the speed improvements in both of those bus technologies to deliver faster speeds with ExpressCard 2.0.”

So what’s the deal here? What kind of benefit is the average consumer going to see from an upgraded slot in the side of their computer?
“We’re doubling the speed of the PCI Express bus, which means a 2X bandwidth performance increase for modules from 2.5 Gbps to 5 Gbps. With USB, we’re going from USB 2.0 to the new super speedy USB 3.0, which will offer a near 10X improvement in data speeds.”

I just bought a new laptop. Please tell me this isn’t going to require me to shell out more money.
“It won’t. ExpressCard 2.0 has the same design, same look, and same form factor as ExpressCard 1.0. Better yet, it’s fully backwards compatible. ExpressCard 2.0 modules will work in today’s host systems and today’s modules will work in tomorrow’s host systems.

What kind of products are going to take advantage of the increased data transfer speeds?
“Future enhancements in SATA external hard drives will definitely take advantage of the new speeds. Emerging solid state drives from Sony and SanDisk. Photographers that like to fill up high capacity storage devices, like compact flash memory, will be able to transfer pictures faster. Anything that requires a lot of bandwidth will see a benefit.”

When will ExpressCard 2.0 be available?
“It will be published later this year, possibly early next. We anticipate starting to see it in notebooks in 2010; that’s when the volume rollout will occur. Some notebooks will implement it sooner, but the underlying technologies will be available in the 2010 generations.”