New USB/UMPC Technology To Be Demoed at WinHEC

This looks like it will be interesting to follow. PLX Technology will be teaming up with the folks at TabletKiosk and demoing PLX’s USB Duet technology on a UMPC at WinHEC. Supposedly the technology allows devices to connect through a standard USB cable to make file sharing easier. If you’re attending WinHEC, check out the demonstration and let us know what you think.

Read more about it here and here’s a snippet from the press release:

PLX TECHNOLOGY TO DEMONSTRATE INDUSTRY’S FIRST USB DUET-ENABLED UMPC COMPUTERS
Revolutionary USB Duet Provides Ultra-Portable Machines with Fastest, Simplest PC-to-PC Connection

SUNNYVALE, Calif. – May 14, 2007 — PLX Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLXT), the leading global supplier of PCI Express ®, USB and other standard I/O interconnect solutions, today announced it will demonstrate at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) in Los Angeles the industry’s first Ultra-Mobile Personal Computer (UMPC) machines enabled with PLX’s USB Duetâ„¢ technology.

The demonstrations feature USB Duet – a revolutionary cabling technology allowing computers running the Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista operating systems to connect through a standard USB cable — in two applications the technology excels in: video-file sharing and computer docking.

The first demonstration shows a USB Duet-enabled TabletKioskâ„¢ eo TufTabâ„¢ v7112XT UMPC computer connected directly to an Xbox 360 console through a standard USB cable. Because USB Duet allows UMPC machines to appear as simple USB storage devices, such as flash drives (which require no driver installation), the Xbox 360 system automatically detects the v7112XT as a new storage device and easily accesses its shared folder. The high-speed connection – up to 480Mbps — enables full high-definition-quality video to be played back on the Xbox 360 console, and then displayed on an HDTV.

The second demonstration features a v7112XT utilizing USB Duet’s EZ-Dock function, which allows UMPC machines to “dock” to a second PC and share a keyboard, mouse and monitor through a standard USB cable. This demonstration illustrates how USB Duet enables a quick, simple connection between two PCs, while eliminating the need for hundreds dollars worth of hardware.

“As two innovation leaders in their respective markets, TabletKiosk and PLX each are in a unique position to showcase how UMPC and USB can be blended into a powerful, economical and efficient connectivity solution,” said Gail Levy, director of marketing at TabletKiosk. “We’re looking forward to working with PLX in expanding the understanding of the UMPC platform and USB Duet technology among the Windows engineering community.”

USB Duet unleashes the power of Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and serves as an efficient, high-speed alternative to networking computers. With no network switch, hub or router, two or more computers using the technology can transfer data at USB 2.0’s high data rates – ideal for users upgrading to newer computers or using a second PC for extra storage or backup.