Samsung pops USB 3.0 drives, WiFi camera at CES

Samsung USB 3.0 drives

Smartphones and tablets may be the early buzz darlings of this year's Consumer Electronics Show, but no one should forget USB 3.0. This afternoon, Samsung reminded me in a press release about new USB 3.0 drives it's popping this week.

Three drive lines -- two of which are portable -- will be available. Portable drive colors: Onyx black, Sapphire blue and Coral pink, with capacities up to 1TB. The new desktop drive comes in 1, 1.5 and 2TB capacities.

As is typical of CES, what's announced in January often isn't available for many months. Samsung says the new drives won't be available until April. Considering most PCs still pack USB 2.0 ports, waiting won't much hurt Samsung or potential buyers. Samsung didn't release pricing, which will be announced around the time the drives ship.

Future-proofing is really the only reason to be a USB 3.0 early adopter. The drives are backward compatible with USB 2.0, but the cables aren't (don't lose it, bud!). My last external drive purchase, in November, was a LaCie USB 3.0 portable drive. I can't use the full capabilities now, but I'm ready for when USB 3.0 starts making its way into PCs.

USB 2.0's theoretical maximum throughput is 60 MB/second. USB 3.0 promises up to 5 GB/per second. Oh, yeah.

Perhaps sexier than the new drives: Samsung's SH100 compact digital camera, which also was announced today. As a photo enthusiast, I look askance at the tiny image sensor (7.76mm CCD) and f/4.7 lens. But, hey, the SH100 has got WiFi and connects with Samsung Galaxy S Android-powered smartphones. The handset can view photos in real time from the camera and even act as a remote control. Get this: The phone will geotag photos taken remotely.

Forgive my chuckling at Samsung's expense. From the press release: "If you're shooting over a crowd at a concert, you can enable the Remote Viewfinder function, meaning that you can hold your camera high over your head while you see a preview of the picture in real time on your phone screen." Oh, yeah, like anyone can realistically do that from the mosh pit.

Still, the camera is chock full of features and costs just 200 bucks. Then there are the extra benefits for the 10 million-plus Galaxy S owners.

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