本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛Before buying a new computer, get to know USB, 1394 ports
By Sam Diaz
Mercury News
Once upon a time the USB port on a personal computer required little, if any, thought.
But in today's digital age -- as in digital music, photos and video -- understanding USB and 1394 ports is a bit more complex.
The open-slot ports -- which connect external devices such as digital cameras, external hard drives and MP3 players to the computer -- are new and improved both in transfer speeds and physical location on the PC.
And that leads to some important things that every consumer should know before buying a new computer.
USB, an acronym for Universal Serial Bus, comes in two versions: USB 1.1 and USB 2.0. IEEE 1394, the official tech name used by engineers, has aliases: Apple Computer, which invented it, calls its FireWire; Sony calls it iLink.
USB 1.1 transfers data from the external device to the computer at a rate of 12 megabits per second, which is OK for documents and other small files. USB 2.0 -- sometimes referred to as Hi-Speed USB -- transfers data at a rate of 480 mbps.
USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 are backward-compatible, which means that a USB 2.0 product plugged into a USB 1.1 port will work, but it will only transfer the data at the slower speed.
IEEE 1394 transfers data at a rate of 400 mbps, a nice speed for moving video files. That's why video-friendly Apple made FireWire a Mac standard years ago.
A new version of FireWire -- with a transfer speed of 800 mbps -- is coming soon.
So how do you know what you need and where you need it?
If you're using a digital camcorder, you'll want to make sure the machine comes with a FireWire port. FireWire is the preferred method of transferring video, though USB 2.0 can also handle it. If you're thinking about buying a Mac, there's no reason to ask -- the FireWire port will be there. If you're looking at a Windows PC, you should probably ask. On many entry-level PCs -- including the low-end Dell computers that are offered at rock-bottom prices -- the 1394 port won't be there.
USB 2.0 ports are becoming the standard on the PC, largely because of the compatibility issue. And PC makers are throwing plenty of them on a basic unit.
But in our opinion, the number of ports isn't nearly as important as their location -- at least for desktop PCs.
Ideally, each desktop tower should come with at least two USB -- and maybe even one FireWire -- ports somewhere in the front.
No one wants to crawl under a desk with a flashlight, pushing aside all of those cords to find the open ports just to plug in a digital camera or MP3 player.
Whether syncing a handheld computer, exporting music tracks to an MP3 player or importing photos from the digital camera, you'll want to understand USB and 1394 technology.
It's not that difficult to understand. And it will make your experience on the computer less frustrating in the long run.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
By Sam Diaz
Mercury News
Once upon a time the USB port on a personal computer required little, if any, thought.
But in today's digital age -- as in digital music, photos and video -- understanding USB and 1394 ports is a bit more complex.
The open-slot ports -- which connect external devices such as digital cameras, external hard drives and MP3 players to the computer -- are new and improved both in transfer speeds and physical location on the PC.
And that leads to some important things that every consumer should know before buying a new computer.
USB, an acronym for Universal Serial Bus, comes in two versions: USB 1.1 and USB 2.0. IEEE 1394, the official tech name used by engineers, has aliases: Apple Computer, which invented it, calls its FireWire; Sony calls it iLink.
USB 1.1 transfers data from the external device to the computer at a rate of 12 megabits per second, which is OK for documents and other small files. USB 2.0 -- sometimes referred to as Hi-Speed USB -- transfers data at a rate of 480 mbps.
USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 are backward-compatible, which means that a USB 2.0 product plugged into a USB 1.1 port will work, but it will only transfer the data at the slower speed.
IEEE 1394 transfers data at a rate of 400 mbps, a nice speed for moving video files. That's why video-friendly Apple made FireWire a Mac standard years ago.
A new version of FireWire -- with a transfer speed of 800 mbps -- is coming soon.
So how do you know what you need and where you need it?
If you're using a digital camcorder, you'll want to make sure the machine comes with a FireWire port. FireWire is the preferred method of transferring video, though USB 2.0 can also handle it. If you're thinking about buying a Mac, there's no reason to ask -- the FireWire port will be there. If you're looking at a Windows PC, you should probably ask. On many entry-level PCs -- including the low-end Dell computers that are offered at rock-bottom prices -- the 1394 port won't be there.
USB 2.0 ports are becoming the standard on the PC, largely because of the compatibility issue. And PC makers are throwing plenty of them on a basic unit.
But in our opinion, the number of ports isn't nearly as important as their location -- at least for desktop PCs.
Ideally, each desktop tower should come with at least two USB -- and maybe even one FireWire -- ports somewhere in the front.
No one wants to crawl under a desk with a flashlight, pushing aside all of those cords to find the open ports just to plug in a digital camera or MP3 player.
Whether syncing a handheld computer, exporting music tracks to an MP3 player or importing photos from the digital camera, you'll want to understand USB and 1394 technology.
It's not that difficult to understand. And it will make your experience on the computer less frustrating in the long run.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net