Thunderbolt came out last year, now it’s time for the nifty peripherals.
Per Engadget, Belkin is showing off new upgrades to its Thunderbolt Express Dock even before it’s hit store shelves. The new upgrade brings three USB 3.0 ports, ditching the aging USB 2.0 ports that were shown off in the version at this year’s CES. An eSata port was also added, bringing a significant US$100 price hike on the updated version, making it US$399.
Overall, the Thunderbolt Express Dock features 3 USB 3.0 ports, 1 FireWire 800 port, 1 Gigabit Ethernet port, 1 eSata port, 1 3.5mm-out port, 1 3.5mm-in port, 2 Thunderbolt ports (1 upstream, 1 downstream for daisy-chaining up to 6 additional Thunderbolt devices), and a MiniDP to HDMI Adapter. Additionally, Belkin announced a US$44.99 Thunderbolt cable that is 3-feet long and can daisy chain up to six devices. Yesterday, Matrox announced a Thunderbolt dock priced at US$249, and while it doesn’t have as many ports, it is a lot cheaper — and looks more retro.
Perhaps most importantly, Belkin also offers another Thunderbolt port so you can daisy chain up-to six more Thunderbolt parts to your rig. The Dock launches in September, while the cable launches in July.
In other Thunderbolt news, Drobo has teased new Thunderbolt-powered arrays that are set to be shown off at this year’s Computex. With Thunderbolt, Drobo says it has the “potential to provide a 10x increase in performance.”
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.