New Products Line-Up Delivers Power, Flexibility and Style
Kensington, a worldwide leader in delivering smart. safe. simple.™ computing accessories, today announced the launch of its USB 3.0 Hubs and Adapters family, its 48W 4-Port USB Charger, and two new Universal Soft Sleeves.
The company’s update from its previous USB 2.0 connectivity line to the faster USB 3.0 addresses industry trends marked by slimmer laptops with fewer ports and wires; a plethora of USB equipment to connect, charge, and sync; and increased use of mobile devices. Additionally, the update includes a new 7-port USB hub and the ability to charge mobile devices.
“With more than 2 billion USB 3.0 devices projected to be in the market by 2015, as well as 100 percent penetration by native 3.0 computers, there is a lot more digital data to transfer like photos, music, and video and more devices to connect,” said Greg Agustin, Global Product Manager, Kensington. “Our USB 3.0 hubs and adapters take care of this significant trend, by providing transfer speeds up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0 and more interfaces to connect.”
And, with the launch of the new 48W 4-Port USB Charger, Kensington introduces a true universal desk charging solution. With PowerWhiz™ technology, the charger automatically detects a device and its specific power needs, creating the correct “handshake” between the device, USB cable, and charging port to deliver a fast and safe charge.
“With 4 in 10 smartphone users having a second mobile device, there’s an increasing need to charge multiple mobile devices simultaneously from the same location,” said Louie Yao, Global Product Manager, Kensington. “The 48W 4-Port USB Charger is the most powerful and compact 4-port USB charger in the market, offering a full-speed charge for each device simultaneously.”
Kensington’s new lineup of USB 3.0 Hubs and Adapters includes:
USB 3.0 4-Port Hub, Model UH4000 — With USB ports on laptops becoming a precious commodity, an external hub can be the answer to optimizing productivity and helping to expand a device’s capabilities. The 4-Port Hub ensures that users can connect all of their USB peripheral desktop accessories, with each of the four ports supporting fast transfer speeds.
USB 3.0 4-Port Hub plus Charging, Model UH4000C — The UH4000C offers the same benefits found in the standard 4-Port Hub, but each of the four ports also double as chargers for mobile devices, providing a convenient way to plug in and keep device batteries topped-off. With 3 AMPs available, users can choose any of the ports to provide a fast charge for a tablet and a smartphone, or other combination of low-power devices. Charging ports are compliant with USB BC 1.2 standard and compatible with BC 1.2 devices such as iPad Air™ and iPad mini. (Users should check their device specs.)
USB 3.0 7-Port Hub plus Charging, Model UH7000C — This 7-Port Hub and Charger ensures that users can connect all of their peripheral desktop accessories to a laptop, as well as quickly charge their smartphone or tablet. Each of the seven ports can support USB 3.0 transfer speeds to allow for more efficient work. The ports also double as chargers with 4 AMPs available, allowing for use of any port to provide a fast charge for up to two tablets, a tablet and a smartphone, or any other combination of low-power devices.
USB 3.0 Ethernet Adapter, Model UA0000E — Many newer laptops do not come with an Ethernet port, leaving users only WiFi to get connected to the Internet. This Ethernet Adapter provides a wired connectivity option with extremely fast Gigabit Ethernet transfer speeds where wireless access isn’t available or if a user has a broken internal network card.
USB 3.0 Ethernet Adapter plus 3-Port Hub, Model UA3000E — The UA3000E offers the same benefits found in the standard Ethernet Adapter, but also includes three USB 3.0 ports for additional device expansion.
Each of the five new USB 3.0 Hubs and Adapters also offers the following features:
- Lightning-fast, gigabit transfer speeds. Using USB 3.0 technology, the 4-Port and 7-Port hubs support transfer speeds up to 5 Gbps, which is 10 times faster than USB 2.0. The Ethernet Adapters offer gigabit transfer speeds (also 10 times faster than USB 2.0) and provide an RJ-45 connector that supports 10/100/1000 BASE-T performance.
- Plug and play operation. The 4-port and 7-port hubs allow users to simply plug the expansion hub into their device, with no need for an additional power source or driver downloads. The Ethernet Adapters require a one-time driver download via WiFi and subsequent installation, and then can be plugged into devices, ready to go.
- Near universal acceptance. The adapters are all compatible with devices running Windows® 8.1/8/7/Vista/XP and Mac OS® X 10.6 or later operating systems.
Kensington’s 48W 4-Port USB Charger allows users to power up to four tablets and smartphones on their desk at the same time using PowerWhiz™Technology. This technology allows almost any device to be plugged into the charger because it automatically recognizes a device and gives it the fastest charge possible while remaining completely circuit safe. Users can mix and match any combination of devices into any of the four USB ports, and each port can carry up to 2.4 AMPs of power to ensure even tablets get a speedy charge. Additionally, the charger only needs a single wall socket to charge device batteries.
The USB 3.0 Hubs and Adapters are available for pre-order today and will be generally available by the end of October. The 48W 4-Port USB Charger is also available for pre-order and will be generally available in November.
Kensington is also launching two new Universal Soft Sleeves that will allow customers to carry their device(s) in style, comfort and ease. Available in both 11” and 14” sizes, the new Universal Soft Sleeves respond to the growing popularity of Chromebook™ and MacBook Air™ as go-to essentials for mobile business professionals. The Kensington Universal Sleeves offer the perfect complement to help carry laptops or tablets, providing a soft layer of protection, with interior fleece lining for an added level of protection against scratches and dings, a reinforced carry handle for easy holding, and an exterior pocket for the convenient storage of accessories.
Notes to editors
About Kensington
Kensington is a leading provider of desktop and mobile device accessories, trusted by IT, educators, business and home office professionals around the world for more than 35 years. Kensington products empower people to dynamically interact with content, creating a better working experience for productive performance. In both office and mobile environments, Kensington’s extensive portfolio of award-winning products provides trusted security, desktop productivity innovations, and ergonomic well-being. Our core competencies in engineering, industrial design, product quality and responsive customer support make Kensington The Professionals’ Choice™.
Headquartered in San Mateo, California, Kensington operates as the technology division of ACCO Brands (NYSE: ACCO), one of the world’s largest designers, marketers and manufacturers of branded business, academic and consumer products, sold in more than 100 countries across the globe.
Kensington is the inventor and worldwide leader in laptop security locks, the acknowledged leader of Trackball innovation and offers a broad range of premium-branded desktop productivity solutions.