YNOT – SuperSpeed USB 3.0 was demonstrated at the recent 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and according to observers the next generation of the plug-and-play peripheral specification is both faster and more power-efficient than its progenitors.It’s also already available in at least 17 USB 3.0-certified consumer products that bowed at CES. Hewlett-Packard debuted new desktop and laptop computers that embrace the standard. Also filtering into the market are USB 3.0-certified motherboards by Asus and others and adapter cards and cables that allow existing desktops and laptops to interface with USB 3.0 products. Both Seagate and Western Digital have released external hard drives that come complete with a card making Hi-Speed USB 2.0 ports compatible with new USB 3.0 equipment. Laptop users can find plug-in ExpressCards to upgrade their ports.

It’s important to note that USB 3.0 devices attached to USB 2.0 ports will function only at USB 2.0 speeds and power-consumption levels.

Theoretically, USB 3.0 provides 5Gbps in throughput speeds — a 10x leap over its predecessor. How well the new standard performs in the real world depends upon a number of factors, though, including system configuration and limitations built into physical equipment. Still, from demonstrations at CES, observers concluded USB 3.0 will be a boon for high-definition video, music and imaging applications.

“SuperSpeed USB is an incredible advancement of the USB technology that consumers know and love,” USB Implementers Forum President Jeff Ravencraft told a CES audience.

Those who charge peripherals like cell phones via a USB port will appreciate an increase in charging speed, as well. USB 3.0 ramps up that process from the 500 mAh in USB 2.0 to 900 mAh — while reducing power consumption at the source.

USB 3.0 “uses one-third of the power it would take on USB 2.0,” Ravencraft told CNET.

Ravencraft warned consumers to look for the USB-IF’s “SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Certified” label in order to ensure devices and interfaces live up to the claims manufacturers make about backward-compatibility and speed. The forum’s testing labs are backlogged right now with new products seeking certification, he noted, so some manufacturers plan to release products pre-testing rather than wait for certification that may not come until the end of the year.

“To claim you’re USB 3.0, you have to deliver 5Gbps,” he told PC World. “There’s no other way to get the certification.”