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We'd never trade our high-octane Core i7 desktop for a wimpy Atom-based netbook, but let's face it, we're living in an increasingly mobile world. And thanks to falling prices, we no longer have to choose one over the other. Serviceable laptops with sizable 17-inch screens can be found for well under a grand, and if you're only interested in basic functionality, you can pick up a netbook for roughly the same price as a mid-range smartphone, sans contract. But whether we're lugging around a desktop replacement or a glorified web browsing machine, one thing almost all laptops have in common is a deficiency in USB ports.
Looking to stop the madness, Rosewill recently introduced a 4-port high-speed USB 2.0 ExpressCard. That's enough to more than double up on the 3-USB ports that adorn our Gateway P-7811FX gaming laptop, and because it uses the ExpressCard/34 form factor, you should have no trouble plugging one into just about any modern notebook. But will you end up trading performance for convenience?
Specifications
| Model | RC-11 |
| Type | USB ExpressCard |
| Standards | USB 2.0 |
| Data Rates | 480/12/1.5 Mbps |
| USB | 4 x USB 2.0 |
| OS Support | Windows 2000 / XP / Server 2003 / Vista |
For those that are into such things, let's quickly go over the geeky underlying tech that comprises the RC-611. Rosewill says its ExpressCard is built around NEC's uPD720114 chipset. For those of you not familiar with what that means (and our condolences on your dating life if you do happen to know the intricacies of this chipset), the NEC chipset provides integrated overcurrent protection, suports up to 4 downstream USB ports, and is capable of automatically detecting the upstream port speed. Hey, we got bored just typing this, so let's move on.