USB
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a standard to establish communication between a computer and different devices. USB allows high speed connection of peripherals to a computer. Using USB, you can connect devices like mice, keyboards, printers, external drives, digital cameras, mobile phones, and so on. USB also supports Plug-and-Play installation and hot swapping.
Plug-and-Play allows your computer to recognize that a device is plugged in without restarting your computer. Hot swapping allows you to remove and connect different USB devices without restarting your computer.
USB Connectors
Mini USB — A mini-USB connector is a small cable connector which is used in electronic devices primarily used for data connectivity. Devices such as cameras, MP3 players, mobile phones, and so on use Mini USB connector.
Micro USB — A micro-USB connector is smaller than mini-USB connector and allows you to communicate directly amongst the devices without a need for a computer.
USB Standards
USB 3.0 — Referred to as SuperSpeed USB, USB 3.0 is the latest version of the USB standard. It supports data transmission speed of up to 4.8 gbps, which is ten times faster than its predecessor USB 2.0, yet consumes lesser power. USB 3.0 is backward compatible with earlier USB standards such as USB 1.x and USB 2.0.
USB 2.0 — Referred to as Hi-Speed USB, it provides additional bandwidth for multimedia and storage applications. USB 2.0 supports data transmission speed up to forty times faster than USB 1.1.
USB 1.x — Legacy USB standard supporting data transfer speeds up to 11 mbps.
USB PowerShare — The USB PowerShare feature allows you to charge USB devices when the computer is powered off or is in sleep state.
icon indicates that the USB connector supports PowerShare feature.
NOTE:
- Certain USB devices may not charge when the computer is powered off or in sleep state. In such cases, turn on the computer to charge the device.
- If you turn off your computer while charging a USB device, the device stops charging. To continue charging, disconnect the USB device and connect it again.
- Charging through the USB PowerShare feature is automatically disabled when the battery charge reaches 10 %. You can configure this limit using the system setup.
- The USB 3.0 with Power Share has 2 extra contacts on the connector which can provide up to 1000mA (1A) to a device connected to it.