Thunderbolt technology is amazing-the speed (up to 10Gb/s) and versatility (supporting high-resolution displays plus high-performance data devices through a single, compact port) make it clear that this is the next generation I/O technology, available today. But what about connecting existing FireWire® and eSATA peripherals, as well as high speed memory cards? Sonnet's Echo ExpressCard/34 Thunderbolt Adapters expand Thunderbolt connectivity to support more than just storage systems and monitors. This Sonnet adapter adds an ExpressCard/34 slot to any computer to which it's connected, enabling you to use a wide variety of ExpressCard/34 cards to add a range of interfaces and capabilities to your system. Plus, it's the fastest, least expensive SxS™ memory card reader available!

Imagine adding more FireWire ports or an eSATA interface through a single Thunderbolt adapter. These card adapters allow you to choose your connections and add more to your setup. Because these adapters support hot-swapping, you can select and change the ExpressCard to use as needed-they supports most Sonnet ExpressCard/34 cards (with a PCI Express interface), such as our FireWire interfaces, CompactFlash® and SDXC™ card readers, select eSATA controllers, and interface cards for our Qio™ CF4 and Qio E3 pro media readers. They also support specialty adapters like RME's HDSPe ExpressCard, plus interface cards for the AJA® io Express and the Matrox® MX02 family. Support for Sony® SxS memory cards simply requires the installation of Sony's latest SxS driver*.

Set up for these Sonnet adapters is simple-just connect one directly to your computer or at the end of a Thunderbolt device chain with a Thunderbolt cable (not included, sold at the Apple Store)-that's it. There's no software to install and no power supply to plug in. Plug the ExpressCard/34 card or SxS memory card into the Echo ExpressCard/34 Thunderbolt Adapter as you would into a notebook computer's ExpressCard slot, install software for the adapter if necessary, and you are ready to work.