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Intel Shows Off First Light Peak Laptop

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the more-bits-please dept.

Barence writes "Intel has provided the first hands-on demonstration of a laptop running its Light Peak technology — an optical interconnect that can transfer data at 10Gbit/sec in both directions — at the company's inaugural European research showcase here in Brussels. Intel has fitted Light Peak into a regular USB cable, with optical fibres running alongside the electrical cabling. Intel provided a visual demonstration of how data is passed through the cable by shining a torch into one end of the cable, with two little dots of light visible to the naked eye at the other end. The demonstration laptop was sending two separate HD video streams to a nearby television screen without any visible lag. The laptop includes a 12mm square chip that converts the optical light into electrical data that the computer understands."

8 of 271 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Server technology? by Microlith · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It's aimed at reducing the number of different cables on your desktop, I believe.

    The initial demo showed an LCD panel, HDD, and at least one other thing running off a single Light Peak chain. Effectively, they want it to replace USB (for data connections), Firewire, eSATA, SATA, SCSI, SAS, DVI, DisplayPort, probably every audio connection you have, Ethernet, and likely more.

  2. Re:Server technology? by h4rr4r · · Score: 1, Interesting

    So only one device gets to talk at a time? Sounds great.

  3. Some concerns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    First, how much would it cost to produce a cable. And, second, how fragile would these cables be? Can you fold them up for storage or transport?

    Are they practical?

  4. Does not replace, it bundles! by chaim79 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Something to remember as you look at this, the LightPeak connection isn't just a connector onto itself, it's also designed to handle all other connector types (eSATA, USB, Firewire, DVI, etc). It's designed to be the one port you plug into your laptop while at the other end a dozen different devices are connected to it, all using different protocols.

    --
    DEMETRIUS: Villain, what hast thou done?
    AARON: Villain, I have done thy mother.
    Shakespeare invents 'your mom'
  5. Re:What do the British call real torches? by Jer · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'd assume they'd call it a "torch" since the reason they use the word "torch" for what we call a "flashlight" is because it's a torch, just one powered by electricity instead of fire. Much like an electric oven in just an oven powered by electricity instead of fire.

    A better question is "why did Americans decide it should be called a 'flashlight' instead of an 'electric torch'"?

  6. What's wrong with 10G optical Ethernet? by Ungrounded+Lightning · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Why a new proprietary optical transport when there are already standards-based transports that do the job just fine?

    Or is this just a cheap, short-range, optical ethernet transceiver with a new connector, cabling system, and optics-integrated interface chip?

    Two fibers would be consistent with using integrated LEDs for transmitters rather than separate lasers and/or using two frequencies to go bi-directional on one fiber. For short range you don't need coherent light or single-mode fiber.

    --
    Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
  7. Re:Server technology? by Khyber · · Score: 2, Interesting

    "However you must also realize that Analog has a fundamental weakness is that it isn't accurate and cannot be copied exactly."

    Which makes digital doubly useless as you then introduce further loss trying to replicate an analog signal, preserve it in a digital format, then re-convert it for output from an analog device (no matter how 'digital' your LCD or Plasma screen claims to be) you are analog and thus it must output in analog.

    Looks like digital is JUST AS LOSSY, especially when the original source is analog.

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  8. Re:What do the British call real torches? by value_added · · Score: 2, Interesting

    From http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/flashlight.htm

    Late in the 19th century, many attempts to devise a portable electric lamp had been made, but the early ones were unsuccessful. Now a common household item, the lowly flashlight was once considered a novel toy. The first flashlight, or electric hand torch, was invented about 1896. Early portable electric lights were called "flash lights" since they would not give a long steady stream of light. The flashlights introduced in 1898 by Conrad Hubert's company, that would later become Eveready, were more trustworthy making Eveready the leading name in flashlights.

    Note that in most other languages, it's called a varation of "lamp" or "lantern".