SONNET ANNOUNCES ECHO™ EXPRESS SE THUNDERBOLT™ EXPANSION CHASSIS FOR PCIE CARDS

Value-Priced $399.95 Chassis Enables Users to Connect High-Performance PCIe® Cards to Thunderbolt™-Enabled Computers Without Expansion Slots

IRVINE, CA—July 31, 2012—Sonnet today announced that it added another model to its popular Echo™ family of Thunderbolt™ expansion chassis for PCIe cards, the Echo Express SE. The new, lower cost device enables the use of a wide variety of high-performance PCIe adapter cards, originally designed for use in desktop computers, with any computer equipped with a Thunderbolt port.

The Echo Express SE was designed for users needing a simple way to connect an adapter card to their computer, and supports the majority of Thunderbolt-compatible PCIe cards. Weighing in at just 2.4 pounds and measuring just 5.7 inches wide by 8.8 inches long by 2.9 inches tall, the SE is lighter and more compact than its siblings, yet it still provides great protection for the card with its rugged aluminum case. The new chassis supports a single half-length (up to 6.5 inches long), full-height, single-width, x8 PCIe 2.0 card and ships with an external 60W power supply. Like the other Echo Express expansion chassis, the SE has dual Thunderbolt ports to support daisy chaining of devices, and features a temperature-controlled fan to help keep hot-running cards cool; when not needed, the fan slows down to a whisper. The SE also conserves energy by powering on and off with the computer to which it’s attached.

The Echo Express SE enables the use of Thunderbolt-compatible professional video capture, audio interface, SAS and SATA HBA, 8Gb Fibre Channel, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and RAID controller cards with iMac®, Mac® mini, MacBook® Air, and MacBook Pro computers equipped with a Thunderbolt port. The list of compatible cards is available on Sonnet’s website, and is continually expanding as more cards are tested and certified. Like the other models in the Echo Express family, the SE was designed, engineered, and built by Sonnet in California.

“More compact than the Echo Express and Echo Express Pro, the Echo Express SE is ideal for use with half-length and single-width PCIe cards, and is priced even more affordably,” said Robert Farnsworth, CEO of Sonnet Technologies. “More users than ever can take advantage of the groundbreaking performance of Thunderbolt technology using Sonnet’s Thunderbolt expansion chassis for PCIe cards.”

The Echo Express SE (part number ECHO-EXP-SE) is available now for USD $399.95. More information on the product and compatible PCIe expansion cards is available at www.sonnettech.com/product/echoexpressse.html.

More information on Sonnet and its other products is available at www.sonnettech.com.

About Sonnet Technologies

Sonnet Technologies Inc. is a leader in providing storage systems, media readers, expansion cards, and Thunderbolt™ technology PCIe expansion products for professional users of Mac®, Windows®, and UNIX® systems in the film, video, and broadcast industries. Sonnet’s line of Thunderbolt expansion products enables the use of video capture and editing, audio interface, RAID controller, and other high-performance PCIe cards with mini, portable, and all-in-one computers. The company’s storage product line features a range of high-performance, cost-effective, and reliable desktop and rackmount RAID storage solutions ranging from two- and four-drive portable units, to eight- and 16-drive desktop attached storage with advanced RAID controllers, to 16-drive, 16-port, 8Gb Fibre Channel shared storage systems that are expandable to 384TB. Celebrating 27 years in business, Sonnet has pioneered and brought to market numerous innovative solutions that enhance the performance and connectivity of Mac, Windows, and other industry-standard computers.

More information on Sonnet and its products is available at www.sonnettech.com.