ExpressCard

ExpressCard is a hardware interface standard for removable peripheral cards in computers. It carries PCI Express or USB signals over compact cards and host slots.

PCI Express: A high-speed serial interface standard that connects devices to a computer through point-to-point links. ExpressCard can carry PCI Express signaling for peripherals needing a direct high-speed connection.
Mobile broadband modem: A modem that connects a computer to a cellular data network. ExpressCard modems gave laptops mobile internet access through cellular networks.
Personal Computer Memory Card International Association: An industry association that developed standards for PC Cards and portable-computer expansion. PCMCIA developed the PC Card lineage that ExpressCard was designed to succeed.
Thunderbolt: A hardware interface that carries PCI Express and DisplayPort signals over a single connection. Thunderbolt later offered a faster, more versatile route for external peripherals.
USB: A standard for connecting peripherals and transferring data and power between devices. ExpressCard can carry USB signaling, allowing compatible cards to act as USB peripherals.
External graphics card: A graphics processor housed outside a computer and connected through an external interface. Some ExpressCard adapters connected laptops to desktop-class graphics hardware, with substantial bandwidth limits.
PC Card: A family of credit-card-sized expansion-card standards for portable computers, including PCMCIA cards. ExpressCard was introduced as a successor to this established laptop card format.
USB-C: A reversible connector specification used for USB and other high-speed interfaces. USB-C helped make dedicated laptop expansion-card slots less necessary.
PCI ExpressCard Standard: The PCI-SIG specification defining ExpressCard modules, slots, and their electrical and mechanical interfaces. This specification defines how ExpressCard modules fit and communicate with host computers.
FireWire: A serial interface standard for transferring data between computers and peripherals. ExpressCard adapters added FireWire ports to laptops that lacked them.

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