Articles about Plugable

If you have a laptop with Thunderbolt 3, and you like to use the computer as a makeshift desktop, a docking station is a must-buy. Whether you own a Mac or Windows 10 notebook with TB3, one of these docks can transform your portable computer into a powerful and useful desk-based workstation. A single wire from the docking station to the computer will provide you with numerous ports, plus charging. It is immensely convenient to plug in one cable and immediately have access to a mouse, keyboard, large monitor, etc.

There are many Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C docks on the market these days, but thanks to the Intel Titan Ridge chipset, there are now models that can accommodate both of those connectivity options (such as this one from StarTech). Plugable has a new such model, and it looks incredible. It has one big feature that many other docks are lacking -- an SD card reader on the front. Taking it a step further, it even has a dedicated micro SD card port! That is very cool, as it means you can read the smaller card without the need of an adapter.

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Thunderbolt 3 is excellent technology -- it is fast and allows laptop users to expand the capabilities of their computers. For instance, you could add a TB3 docking station to gain additional ports, or an external GPU enclosure to add a desktop-class graphics card. So, yeah, Thunderbolt 3 rules.

Unfortunately, to get the full performance of Thunderbolt 3, it usually means using a very short cable, like 0.5m. While longer cables are available, they often provide slower transfer speeds (20Gbps) rather than the faster 40Gbps that TB3 can theoretically achieve. Not to mention, longer cables usually provide lesser charging power. Sure, there are some longer cables that provide top charging and data speeds, such as this 0.8m one from Apple, but as you can see, at $40, it is quite expensive. Today, Plugable launches a new cable (TBT3-40G80CM) that matches the performance of Apple's cable but at much more affordable price!

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So, let's have a quick geometry lesson, OK? A cube is a six-sided 3D object where all sides are exactly the same size. Think of the Rubik's cube, for instance, or a common six-sided die. This should be common knowledge to most folks, and even without measuring, people can typically look at a box and recognize if it is a cube.

That's why it is so puzzling that Plugable's latest USB-C docking station is called "Cube." The dimensions of the dock (model UD-Cube) are 6.4 x 5.8 x 3.5 cm. Not even close to having all sides be equal! Oh well. Misnomer aside, the diminutive device looks rather impressive -- it is quite remarkable to see all of these ports crammed into a tiny docking station. While Cube isn't necessarily designed for mobile use, the charger and the dock are both small enough to fit into a bag without issue -- you can take it on the go.

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Plugable is a company that I respect very much. I have been buying its products for many years from Amazon. Historically, its offerings have been reliable, affordable, and extremely useful. Whether it be USB hubs, dongles, adapters, or docking stations, you can typically rely on receiving a quality product. I'm sure many computer nerds like myself have purchased a Plugable product at some point in their lifetime.

Today, Plugable announces a new product that falls outside its usual focus -- a gaming headset. Called "HS53 Performance Onyx Gaming Headset," the over-ear headset has a brushed aluminum frame and features a beautiful textured black design. Despite the use of memory foam for both the headband and sealed earcups, the company claims your ears and head should both remain cool -- not hot and sweaty.

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