Articles about USB-C

Last year, we told you about Plugable's second generation USBC-VAMETER -- a dongle with an OLED screen that can monitor USB-C voltage and amperage. The second gen variant was similar to the original, but it added a rotatable screen orientation -- a very welcome addition.

Today, Plugable launches the third generation of its useful dongle. Called "USBC-VAMETER3," it has the same rotatable screen technology found on gen 2, but it gets some power upgrades. The third gen model now supports 48V (4.5V-50V) compared to 20V (4V-20V) on the gen 2 model. The third generation variant also supports 240W compared to just 100W on its predecessor.

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Do you need a USB charging adapter for your many devices? If so, you should probably invest in a GaN charger these days. If you aren't familiar, these chargers use a special technology that allows then to efficiently output high wattages of power while retaining a pretty small footprint. Depending on the model, you may be able to charge both your laptop and smartphone using the same diminutive charger.

Today, Anker launches a whole family of new GaN charging products under its "GaNPrime" branding. The product line consists of a diverse group of products that offer varying wattages and connection types (USB-A, USB-C, and AC). In other words, there should be at least one product to meet your needs.

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Hey, storage fans! If you get excited by new external solid state drives like I do, then today, you are in for a real treat. Transcend has decided to launch a new USB-C SSD that offers a unique combination of good looks, durability, and speedy performance.

Called "ESD380C," the portable solid state drive features a USB-C port on its body, but it comes with both a USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A cable in the box for maximum compatibility. Thanks to its USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 interface, the SSD can achieve impressive read and write speeds of up to 2,000 MB/s. While the drive features an aluminum body, it is covered in rubber for enhanced durability.

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According to Plugable, its UD-ULTC4K USB-C 4K Triple Display Docking Station has been wildly popular. While the company has not shared sales numbers, it has apparently sold many of these docks since it launched back in 2017. This doesn't surprise me, as Plugable products are consistently great.

Since it has been five years since the UD-ULTC4K launched, Plugable though it was time to refresh it, so it has done exactly that -- while confusingly keeping the exact same product name. The biggest change is the inclusion of six video outputs -- three HDMI and three DisplayPort -- of which three can be used simultaneously. You also get 100W Power Delivery, meaning this dock can quickly charge up any laptop with USB-C PD. My favorite addition, however, is the SD card reader.

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Not all products need to be exciting. Sometimes, a device can just serve to accomplish a task without wowing anybody. Take the all new Monoprice 5-in-1 USB-C to 4K HDMI Display Adapter and USB Hub, for instance. There are countless products like it, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't check it out. Why? Because while it is not exciting, it is very affordable.

As the name implies, Monoprice's new offering pulls double-duty as a USB hub and display adapter. It will turn one USB-C port on your computer into three USB-A ports and one HDMI port. The video output supports resolutions up to 4K@60 (depending on your computer's USB-C port). And yes, it has a USB-C port for pass-through power delivery -- it can handle up to 100W.

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USB-C is now all-but ubiquitous as a connection and charger type for everything from smartphones and webcams to laptops and Bluetooth speakers. There are some notable exceptions, of course, not least of which is Apple's iPhone.

Although just about every Android phone has made the switch to USB-C, Apple has decided to doggedly hang on to its proprietary Lightning connector for the iPhone. But the EU could soon force the company's hand as it moves towards implementing a legal requirement for all phones to have USB-C port in Europe.

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Anyone can become a YouTuber or Twitch streamer, but not everyone can become rich and famous from doing it. Many young folks have big dreams about becoming the next big video-game-streaming star, but sadly, that is not at all likely. And so, if you are passionate about streaming yourself playing video games, it would be wise to simply do it for fun -- forget about money. Look, if you get fame and fortune from the hobby, just consider it an added bonus.

While streaming yourself playing PC games is incredibly easy, what if you would rather do it with a console (such PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, or Nintendo Switch) while also sharing your PC webcam? Ah, that is a bit more tough. For this, you will need an HDMI capture card. While PCIe variants do exist for desktops, there is a much simpler route -- USB. Yes, an external capture card is easier to install and works with both desktops and laptops.

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How do you make a portable SSD a "gaming" drive? Just add RGB lighting, of course! Today, Lexar launches a new solid state drive that it claims is designed for gaming. Is that just marketing? Yes and no. Called "SL660 BLAZE," the USB 3.2 Gen2x2 SSD features RGB lighting and comes with a really cool stand to prop it up. While the drive itself has a USB-C connector, it comes with both a USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A cable in the box.

Besides the RGB lighting gimmick (which is very cool), the SL660 BLAZE actually can benefit gamers that need to store games on both PC and console. The drive offers respectable read speeds of up to 2,000MB/s and write speeds of up to 1,900MB/s. Of course, the drive can be used by anyone that wants a fast and attractive SSD -- it isn't just limited to gaming.

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Solid state drives don't just make wonderful internal boot drives for computers -- they're excellent for external storage too. Not only are they smaller than mechanical hard disk drives, but they use less power and are much faster as well. Quite frankly, if you are someone that needs to transport data on a portable drive, you'd be insane to still use a HDD with moving parts.

But what if you lose that external solid state drive? Well, if the content is unencrypted, your files could be exposed to the finder. This is particularly problematic for business users that are storing company secrets or private customer data. Thankfully, a new USB-C solid state drive from Kingston makes it super easy to encrypt and decrypt your data. You see, the VP80ES IronKey Vault Privacy 80 is a hardware-encrypted (FIPS 197 certified with XTS-AES 256-bit) SSD with a color touchscreen that allows you to enter a passcode, password, pin, or phrase.

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Everybody loves USB flash drives, so it's a good thing there's no shortage of them on the market. If you want a flash drive, you can absolutely find one in stores -- unlike baby formula. There are many makes and models of USB flash drives with various capacities and transfer speeds, but of course, not all of them are of good quality.

With all of that said, only one flash drive can truly be the coolest ever. Today, OWC launches a drive that could be the one. Called "Envoy Pro mini," it is a tiny portable SSD that offers both USB-C and USB-A connectivity. In other words, the high-quality drive will work with pretty much any computer. Best of all, the beautifully engineered USB drive looks to be built like a tank and offers very impressive performance of up to 946MB/s!

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While solid state drives make wonderful internal boot drives for computers, they are also great options for external storage. Not only are SSDs much smaller than mechanical hard disk drives, but they use less power and are much faster too.

Today, PNY launches its latest external solid state drive, and it is both beautiful and fast. Called "Pro Elite V2," this diminutive USB-C SSD uses the USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 interface to achieve speeds up to 1,100 MB/s!

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Solid state drives make wonderful internal boot drives for computers, but they are great options for external storage too. Not only are they smaller than mechanical hard disk drives, but they use less power and are much quicker as well. Quite frankly, if you are someone that needs to transport data on a portable drive, you'd be crazy to still use a HDD with moving parts.

Today, ADATA launches its latest portable solid state drive. Called "ELITE SE880," the tiny SSD offers very fast speeds thanks to its USB 3.2 Gen2 x2 interface. The drive has a USB-C port and ships with both a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-A cable. In other words, it can be used with any modern computer -- whether it has a USB Type-C port or not.

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Believe it or not, some modern desktop computers don't have any USB-C ports, and for those that do, many only have one or two of the ports. Thankfully, if you have a free PCIe slot in your machine, you can easily add more.

A new card from Sonnet takes adding USB-C ports to another level. Called "Allegra Pro," it offers an impressive eight external Type-C ports all running at USB 3.2 Gen 2 speed (10Gbps).

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All USB and Thunderbolt cables are not created equally. Since these cables can carry both power and data, it can be quite foolish (and potentially dangerous) to choose one that is low-quality. The problem, however, is it can be hard to know which cables on the market are worth your time. You see, a higher price does not necessarily mean a cable is of good quality or safe to use.

OWC is aiming to solve this dilemma by releasing a premium Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C cable on which consumers can fully depend. In other words, you will be able to buy this cable and be confident that it meets all specifications and certifications. In fact, it is certified for up to 8K video, up to 100 watts power delivery, and up to 40Gb/s data transfer. Yeah, this a very nice cable, folks!

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So, you just took a bunch of photos with your camera and now it is time to transfer the pics to your computer, eh? OK, just remove the storage card from your camera and insert it directly into your computer. What? You can't do that? Oh, that's right -- many computer manufacturers are no longer including integrated card readers these days. Ugh. I guess those photos will be stuck on the card forever, right?

Actually, no. You can simply connect an external card reader to your computer to transfer those photos (or other file types). Today, Lexar launches its latest such reader. Called "Professional USB-C Dual-Slot Reader," it connects with (you guessed it) USB Type-C and is compatible with both SD and microSD cards.

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