Articles about USB Type-C

While USB-C is not yet a must-have, it is certainly a great feature to have on any computer. The reversible standard can act as a single port for expansion, making extremely thin laptop and tablet designs possible. In other words, having big integrated legacy ports like Ethernet or USB Type-A aren't really needed, thanks to useful dongles.

Today, SMK-Link Electronics announces a beautiful such expansion dongle that acts as a docking station for Windows 10 and macOS. A single Type-C port on your computer (such as on the Apple MacBook or Huawei MateBook) can be transformed into something much more.

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It feels like everything charges by USB nowadays. I suppose that's because a lot of things do -- well, most mobile devices at least. It is actually very cool that regardless of your smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, or something else, you can probably utilize a USB charger.

The problem? Wall outlets can fill up quickly. In a big family, this can lead to fighting. Even if you utilize a power strip, it can be a huge eyesore. Luckily, there are a lot of multi-port USB chargers nowadays. These turn a single wall outlet into a neat-looking powerful charging hub. Today, Satechi announces one that stands out. You see, rather than just offer USB Type-A ports, the 60w Multi-Port USB Charging Station has USB Type-C too. In other words, it is more versatile, and more "future proof" compared to its competitors.

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As an iPhone owner, I enjoy driving along in my car and listening to Apple Music. If my smartphone battery starts to drain, I don't panic -- I just grab my Lightning cable car charger and top off the juice. Where some people run into problems, however, is when they have someone else in their car. If their car only has one cigarette lighter, they cannot simultaneously leverage an additional charger for additional devices.

Luckily, I own a brilliant multi-port car charger from VisionTek -- that I highly recommend -- allowing me to share the single port with others. Unfortunately, that charger does not offer USB Type-C, the popular standard of the moment. If you need a charger that offers both Type-A and Type-C, Satechi now has you covered. The company's svelte offering can handle both connector types simultaneously, while taking up very little real estate in your car.

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Even though the cloud is all the rage nowadays, flash drives are still pretty useful. If you need to install a Windows 10 or Ubuntu ISO, for instance, the little USB drives are much faster than optical media. Not to mention, with USB Type-C, flash drives can be easily mounted on both desktop and mobile operating systems -- depending on ports, of course.

Today, SanDisk releases the Ultra Dual Drive USB Type-C flash drive. The retractable Type-C drive also offers a Type-A connector, making it future-proof while also supporting older devices. Although not the first drive to offer dual connectors, it is certainly one of the more elegant options.

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If you purchased Apple's newest MacBook, congratulations -- you own a really cool svelte machine. While a bit under-powered, for some people -- depending on their needs -- it is a solid, albeit expensive, choice. Unfortunately, while its USB Type-C port is quite modern, it is the only port on the machine (other than a 3.5mm audio jack). This is problematic, as you cannot charge the laptop while utilizing USB accessories.

The way around this limitation, however, are USB hubs which also pass-through power. Today, Plugable announces a new product that takes this concept a step further. Its new UD-CA1 is a USB Type-C universal charging docking station, capable of outputting 4K video. It is a full-fledged single-cable docking solution for not only Apple's MacBook, but Windows and Linux machines with USB Type-C too -- including Chrome OS. When combined with a display, keyboard, and mouse, the Plugable UD-CA1 will turn the laptop into a powerful desktop workstation.

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Nowadays, many computers have paltry amounts of storage. Why? Solid state drives carry a higher cost per gigabyte, meaning these faster SSDs are usually lower-capacity for cost-savings. With the emergence of the cloud, this might be OK for many home and business users.

If you need more local storage, an external hard drive is a great way to get it. Not only are these drives convenient, but versatile too. But what if you need a lot of storage -- more than the typical single, double, triple, or even quadruple bay solution? LaCie has you covered. Its all-new '12big' raid unit has a mind-boggling 12 bays, and can accommodate up to 96 terabytes. It even utilizes the super-fast Thunderbolt 3 interface, making it perfect for professional use too.

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USB Type-C products that are non standard compliant can be so dangerous that the USB 3.0 Promoter Group has introduced an Authentication protocol, to enable smartphones, laptops and other types of devices to detect out of spec USB Type-C cables and chargers.

The "authenticity" of the cable or charger will be determined "right at the moment a wired connection is made -- before inappropriate power or data can be transferred", so, for instance, there will be no risk of damaging your phone when you plug in a bad cable to charge it.

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Many times in life, we must make decisions. Often, there can be two paths -- both with pros and cons. Ultimately, we must make a choice, potentially making a sacrifice.

A good example of this is USB hard drives. "Laptop" variants, at 2.5 inch, can be powered by USB bus, while "desktop" models, at 3.5 inch, need a dedicated power cable. When it comes to capacity, however, the desktop variants offer more. Ultimately, you must choose which is more important -- more storage or less wires. Today, this changes, as Seagate unveils the Innov8 -- the world's first USB-powered desktop hard drive.

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There are many USB Type-C cables on the market, but, as it has been pointed out numerous times, not all are standard compliant. Even the cable that ships with OnePlus 2, one of the few smartphones that support USB Type-C, is out of spec, and may not work flawlessly with other handsets. And this is a serious problem.

Cables that do not comply with the USB Type-C standard can cause permanent damage, as Google's Benson Leung has explained in his reviews of various options available on the market. Amazon has taken notice, banning such products that do not comply with the official standard.

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USB Type-C is slowly starting to gain traction in the smartphone market, as more handsets are being introduced with this wonderful new connector. Last month, we saw two new flagships -- LG's G5 and Xiaomi's Mi 5 -- unveiled with USB Type-C. But, for consumers, having it on a new smartphone may actually be an issue.

An external battery, for instance, is generally charged via microUSB, which means that, when it runs out of juice, you will not be able to use the USB Type-C cable, that is used to charge your device, to also charge the external battery. This can make having a smartphone with the new connector feel like a drag, but Xiaomi has decided to (also) offer a USB Type-C external battery so you can have a great experience.

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When USB flash drives hit the mainstream, many consumers -- including myself -- were shocked by the small dimensions. I remember staring in amazement, thinking of how many floppy disks would fit on one.

In 2016, however, flash drives are no longer impressive. Many young tech users have never seen a floppy, and the concept of a flash drive could be seen as a dinosaur, because, you know -- the cloud. Today, SanDisk announces a new such drive, the Ultra USB Type-C Flash Drive. Fairly fast, rather pretty, and using the latest USB connection type, it injects some excitement into an -- arguably -- dying medium. Unfortunately, the quoted "USB 3.1" is a bit misleading.

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USB is one of the most important inventions in the history of computing. You young folks don't know how good you have it -- before USB, installing hardware was a huge headache. Over time, the standard has become faster and ubiquitous, but always had one huge issue -- knowing which way to connect it! A rectangle is a stupid port design; that was one way the now-dead FireWire was superior.

The invention of USB Type-C, however, remedied that large user pain point. This new connector can now be inserted in any direction, making USB even better. Some companies, like Google and Apple, were early to adopt it, but now, it is starting to explode in popularity. Today, Toshiba announces some good-looking USB Type-C drives, with its new Canvio Premium HDD and the TransMemory EX Dual flash drive.

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