Articles about USB

Flash drives are less popular nowadays thanks to cloud storage. While the cloud offers convenience, there is extra control and security when local storage is used. Remember folks, when you leverage the cloud, you open yourself up to deficiencies of a third-party company -- a mass data breach could expose your secret files. For a business in particular, this could mean the loss of important information, or the leak of confidential information. Your company's reputation could be tarnished as a result.

If you are more comfortable using USB flash drives for storing and transmitting data, encryption is a must -- hardware being the best. Today, Kingston unveils the IronKey D300 USB Flash Drive. To secure your data, it uses FIPS 140-2 Level 3, 256-bit AES-XTS hardware encryption. There is also a "managed" version of the drive which allows companies to impose its requirements on employee-used drives.

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Multiport USB chargers are great for topping up the battery on a couple of mobile devices at the same time when you are on the go. They do not take much space in a bag, only require a single wall socket, and support a wide range of smartphones and tablets. Some are better than others though.

Syncwire's four-port USB charger is designed with travelers in mind. The main benefits, over many other multiport USB chargers that you can find, are the included travel adapters that allow it to be used with US, UK, and EU sockets and its cord-free design that allows it to be plugged right in and take up even less space.

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USB-C is a great connection type for docking stations. Using a singe cable, a compatible laptop or tablet can be turned into, what is essentially, a desktop/workstation. Best of all, this cable can often charge the device too.

Luckily for consumers, there is no shortage of these docks on the market. For example, StarTech.com and SMK-Link both released beautiful solutions recently. Today, IOGEAR releases its product, the 'USB-C Docking Station with Power Delivery' (model number GUD3C01). Rather than use plastic, the body is forged of beautiful stainless steel.

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USB-C is a total game-changer for the computer market. The most obvious benefit is that it is reversible -- you can't plug it in "wrong" like prior connector versions. The true magic, however, is that a single cable can be used for a quality docking experience -- including power. In other words, a compatible laptop or tablet can be transformed into a powerful desktop/workstation with ease.

Today, StarTech.com announces a 60 watt charging USB-C dock, with a very unimaginative name. Dubbed the 'USB-C Dual Monitor Docking Station with Power Delivery', it appears to be very useful for both home and business users. Unlike some similar offerings from other companies, it features DisplayPort in addition to HDMI.

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Microsoft has officially launched the much awaited Windows 10 Anniversary Update. The latest release brings lots of exciting new features and improvements that make the operating system much more powerful and refined. And, naturally, many of you will want to create a bootable USB drive to perform a clean install of Windows 10 Anniversary Update on your devices.

Creating a bootable Windows 10 Anniversary Update USB drive is very easy. All that you need is a USB drive, a Windows 10 Anniversary Update ISO, a Windows device, and a couple of minutes to spare.

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There are a number of secure flash drives on the market, but most of them rely on a software lock that requires you to enter a PIN on the computer after you've plugged in the drive. Apricorn takes a different approach with its Secure Key which has a keypad on the device itself, allowing you to lock and unlock it independently.

At 95.5 mm it's about half as long again as a normal flash drive and fits snugly into an aluminum slip case so you can't accidentally press buttons in your pocket. The keys are small but have a positive click action so you know they've been pressed. It comes formatted for NTFS ready for use on Windows systems and you can reformat it for Macs.

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USB cables may look durable, but it does not take much to bend a connector or damage the rubber jacket. These things happen, as you may have learned by now, and when they do they can easily ruin your day. Unless you have a spare, which is not always the case, you may be unable to charge your smartphone or power an important device.

Enter rugged USB cables. With tougher connectors and a more durable jacket, they can withstand a great deal of abuse -- even from curious pets. I've been testing Syncwire's "durable" microUSB offering for the past couple of weeks, and here are my impressions.

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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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With the increasing move to the cloud, it may seem that USB storage devices are becoming obsolete. However, research by endpoint protection company CoSoSys suggests that USB still has a place.

The survey of 2016 Infosecurity Europe visitors looks at the use of USB storage devices in the enterprise and the policies governing them.

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When you are constantly on the go -- and who isn't, nowadays? -- your smartphone becomes an indispensable tool. With all of this phone usage, you will probably need to charge the device a lot. This means having a charger and cable ready in your car, bag, or pocket.

The problem? These cables tend to take a lot of abuse and can become damaged over time. Quality cables -- especially MFI certified Apple Lightning variants -- are expensive, and buying replacements can become costly. A new cable -- the ZUS Kevlar Charging Cable by nonda -- is both affordable and built to last. It is available in Type-A to Type-C, micro USB, or Apple Lightning. I have been using the Lightning variant for a couple weeks now, an I am ready to share my impressions.

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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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It is amazingly sad that in 2016 consumers still must face a major dilemma -- battery anxiety. Laugh all you want, but the fear of running out of juice is a legit issue. Yes, this is partly due to concerns about trivial things like being disconnected from social media and texting, but more importantly, it can be scary to lose the ability to call 9-1-1 in an emergency. Hopefully battery life in future smartphones will last weeks, not mere hours.

If you are constantly worrying about battery life, a portable USB battery pack is a smart purchase. There are countless models available nowadays -- Amazon is chock full of them. Today, SCOSCHE releases its goBAT 4400. As the name implies, it is 4,400mAh -- not the largest such capacity. While it doesn't stand out much from the crowd, its price tag and integrated flashlight make it fairly interesting.

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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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