Articles about USB

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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Are people really still buying mechanical hard drives in 2022? Believe it or not, yes! And no, these consumers are not crazy. Actually, if you don't care about performance, the cost per GB is still much lower with hard disk drives compared to solid state drives. And so, if your sole focus is getting the highest capacity for the lowest price (speed be damned), a HDD can make sense.

Silicon Power seems happy to cater to those that still want portable external hard drives, and today, the company announces its latest model. Called "Stream S05," this USB-A HDD is quite unremarkable. Hell, even the aesthetic is rather ho-hum -- a boring black rectangle. The drive is offered in several capacities, however, ranging from 1TB to 5TB, with the larger capacities being physically thicker.

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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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Apple's iMac is a wonderful all-in-one macOS desktop that offers a combination of power and elegance. The computer takes up very little real estate on a desk, making it a good choice for those living in a residence that doesn't offer a lot of space. It allows you to have a proper desktop computer with a large display without needing a giant tower.

Today, Satechi launches a new product that makes the 2021 24-inch iMac even better. Called "USB-C Slim Dock," it fits over the iMac's stand and provides USB-A ports, a USB-C port, and two memory card reader slots. While port expansion alone makes this a neat product, it also has an internal M.2 SSD slot that is compatible with both NVMe and SATA drives. To create more desk space when needed, Apple's wireless keyboard can be stored on top of the USB-C Slim Dock when not in use.

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USB-C docking stations are pretty common these days. In fact, websites like Amazon are littered with countless makes and models. Of course, not all of them are good, nor are they all the same. Features can vary from dock to dock, such as the number of USB ports or video outputs.

Speaking of video output, most USB-C docks have either one or two such ports. Today, however, Plugable launches a docking station with four HDMI ports, and yes, they can all be used simultaneously for a quad-monitor configuration. But despite having so many video outputs, it doesn't skimp on other useful ports, including an SD card reader!

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We recently told you about the Kingston VP80ES IronKey Vault Privacy 80 -- a speedy portable SSD that features USB-C connectivity and a touchscreen for tapping-in a password or pin. While that drive is quite amazing, not everyone will truly need the fast speeds or touchscreen -- it could be overkill. Instead, a hardware-encrypted USB flash drive could be sufficient -- and much less expensive.

Today, Kingston launches its latest hardware-encrypted flash drive. Called "IronKey Vault Privacy 50 (VP50)," the drive uses a USB-A connector and is offered in capacities ranging from 8GB to 256GB. The VP50 features XTS-AES 256-bit encryption and is FIPS 197 certified.

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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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It's 2022 and the world's transition to USB-C should, in theory, be complete by now. The thing is, however, it simply isn't. Despite USB-C being superior to USB-A in every way, consumers haven't been keen on moving to the new connector. As more and more consumers and businesses hold onto older computers (that don't have USB-C) for longer periods of time, USB-A remains the dominant connector.

And so, a new card reader from Silicon Power that uses USB-A rather than USB-C totally makes sense. This new combo card reader from the company is compatible with both SD and microSD cards (not simultaneously), making it incredibly useful. The retractable USB-A connector allows it to be protected when not in use, meaning it should prove a good option for portability. And yes, it has a lanyard loop option.

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With cloud storage continuing to grow in popularity, USB flash drives have largely fallen out of favor with consumers. Maybe that's not such a bad thing, as USB flash drives are both easy to lose and are susceptible to failure -- the cloud is arguably more safe and secure. With that said, there should always be a need for local storage; sometimes you just can't trust certain documents, such as company secrets, to the cloud.

Understandably, it is hard to get excited about a new USB flash drive these days. However, a new USB-A offering from Silicon Power is actually quite interesting. Called "Blaze B07," it looks like a standard flash drive, but it has a really cool stand-out feature -- it is coated in an antibacterial substance in an effort to fight germs and sickness! This would be very beneficial in an office setting where a flash drive is passed around from person to person.

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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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