USB-C

The European Union has long been trying to standardize the chargers and connectors use in smartphones, particularly to fight the increasing amount of chargers and accessories wasted because of incompatible technologies. Now it seems to be on the verge of formally drafting rules that would force Apple to ditch its proprietary Lightning connector in favor of USB-C. Unsurprisingly, the company is pushing back, claiming that the effects of such a regulation would actually result in the very situation that the EU is trying to avoid.

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Plugable rolled up to CES this year with three new products in hand. The company's collection of CES 2020 reveals is comprised of a new docking station and two new adapters, with Plugable saying that these products will "set new standards for peripheral connectivity," in this new year. We'll leave that for customers to decide, but the star of the show is definitely the company's new Thunderbolt 3 docking station.

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Apple has yet to solve the Apple Watch's battery life problem but, in the meantime, accessory makers are seeing an opportunity to capitalize on the need to charge the wearable on the go. Apple's own charging accessories for the Apple Watch can be big or long, depending on which one you go for. Satechi, however, is offering an almost ingenious solution that simply sticks the magnetic charging dock to the side of a MacBook or iPad Pro.

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Phone screens are getting larger, enough for them to be the only kind of computer some people use. At the same time, however, smartphones are also becoming more capable that they can become veritable computers or media centers if you attach an external display. For the majority of smartphones these days, that often means "projecting" a phone's screen via Chromecast or even Miracast but there are a few that do support video output via their USB-C port. The Pixel 4 should have been part of the latter group but it turns out that, for one reason or another, Google chose to disable it at the deepest kernel level.

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The Google Pixel 4 doesn't include a pair of earbuds in its box, no headphone jack, and no 3.5mm headphone adapter for USB-C. My first reaction as a tech news reporter and reviewer of products is to cry foul! We've come to expect that we'll get certain things when we buy a smartphone, and those expectations are being changed for us, right before our eyes! But there's a bright side to some of this.

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Google has announced an updated Titan security key featuring a USB-C connector. The dongle is a more secure option for users who need more reassurance than traditional two-factor authentication (2FA) offers and who have upgraded to devices featuring the latest USB connector type. The new security key comes from Yubico and will be available to purchase from Google directly starting tomorrow.

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This week a variety of new rules were revealed for Google Certified Android smartphones of the future. The document in which these rules were revealed is the Google Mobile Services (GMS) Compatibility Definition Document (CDD) for Android 10. Devices launching in the year 2019 and forward hoping to get Google's certification for Android will need to be compliant with certain open fast-charging standards for USB-C.*

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Earlier this year, the USB Promoter Group announced that the new USB4 specification would be published in the near future. That time has arrived, with the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) announcing the USB4 spec on Tuesday, September 3. This is the latest major update to the USB specification, building upon the previous USB 3.2 and USB 2.0 architectures. USB4 is, among other things, backward compatible with USB 3.2, 2.0, and Thunderbolt 3.

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There is a rather big market for third-party Nintendo Switch accessories but the one thing that continues to worry Switch owners is the charging dock. Nintendo's Official version is large and expensive but third-party options risk bricking the gaming handheld. The latter has largely been blamed on Nintendo's implementation of the USB-C Power Delivery feature which is believed to be non-compliant with the standard spec. According to an electrical engineer, however, those third-party docks might be the ones to blame instead.

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USB-C brought a lot of functionality and convenience in a single port but it also brought a bit of confusion. Not all USB ports and accessories are created equal and, just like in the old USB-A and micro USB world, some accessories are for single uses only. Some computers these days, however, may have only one USB-C port for data and sometimes even for power as well. For those cases, Sony is introducing the MRW-S3 hub that will solve all those problems with a single USB-C port.

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There was a great deal of rejoicing in the tech industry when USB-C got approved and even more hurrahs when Apple became its unexpected champion. In the rush to adopt the standard, however, many companies, especially accessory makers, got it wrong, accidentally or otherwise. They became the target of an Internet shame campaign to raise awareness of non-compliant implementations. The latest to join that list is, surprisingly, the Raspberry Pi 4, the new darling of the maker and hacker world.

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After ignoring wireless charging for so long, it seems that Apple is embracing it more than most other smartphone makers. Except for Huawei and Samsung. It has been rumored for quite a while now but famed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is giving his vote of confidence with his latest forecast. According to his sources, this year's iPhones will take both wireless and wired charging to the next level, including the ability to charge AirPods and maybe even an Apple Watch with reverse wireless charging.

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