USB-C

It definitely took a while but wireless charging has become more or less common even if it still isn't a standard. While already a standard right from the start, USB-C, on the other hand, is only recently becoming more ubiquitous as well. But while computers and smartphones are quicker to adopt them, some places where you will find these new technologies aren't. Inside cars, for example, the full-sized USB port still holds dominance but not anymore in Tesla Model 3 cars headed for the US.

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Razer makes solid gaming hardware. They've made a lot of gaming-centric devices over the past two decades, and I've not always been a member of Razer's target audience. With the Razer Kishi, I find myself excited by a smartphone accessory for the first time in what feels like forever. Razer Kishi is a gaming controller that connects to Android devices via USB-C and folds up to a compact size when not in use. This is about more than gaming - it's about the future.

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Apple's cheaper iPads could be getting on of the iPad Pro's most useful features, rumors from the supply chain suggest, with the company set to further retire the Lightning port. When the iPad Pro 11 1st Generation and iPad Pro 12.9 3rd Generation launched in 2018, Apple opted to do away with its own Lightning port in favor of USB-C. Now, that decision could be spreading.

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It would seem only a matter of time before the iPhone is released without a Lightning port. Rumors over the past several years suggest that Apple's inclusion of Qi-standard wireless charging abilities in the iPhone point toward a completely port-free collection of handheld communication devices. An insider tip this week says Apple's not quite there yet with the iPhone 12 for 2020, but might be ready to roll in 2021.

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USB4 is shaping up to be the one connector to rule them all, with word that the new USB-C port will support up to 16K resolution video among other things. The DisplayPort Alt Mode v2.0 will be able to drive a single 16K display - were you able to find such a thing - the VESA has confirmed, courtesy of the new high-speed interconnect.

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Programmer Forrest Heller recently published a chart comparing the Apollo Guidance Computer used during NASA's Apollo 11 mission with three modern USB-C devices, including an ordinary Google Pixel phone charger and two other, more powerful, USB-C chargers. The chart and its related details offer a fascinating breakdown of the modern and historic technology, revealing that an ordinary Anker charger has more power than the technology that helped take humans to the Moon.

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Today the folks at Satechi revealed and released their latest USB-C hub, a device with seven individual ports for connectivity expansion. In the mix are 2x USB-A 3.0 Ports, one USB-C PD (charging), and a full-sized 4K HDMI port. The ethernet port on this hub is capable of delivering gigabit-level internet, and the hub includes both microSD and full-sized SD card readers.

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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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