USB Archives - SlashGear

Playdate preorders: When, how much, and why you should be excited

Chris Burns | Jul 22, 2021

Playdate was given a pre-order time and date and some more information on how and why you'd want to get a device. If you've made it this far, you probably already know what Playdate is, but just in case: It's a very strange piece of gaming equipment. You play games on it with hardware buttons and a crank - a hardware crank. It's just about the most unique attempt to make a bit of gaming hardware in the past decade, and it's about to become available to the masses.

USB-C could soon support 240W of power delivery

JC Torres | May 26, 2021

USB-C has truly become the universal port to rule them all but it isn't a clear-cut victory yet. In addition to Thunderbolt 3 and 4, which is like USB-C but isn't, implementations of USB-C features can vary from device to device. Things might get a bit more confusing once a new USB-C specification comes out that more than doubles USB-C Power Delivery's supported output from 100W to 240W.

Thousands of stands with built-in USB ports recalled over shock risk

Brittany A. Roston | Feb 24, 2021

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has highlighted a recent recall involving side stands (accent tables) that feature built-in charging receptacles, including USB ports. The reason, according to the recall notice, is a wiring problem that may cause users to be shocked when they plug a device into the stand. Owners are warned to stop using the tables and to wait for a replacement.

LONGER LK5 Pro Review – 3D printer for prototyping with a little fiddling

Chris Burns | Feb 2, 2021

The LONGER LK5 Pro is the sort of 3D printer you buy when you know how to troubleshoot. This device is a middle-ground between the pre-constructed, high-end, brand-name 3D printers that cost a lot, and the DIY 3D printers that are dirt cheap because you have to know exactly what you're doing right from the get-go.

OWC’s new Thunderbolt docks and portable SSDs give WFH an upgrade

Eric Abent | Jan 11, 2021

CES 2021 officially kicks off today, and Other World Computing - otherwise known as OWC - has started things off by revealing an entire slate of new accessories. The company revealed four new accessories in all today: the USB-C Travel Dock E, the U2 shuttle that can house up to four NVMe M.2 SSDs, the OWC Thunderbolt Dock, and the Envoy Pro FX external SSD. All of the products OWC announced today will either be available this month or within the first quarter of 2021.

5GBioShield $300+ USB Key actually a $5 scam: PTP, LTS

Chris Burns | May 28, 2020

The 5GBioShield was supposed to protect its user from supposed harmful effects of 5G radiation. In reality, this $300+ (around £283.00) USB stick actually contains around £5 worth of hardware. That's according to the folks at Pen Test Partners who, for the greater good of humanity, purchased several of these USB sticks and tore them down to see what was inside.

USB4 gets even more appealing with 16K DisplayPort screen support

Chris Davies | Apr 30, 2020

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.

Galaxy S20 fast charging certification is a big USB advantage

Eric Abent | Feb 25, 2020

The Galaxy S20 series is on the horizon, and today the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) made a pretty big announcement regarding the phones. The USB-IF has confirmed that Galaxy S20 series phones have gained Certified USB Faster Charger status. That means these phones will support Programmable Power Supply, which is a feature baked into the USB Power Delivery 3.0 spec.

Satechi USB-C Slim Multi-Port Adapter released with gigabit ethernet port

Chris Burns | Jan 30, 2020

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.

Pixel 4: Why no earbuds in the box is a good thing

Chris Burns | Oct 16, 2019

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.

USB4 specification finalized with up to 40Gbps data transfer speeds

Brittany A. Roston | Sep 3, 2019

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.

iPadOS brings support for USB drives and SD cards

Brittany A. Roston | Jun 3, 2019

Apple has officially unveiled iPadOS, a change to the iOS experience for the iPad. The system features a redesigned home screen alongside improved multi-tasking capabilities and new support that greatly improves the device's usefulness for professionals. There's a lot of be excited about, particularly the newly announced support for USB thumb drives, SD cards, and importing directly into Lightroom.