The best USB-C adapters, cables, and hubs

Posted on 06/10/2017 by Engadget RSS Feed

By Nick Guy This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter, reviews for the real world. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, they may earn affiliate commissions that support their work. Read the full artic...

Tesla Recalls 7000 Charging Adapters due to Overheating Issue

Posted on 08/12/2016 by affam

Tesla Motors have recently shared an official announcement with the world that they are recalling the 7000 adapters for electric vehicle charging. These plugs are recalled from US region only as the...

Auxillite iPhone 7 Adapter Is As Elegant As These Things Go

Posted on 29/11/2016 by David Ponce

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Apple’s boneheaded decisions can often create opportunities for other manufacturers to develop products to fill in the gaps the company so courageously opens up. The lack of audio port on the iPhone 7 is creating a secondary industry of dongles and adapters, and the Auxillite is one of the more elegant ones we’ve come across. It allows you to do the most basic of things with your brand new phone: charge and listen to your normal freaking headphones at the same time. The device even features a Digital To Analog Converter (DAC) running at 16-bits with sampling frequency 44.1kHz/48kHz and 24-bits with sampling frequency 96kHz. It’s small, sleek, and fits-in with the overall aesthetic of the phone. And at $13 for one, it’s priced just right. The kickstarter is fully funded and the device should ship in June 2017.

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[ Project Page ]

The iPhone 7 Is Invigorating The Dongle Market, For Proof, Here’s the iLDOCK

Posted on 30/09/2016 by David Ponce

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Last time we wrote about a similar dongle, it was for Belkin’s offering, which had a bunch of shortcomings. For one, it simply added a second lightning port so you could charge and listen to headphones at the same time, but if your headphones were “old school”, you would’ve needed an additional dongle for it to work. Well, with the iLDOCK, if you’re planning on staying in the 3.5mm camp and don’t want to double-dongle it, you can do what normal humans do and charge your phone while listening to music stress-free. Granted, you’re still stuck having to carry a stupid dongle for this, but hey, it’s $18 for 2 so even if you lose one, you have a backup.

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[ Project Page ] VIA [ UberGizmo ]

Here Comes The iPhone 7 Adapter Parade

Posted on 09/09/2016 by David Ponce

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Thinking of listening to music while charging your brand new iPhone 7? Think again, my friend. Or at least, don’t think you can do it without an adapter. What you see above is Belkin’s take on how this should be accomplished. It lets you connect a Lightning charger and a Lightning headphone to the device’s only port, and accomplish a task that required absolutely no adapters until today. But what’s that you say? You don’t have a Lightning-cable pair of headphones yet? Fear not, my friend, since you can use an adapter with this adapter. That’s right, Apple’s own Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter will work just fine with this. A headphone, going to an adapter, going to an adapter, going to the phone? Yeah, that’s just the kind of clean elegance that Steve Jobs would have dreamed of…

It’s $40, in case you’re actually thinking about it.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Gizmodo ]

Cosby Adds Modular I/O Ports To Your New MacBook

Posted on 06/08/2015 by David Ponce

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One USB-C port for everything… Brilliant. Just brilliant… But if you’re, I dunno, a normal person who might want to connect your brand new MacBook to your TV while it charges for instance, the One Port solution just won’t do. There are thus quite a few solutions to this problem on the market, the Infinite USB being a popular one. Another new one is Cusby, the “First USB-C Modular & Expandable Adapter”. It consists of 3 modules that each feature both a male and female USB-C port, as well as a Power charger, USB-A and HDMI connector. You can use one, two, or all three at the same time, in a daisy chain, adding functionality as you need it. There are plans to expand the line to include Thunderbolt, Display Port and Ethernet, and more. It’ll cost you a $75 pledge to get the first three, instead of the expected $100 retail price.

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[ Project Page ] VIA [ MikeShouts ]

Znaps Adapter Gives Your Mobile Device MagSafe Powers

Posted on 20/07/2015 by David Ponce

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If you’ve ever owned a MagSafe-equipped device, you’ll know how great it is to be able to magnetically snap your power adapter in place, and just as easily tug it free. You can now give that same functionality to any mobile device, thanks to the Znaps adapter. You simply plug the small dongle into the MicroUSB or Lightning port, and just leave it there. Then you insert a special sleeve over the connector of your existing power cable, which converts it to work with the dongle on your mobile device. In less than a minute you’ve given your device magnetic charging capabilities, allowing you to plug it in one-handed, unplug it with a tug, and do any of the things that MagSafe-like connectors allow you to do. The best part is that at an $11 pledge, you’ll have to pay very little for this cool new functionality.

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[ Project Page ] VIA [ Gizmodo ]

D-Link DHP-309AV PowerLine AV + Mini Adapter Starter Kit

Posted on 12/10/2012 by Johan

D-Link DHP-309AV PowerLine AV + Mini Adapter Starter Kit

D-Link has rolled out the new DHP-309AV PowerLine AV + mini adapter starter kit. The device extends your home network by transforming your existing electrical system into a powerful network with up to 200Mbps performance. It is equipped with a 10/100Base Ethernet port with Auto MDI/MDIX and an RJ-45 connector. The D-Link DHP-309AV also uses a 128-bit AES data encryption. [D-Link]

CableJive Launches DockBoss+ Adapter

Posted on 01/10/2012 by Johan

CableJive Launches DockBoss+ Adapter

CableJive has recently launched the DockBoss+ adapter. Priced at just $29.95 each, the adapter allows you to connect the new iPhone 5 to speaker docks made for Apple’s older 30-pin dock connector. It is a 2.5-foot cable with a female 30-pin dock connector, a female USB port and a female 1/8″ (3.5mm) audio port. [CableJive]

DisplayLink shows off adapters and docks from HP, Lenovo, EVGA and Targus at IDF 2012

Posted on 15/09/2012 by Michael Gorman

With the proliferation of Ultrabooks, laptops are shipping with fewer ports and smaller screens. One of the benficiaries of the streamlined designs is DisplayLink, whose technology can turn a single USB port into a bevy of connections. At IDF 2012, the company showed off new gear from several vendors, including EVGA, HP, Lenovo and Targus. First, there's a handsome little puck from EVGA, called the UV Plus+39, that plugs into your laptop's USB 2 or 3.0 socket to grant you HDMI and DVI output at up to 2048 x 1152 resolution for $85. Next up, Lenovo's self-explanatory USB 3.0 to DVI adapter that supports the same max resolution as the Plus+39 for $80. Lastly, a pair of docks from Targus and HP. HP's 3005pr USB 3.0 Port Replicator turns your laptop's USB 3.0 port into four USB 2.0, two USB 3.0, one HDMI, DisplayPort, and RJ-45 jacks, plus audio in and out connections for a mere $150. Targus' $250 USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Dual Video Docking Station has similar connectivity to HP's solution, but swaps DisplayPort for DVI and adds the ability to charge 90W laptops using its included array of power adapters. Having trouble deciding which one's for you? Perhaps our photos in the gallery below will help you decide.

Gallery: DisplayLink at IDF 2012