Tag Archives: Technology

Blackview’s Zeno 2 Tablet Stays Small Without Losing the Headphone Jack

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A tablet doesn’t always need to impersonate a laptop. Sometimes you just want more room than a phone provides, without carrying another slab that needs its own corner of the bag. Blackview’s Zeno 2 takes that smaller assignment literally, pairing an 8.68-inch display with an 11.7-ounce body. It’s a compact Android tablet built around reading and everyday entertainment, with some useful connections still intact.

At roughly 8.38 by 4.94 inches and 0.33 inches thick, the Zeno 2 makes its intentions fairly clear. This is something to slip into a smaller bag and pull out for a chapter on the train. Flat sides and rounded corners keep the shape uncomplicated, while Midnight Black, Glacier Blue, and Mint Green offer a little personality without covering the back in decoration.

Designer: Blackview

The screen is where that modest approach starts asking for concessions. Its IPS LCD has a native 1,340 × 800-pixel resolution, or about 180 pixels per inch, leaving limited detail for tiny lettering. The 60Hz refresh rate is similarly basic. Its Reading Mode changes the presentation, but Blackview’s Kindle-style description shouldn’t cause any confusion. This remains a backlit LCD, not an electronic-paper reader.

Fortunately, being small doesn’t mean depending entirely on a wireless connection. The 128GB of internal storage can be supplemented with a microSD card up to 2TB, making room for downloaded books, music, and videos before leaving home. Dual speakers handle shared listening, while a 3.5mm headphone jack lets you plug in wired headphones without hunting down an adapter or charging another battery.

Work gets a look in, too, although the proportions suggest keeping expectations sensible. DokeOS_P 5.0, based on Android 16, includes split-screen viewing and preinstalled WPS Office. Reading a reference beside a document is possible, but two apps still share a small screen. A quad-core Unisoc Tiger T310 and 4GB of physical RAM also put some perspective on those more demanding productivity ambitions.

There are other details worth reading past the oversized marketing numbers. Blackview’s advertised 16GB memory total includes 12GB of virtual expansion, not additional physical RAM. Retail listings already exist outside the US, but US pricing and availability remain unconfirmed. That leaves the value question open, especially for a tablet whose appeal depends more on its manageable size than on impressive hardware specifications.

Moving between the couch and kitchen also makes the IP54 rating relevant. Blackview lists protection against dust and splashing water, which doesn’t mean the tablet can be submerged. That matters when you’re following a recipe beside the sink, where occasional splashes are harder to avoid. The company also includes a cover and tempered-glass screen protector, though neither guarantees protection from repeated drops.

The 5,000mAh battery brings that portability back down to earth. Blackview’s own laboratory figures list 5.5 hours of video playback and six hours of browsing, rather than uninterrupted entertainment all day. There’s 5W reverse charging for topping up another device, too. Handy, certainly, but borrowing power from this little tablet means leaving less for the book or movie you packed it for.

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XPPen’s Magic Pro 13 Switches From Standalone Tablet to Desktop Pen Display

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Drawing tablets can give artists plenty of freedom, at least until they need to be plugged into a computer. Standalone tablets solve that problem, but they don’t always fit into a desktop drawing setup. Awarded Yanko Design’s Best of IFA 2026, the XPPen Magic Pro 13 accommodates both, letting you sketch independently and then use the same minimalist device as a pen display when you’re back at your desk.

The design itself doesn’t make a big show of that flexibility. A pale back and silver-colored edges give it a restrained appearance, while the front leaves out the rows of shortcut buttons found on some drawing displays. At around 0.26 inches thick, it looks relatively unassuming, although its 1.44-pound weight is a reminder that a large digital sketchbook still needs some support.

Designer: XPPen

Of course, appearances only get you so far when most of your time is spent looking at the screen. The 12.95-inch LCD offers a 3096×2064 pixel resolution and refresh rates up to 120Hz. More interesting for drawing, however, is the nano-etched glass, which XPPen pairs with anti-glare and anti-fingerprint treatments to make the surface less reflective and more reminiscent of paper.

That promise of a familiar drawing experience also depends on what you’re holding. The included X4 Smart Chip Stylus supports 16,384 pressure levels and 60° tilt, allowing compatible brushes to respond to how you press and angle the pen. Customizable barrel buttons keep shortcuts nearby, while felt and plastic replacement nibs give you different contact materials to try against that textured drawing surface.

The tablet also has a physical control for switching off finger input, which is rather useful when your hand has nowhere else to rest. On the software side, Canvas handles quick sketches, while Shelf organizes reference material through tags and annotations. Supported apps can share the screen in resizable windows, so the picture you’re studying doesn’t have to disappear whenever you start drawing.

Connecting a computer changes the tablet’s job without changing the surface you’re drawing on. Its dedicated DP-IN USB-C port lets the Magic Pro 13 become a pen display for desktop software. The second USB-C port works in the other direction, sending the Android screen to an external monitor. They look alike, of course, but choosing the right connection makes quite a difference.

Inside, a MediaTek Dimensity 8300 processor runs Android 16, paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of expandable storage. A 10,200mAh battery supplies power away from the desk, with 45W charging available through either USB-C port. That leaves the other connection available for a display, rather than making you choose between finishing an illustration and charging the tablet partway through a drawing session.

The Magic Pro 13 is currently listed for US preorder at $899.99, with shipping estimated for November 13, 2026. It’s definitely a premium price tag, though you’re technically getting two devices in one. Plugging in a cable changes the display’s role, not the software handling your artwork.

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Lenovo’s Color Ink Tablet Switches Its LCD From Full Color to Black and White

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“Color Ink” sounds like something you’d find in an e-book reader, but Lenovo’s newly announced tablet takes a different route. The Xiaoxin 10.1 Color Ink Soft Light Edition uses an LCD, pairing an anti-glare surface with three viewing modes. The idea is to let the same screen move between animated lessons, illustrated books, and plain text without asking everything to look equally colorful.

That starts at the surface, where a nearby lamp or bright window can compete with whatever you’re trying to read. Lenovo’s AG anti-glare treatment is intended to reduce that interference rather than simply change the picture’s colors. That’s no small matter, since turning a page gray doesn’t stop a reflection from landing across it.

Designer: Lenovo

The software handles the character of the page. Original Color mode is aimed at animation and drawing, while Color Paper mode gives illustrated stories and science books a more muted palette. Finally, Ink Paper mode removes the color for text-only content. Instead of committing the whole device to one appearance, Lenovo lets readers choose how much color belongs in front of them. This strategy is similar to TCL’s NXTPAPER technology, though TCL has started to migrate from LCD to OLED.

The 10.1-inch panel packs 2136×1280 pixels, with a 120Hz refresh rate and a typical brightness of 500 nits. Those are familiar tablet specifications, suited to content that moves as well as pages that stay put. Scrolling through a comic or watching an animated explanation doesn’t require leaving behind the same device you were using for a full chapter of text.

The optional learning bundle brings a more physical answer to the same tabletop routine. Its protective case has a large rear ring that serves as a stand, keeping the screen upright while a child follows a lesson. A recessed slot along the front stores the included pen, a useful bit of housekeeping for an accessory that’s otherwise easy to leave somewhere else.

Lenovo’s Tianjiao Academy gives that setup its educational purpose, with learning resources and AI tools for spoken practice, homework explanations, encyclopedia questions, and turning doodles into pictures. Parents can manage time, applications, and content, including remotely. Those controls concern how the tablet is used, not what its screen looks like, a practical complement to display modes that don’t remove the temptations of apps.

The rest of the hardware is familiar tablet territory: a MediaTek Helio G300 processor, 6GB or 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of expandable storage. There’s a 7,060mAh battery and, pleasantly, a 3.5mm headphone jack for wired listening. Blue and gray finishes keep the tablet itself relatively restrained, leaving the chunkier case and pen to give the learning bundle its more playful identity.

Sales are scheduled to start in China on October 30, 2026, with pricing and US availability unannounced. Lenovo also notes that some learning resources and AI functions require payment, while the case and pen aren’t standard accessories. The screen can change its appearance, but the cost of building that little learning station still needs a closer look.

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Duramobi’s underwater speaker turns your pool into a sound system

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Here’s a pool party experiment you’ve run without meaning to. Someone’s Bluetooth speaker is blasting on the deck, you duck under to rescue a dropped pair of sunglasses, and the playlist vanishes. Up top it’s Dua Lipa, down below it’s a muffled thud and the hum of the pool filter. Water is roughly 800 times denser than air, so nearly all that sound bounces off the surface like a guest who wasn’t on the list. Hong Kong’s Duramobi decided the fix was to stop playing music at the water and start playing it inside it.

The Duramobi Pool Audio System W150 is a portable underwater speaker that hangs off the pool’s edge on a telescopic pole, keeping the controls dry while a brushed aluminum transducer sits below the waterline. A transducer is a sealed driver that vibrates the water itself, so everyone in the pool hears the same thing with nothing in their ears. No drilling, no wiring, no contractor with a concrete saw. It holds up to 1,000 songs, runs 12-plus hours per charge, and comes with a Live Voice Remote so a coach can talk straight into the water. Music, coaching, and a proper cannonball soundtrack, all headphone-free.

Designer: Duramobi

Click Here to Buy Now: $229 $399 (43% off). Hurry, only 287/300 left!

Turning the whole pool into the speaker

Sound moves about four times faster through water than through air, and your skull is happy to pass those vibrations along to your inner ear, which is why underwater music feels like it comes from everywhere at once. The W150 leans on that. Its transducer pod, a round disc with a brushed aluminum face, shoves vibrations straight into the pool instead of shouting at the surface. Duramobi says one unit covers about 20 by 20 feet (6 by 6 meters), which is a whole spa or a decent patch of backyard pool. Stand in the water and the music simply surrounds you, no earbuds and no fiddly straps.

A telescopic pole stretches from 13.4 to 35.4 inches (340 to 900mm), so the transducer stays submerged whether your pool is filled to the brim or sitting a few inches low. Duramobi calls the retractable design patented, which is a polite way of saying somebody sweated the details. Controls sit on the dry body above the waterline, so wet fingers can reach them without a dive. Bigger pools just get more units, with the setup guide suggesting two for a 39 by 20 foot backyard pool and four to six for an 82 by 69 foot resort pool. Multiple units sync, so the whole pool plays one song instead of an argument.

Beach club looks with a sealed, chlorine-resistant shell

The main body is a black triangle with a carry handle, a digital display, top-mounted buttons, and a vertical light strip that glows down its face like a lightsaber with better manners. Blue, orange, or yellow accents set the mood, and the mood is beach club instead of lab equipment. The composite shell uses encapsulated construction (sealed solid, in other words) and carries an IP68 rating, which covers dunking to about 4.9 feet (1.5 meters). Duramobi also lists resistance to chlorine, salt, and corrosion. At roughly 4.9 pounds (2,240g), it carries about like a loaded lunch bag.

Twelve-plus hours of battery covers a morning of laps and an afternoon of floating, though actual runtime shifts with volume and mode. A magnetic charging attachment means no port flap to forget about, and a full top-up takes about an hour and a half. Up to 1,000 songs live on the unit itself, so your phone can stay in the bag, far from splashes. Prefer streaming? Bluetooth 5.3 works with Android, iOS, and Windows. Four EQ modes (Home, Spa, Train, and Resort) tune the sound for where and how you swim.

Coaching cues that follow swimmers underwater

The Live Voice Remote is a handheld that lets a coach talk straight into the water, which fixes the oldest problem in swim coaching: brilliant advice shouted at people who are underwater. It doubles as a remote for play and pause, volume, and EQ, so nobody has to trek back to the speaker mid-set. Coaches can pair a pace-setting playlist with spoken cues, and every swimmer hears the same thing at once. Everyone gets the same instructions together, with no headphones and no frantic hand signals. The remote comes in the same kit as the speaker, so the coaching setup is one box.

The use case list is wide: swim training, synchronized swimming, aqua fitness, swim schools, hotels, resorts, and backyard pools. Synchro teams are the obvious fans, since staying in sync underwater is half the job. Resorts get something more romantic, a pool soundtrack with no trenching of the deck. French composer Michel Redolfi staged underwater concerts in the early 1980s, with listeners floating in pools and ocean coves with their ears submerged, so the idea has real art-world credentials. Bach underwater, Redolfi once joked, sounds like Bach in the bathroom, so choose your playlist wisely. The W150 just swaps experimental synths for your Friday favorites.

Three-step setup, zero construction

Adjusting the pole, pairing your music over Bluetooth (or picking from the built-in library), choosing an EQ mode, and lowering the transducer into the water is the entire setup routine. No drilling, no excavation, and no permanent pool hardware means renters and hotel managers can use it as easily as homeowners. A coach who shares a pool with three other clubs can set it up before practice and pack it away afterward. When the session ends, the unit comes out of the water as easily as it went in. Charge it magnetically while everyone towels off, and it’s ready for the next set.

Click Here to Buy Now: $229 $399 (43% off). Hurry, only 287/300 left!

The post Duramobi’s underwater speaker turns your pool into a sound system first appeared on Yanko Design.

AWOL Valerion Pairs Big-Screen NFL Viewing With More Picture Control

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Watching football at home can quickly turn into a group activity, even when some people are more interested in the snacks than the score. A large projected picture gives everyone something to gather around, and AWOL Valerion’s Max and Pro 2 projectors add more ways to shape that experience through OTA3, a firmware update focused on picture controls and everyday operation.

Of course, bringing a projector into the living room involves more than finding an empty wall. Both models pair RGB triple-laser light sources with 4K UHD projection, while optical zoom helps adjust image size from a given position. That flexibility matters when the furniture already has its place, and rearranging the entire room for an NFL game probably wasn’t part of the plan.

Designer: AWOL Valerion

Click Here to Buy Valerion Max: $3499 $3699 ($200 off). Click Here to Buy Valerion Pro2: $2299 $2999 ($700 off). Hurry, deal ends on 30th October 2026!

AWOL Valerion Max

The physical setup is only part of the experience, however. A football broadcast moves from wide field views to sideline close-ups, with replays and studio segments mixed in along the way. OTA3, also called Firmware Q0718, brings additional settings to these existing projectors, giving owners more say in how the picture is presented without having to change the hardware itself.

One of those settings is Enhanced Black Level, or EBL, which adjusts laser brightness to influence contrast in darker scenes. The existing Low and High options differ in how aggressively they make those adjustments. Low takes a gentler approach, while High applies a stronger response. The choice comes down to how much adjustment you prefer and how noticeable you find the resulting brightness changes.

AWOL Valerion Pro 2

With OTA3, both Max and Pro 2 gain a Medium option that sits between those two settings. It provides a moderate laser adjustment intended to balance dark-scene contrast with less noticeable brightness fluctuation. It’s a small addition that makes the controls more accommodating, especially when you’d rather settle on a comfortable picture than spend halftime comparing one setting with another.

This goes hand-in-hand with the Valerion Max’s new Dynamic Iris, which automatically adjusts its optical aperture according to the brightness of the picture. EBL changes laser output, while the iris controls light through that physical opening. This Max-exclusive feature gives the projector another way to respond to changing content, with the mechanism working automatically once enabled rather than requiring repeated adjustments from the couch.

A projector also makes its presence known through sound, particularly when it sits near the seating area. Low Noise Mode, available on both models through OTA3, is designed to reduce fan noise while automatically managing laser luminance. It should be noted that manual adjustment of laser luminance isn’t available in this mode, making it an alternative operating option for evenings when quieter operation is the priority.

Getting the image to sit neatly on the screen receives some attention, too. OTA3 adds eight-point manual keystone correction, providing adjustment points beyond the four corners for refining the image’s shape. Careful placement remains the starting point, but those extra controls offer more flexibility when aligning the picture in a room that still needs to function as a living space between games.

And if the game gives way to a movie afterward, the update has something for that, too. OTA3 allows picture-size adjustment while watching in Dolby Vision mode, extending a familiar kind of control into that viewing format. Dolby Vision was already an existing feature, but the added flexibility allows sizing the picture without leaving the mode, which is handy once the postgame discussion winds down.

A shared living room rarely belongs to one activity for very long, and its technology shouldn’t need to be treated as a separate project every evening. AWOL Valerion’s OTA3 gives existing owners more choices within the device they already know. After the final replay and the inevitable debate over that last call, the same projector can settle into movie duty without anyone needing to rearrange the furniture.

Click Here to Buy Valerion Max: $3499 $3699 ($200 off). Click Here to Buy Valerion Pro2: $2299 $2999 ($700 off). Hurry, deal ends on 30th October 2026!

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Minisforum N5 Air 7640 makes room for upgrades with a slide-out motherboard

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Your photo archive doesn’t stop growing just because its storage box has run out of room. The Minisforum N5 Air 7640 approaches that familiar problem with five drive bays and a motherboard that slides out for upgrades. This network-attached storage device, or NAS, gives owners a way to revisit what’s inside without treating the enclosure like a puzzle they’re supposed to leave unsolved.

There’s little on the outside to advertise that mechanical trick. Rounded corners soften a dark plastic shell measuring 7.8 by 8.0 by 9.9 inches. A broad front cover conceals the drive trays, while the power button, status lights, and USB ports occupy a narrow strip below. The arrangement keeps everyday connections accessible without leaving five drive handles competing for attention on your desk.

Designer: Minisforum

Open it up, however, and the distinction between storage access and computer maintenance becomes clearer. The hard drives have their own front-facing trays, while the motherboard travels forward on a separate sliding assembly beneath them. Minisforum carries this layout over from the earlier N5 Air. Its appeal is straightforward enough: memory and SSD upgrades don’t require dismantling the entire box around them.

That matters when a simple family archive starts taking on other jobs. Two DDR5 memory slots accept up to 96GB of replaceable RAM, giving owners room to expand as they add applications or virtual machines. The six-core AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS processor handles the computing, with 12 threads available for concurrent tasks. You aren’t locked into the memory configuration you chose initially.

Storage follows a similar division of labor. Five SATA bays accommodate larger drives for accumulated photos and footage, while three M.2 slots provide space for solid-state storage. Minisforum advertises up to 174TB across both groups. That’s a raw capacity ceiling, not usable space after redundancy. The included 64GB system drive also occupies one M.2 slot, so those three positions aren’t all empty.

The rear connections leave room for the setup around it to grow, too. Separate 10GbE and 5GbE network ports offer faster wired links, although your computer and network equipment need to support those speeds. There’s also OCuLink for external expansion and an internal PCIe slot. Despite its x16 size, that slot runs at PCIe 4.0 x4 bandwidth, an important distinction before choosing an upgrade.

The software brings those hardware options back to household routines. Minisforum’s MinisCloud OS offers photo organization, device backups, and separate personal and shared spaces, so family pictures needn’t share the same permissions as work documents. Docker support lets owners install additional applications. There is a caveat, though: Minisforum labels the operating system as beta software, something worth considering before entrusting it with irreplaceable files.

Minisforum lists the barebones model at $495, including that 64GB system drive but no RAM or data drives. The 16GB RAM version is listed at $679. Immediate stock and dispatch aren’t independently confirmed. Those additional hardware costs belong in the budget, but at least installing your chosen parts is something the enclosure was designed to accommodate, rather than quietly discourage.

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Logitech Pebble Up mouse transforms into a vertical configuration for power users

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Logitech already impressed us with the Mobi Fold mouse for its compact utility and ergonomic shape. Now the PC accessories maker is back with the Pebble Up mouse that works on the same principle of shape-shifting form for better ergonomic grip when needed.

The new travel mouse replaces the existing Pebble Mouse 2 M350s, which comes in combination with a compact keyboard for ultra portability. Having the combo in my existing work setup, the new mouse upgrade is an interesting lure. In normal usage, the mouse is more or less like the predecessor, but there is an upper panel which can be lifted to form a taller, angled shape for an alternate holding position.

Designer: Logitech

According to Logitech, the primary motivation for this design inclusion is the strain linked to tunnel syndrome, or more commonly known as carpal tunnel. While I won’t recommend buying the mouse simply on this claim, the idea is centred on relieving hand stress for people like me who work for long hours on their PC. Pebble Up comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which is a good addition compared to the M350s, which run on AA batteries. The built-in 290 mAh rechargeable battery is rated for 90 days of use per charge, which is respectable. The wireless range of the mouse is 10 meters, which is again a good thing to have for a travel accessory.

The 4,200 CPI resolution mouse can pair with three different devices and make the switch between these devices with a simple button toggle with the Easy-Switch button. Bluetooth Low Energy makes that possible, and you can also use the more reliable Logi Bolt USB receiver for one device. You can program the mouse scroll wheel and the DPI rate adjustment from 400 to 4,000 CPI, or toggle the gesture functions from the Logi Options+ app for Windows and Mac. You have to keep in mind, though, that on mobile devices and Linux you won’t get these extended options and will rely only on the basic mouse features.

Compared to the Pebble Mouse 2 M350s, this one weighs 79, which is 3 grams heavier, attributable to the built-in battery. Pebble Up is available in Rose Pink, Graphite Gray, and Pearl White options, which are all made out of post-consumer recycled plastic. The first two contain 43 percent recycled material, while the Graphite Gray has 56 percent recycled plastic. Priced at 250 yuan (approximately $38), this looks like the next upgrade to my trusted travel partner. With a Logitech Lift-like optional setup, the transforming mouse will be fun to work with.

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NUS Researchers Turn Electronic Threads Into a Touchscreen Sleeve

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Checking your sleeve usually means looking for a stain, not opening a calculator. Researchers at the National University of Singapore have given that familiar piece of clothing a rather different purpose, threading a working touchscreen into its fabric. The research prototype displays images, responds to presses, and bends around the forearm without relying on a rigid panel strapped on top of it.

The interesting part is how the screen becomes part of the garment. Each electronic fiber carries a row of LEDs and a touch-sensitive layer beneath them, all within a thread about 0.04 inches thick. Pressing the fiber closes a circuit, allowing the system to locate your finger. You aren’t poking through fabric at a hidden glass screen; the thread itself detects the press.

Designers: Heng Fu, Ziang Li, Swetika Chaturvedi, Xiaoyu Zhang, Xiaolong Li, Qianyi Li & Tural Khudiyev (National University of Singapore)

The sleeve combines 54 of those fibers, each carrying 96 LEDs, into a display roughly 6.6 inches by 4.1 inches. Its 96-by-54-pixel resolution isn’t going to replace your phone’s display, although the prototype can show pictures and play video. Large icons make more sense here than tiny menus, giving the interface a chunky character that suits a screen wrapped around a moving arm.

That placement puts simple tools within reach without fishing through a pocket. The team demonstrated a calculator, compass, photo viewer, and voice commands, along with Bluetooth image transfers. Video runs at 30 frames per second, dropping to 25 with synchronized audio. Those aren’t smartphone specifications to brag about, of course, but checking a direction doesn’t demand a miniature movie theater on your sleeve.

Other fibers carry a microphone, speaker, and sensors for movement, light, direction, and temperature. That lets the interface rotate with the arm and adjust its brightness automatically. A temperature-sensing fiber positioned under the arm can send a reading to the sleeve, suggesting how clothing might eventually make personal measurements easier to check. That doesn’t mean it’s ready to replace your thermometer, though.

Of course, clothing has to survive more than a few demonstrations. NUS reports that light output and touch response barely changed after 50 detergent washes and 1,000 bends. The washing procedure used a laundry bag and a gentle cycle, rather than treating the electronics like gym socks. That’s encouraging, though a laundry test isn’t a promise of surviving years of careless washing.

There’s also a difference between making the display flexible and making the entire computer disappear. Separate controller circuits and battery packs still support this prototype, so the electronics haven’t all become yarn. The researchers report breathability comparable to common fabrics, including cotton and denim, but a wearable system also has to account for where its power supply and other hardware sit during use.

For now, this remains a laboratory garment, with no announced retail price or release date. Higher resolution and more integrated electronics are among the challenges ahead. There’s a practical design question underneath the glowing sleeve, too. If the interface lives in your clothes, charging, repairing, and eventually replacing it become wardrobe decisions, alongside the ordinary matter of choosing something that fits comfortably.

The post NUS Researchers Turn Electronic Threads Into a Touchscreen Sleeve first appeared on Yanko Design.

DeWalt’s Tool Batteries Can Charge Laptops Without an Outlet

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A charged drill battery and a dying laptop can sit on the same table and still be useless to each other. That feels like an unnecessarily strict division of labor. DeWalt’s DCB094K USB Charging Kit addresses that disconnect by letting compatible tool batteries power USB devices through an attachable adapter. If you already have spare packs in the garage, the appeal is straightforward: stored energy becomes available to something besides the tool it normally clicks into.

The better detail is that power can travel the other way, too. The kit’s DCB094 adapter has a bidirectional USB-C port, so it can recharge a DeWalt battery from a suitable USB power supply as well as draw from that battery to charge personal electronics. That solves a second annoyance: needing a dedicated tool-battery charging dock when a compatible USB supply could do the job. It’s this return trip that makes the accessory interesting to me.

Designer: DeWalt

Visually, DeWalt hasn’t tried to disguise it as a sleek desk accessory. The yellow-and-black housing sits on the battery like a smaller piece of power-tool equipment, complete with ventilation slots and a metal belt hook. In the product photograph, the attached battery still accounts for much of the assembly’s bulk. I like that lack of pretense. It looks appropriate beside drill bits and a pencil, even when the cable coming out of it leads to a laptop.

The headline specification deserves a closer look, though. DeWalt rates the USB-C connection for up to 100 watts in either direction, but the kit includes a 65-watt wall supply. You also get a 100-watt-rated USB cable and the belt hook, but no battery. In other words, the adapter’s maximum capability and the supplied wall charger’s output are different numbers. The included charger cannot deliver a 100-watt input simply because the port can accept it. That distinction matters more than the big number on the listing.

Compatibility also needs a little attention. DeWalt lists support for its 20V MAX and FLEXVOLT batteries, while the adapter provides a USB-A output rated at up to 12 watts alongside USB-C. The latter is the connection to consider for a compatible laptop, but check the computer’s charging requirements first. A USB-C socket alone doesn’t establish that a laptop accepts charging through it, and this adapter isn’t a universal substitute for every computer’s power brick.

One interface choice feels less intuitive than the overall idea. The adapter’s indicator lights report charging activity for the DeWalt battery, not the phone or laptop receiving power. DeWalt’s manual specifically notes that the LEDs won’t illuminate while charging personal devices. I’d prefer an obvious output indicator, particularly on an accessory that changes roles depending on what’s connected. As designed, you’ll need to look at the receiving device to confirm that it’s getting power.

The workbench appearance shouldn’t be mistaken for permission to leave it in the weather, either. The manual says to keep the charger out of rain and snow and provide a dry location outdoors. It also instructs owners to detach the battery when the adapter isn’t being used to avoid draining the pack in storage.

Runnings currently lists the kit at $119, which makes this a considered accessory purchase rather than an automatic addition to the cart. I’d find it easier to justify with compatible batteries already on hand. Buying a battery as well would mean paying for an entire setup when the actual need might simply be keeping a phone charged. The useful question is how often those existing packs could cover a charging need away from an outlet.

For someone who moves between DIY projects and laptop work, the two-way charging is the strongest argument. I’d rather add a useful connection to equipment I already own than collect another battery solely for occasional backup duty. The DCB094K makes that possible, provided its price and your device’s requirements line up.

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Statik PowerStand turns a USB-C cable into a folding phone stand

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A phone charging flat on a desk isn’t particularly useful when you want to follow a recipe or join a video call. Statik’s PowerStand gives that familiar cable an extra job, building a folding stand directly into its USB-C connector. The $19.99 retail accessory lets your phone stay propped up while plugged in, without adding a separate cradle to the table.

Most of the work happens in a broad connector housing that sits across the phone’s bottom edge. Two legs pivot out from its ends, turning the plug into a little support structure for portrait or landscape viewing. Fold those legs back against the housing when you’re finished, and the stand travels with the cable rather than becoming another loose accessory to forget.

Designer: Statik

That arrangement makes particular sense beside a laptop, where a phone can sit upright for calls while the computer handles everything else. Turn it sideways, and the same support becomes useful for watching a video over lunch. There’s no magnetic ring or special case to attach first, although you do have to plug the stand end into the phone to use it.

The connector’s shape matters even when you aren’t using the stand. Its right-angle layout sends the cord along the phone’s edge instead of straight out into your hand, a useful distinction when holding it horizontally for a game. Statik also extends the plug’s shaft to reach through most cases, though that isn’t a promise that every bulky protective cover will fit.

Putting a wide piece of hardware underneath a phone creates another problem, since that space often contains speakers and microphones. PowerStand’s housing includes molded channels that Statik says direct sound toward the listener while keeping those openings clear. It’s a thoughtful response to the connector’s added width, although the available evidence doesn’t establish a measurable improvement in volume or call quality.

Statik rates the cable for up to 240W using USB Power Delivery 3.1, allowing it to serve compatible laptops when paired with an appropriate charger. That figure describes the cable’s capacity, not what every connected device will receive. Data transfers are limited to USB 2.0’s 480Mbps, making this a charging-first accessory rather than a particularly speedy file-transfer cable for large video projects and backups.

At 6.6 feet, the cord gives you some room between the outlet and whatever patch of desk or kitchen counter you’re using. It has a braided nylon jacket and reinforced strain relief, while the connector combines TPE plastic and aluminum. The rest of the lead remains a conventional cable, with a standard USB-C plug at the opposite end rather than another folding mechanism.

Of course, putting a stand inside a connector means accepting a much wider plug, even on days when you only want to charge. There’s no getting around that tradeoff by folding the feet away. But for someone who regularly props a phone beside a keyboard or hotel bed, though, that extra width buys a more useful resting place than the nearest coffee mug on the nightstand.

The post Statik PowerStand turns a USB-C cable into a folding phone stand first appeared on Yanko Design.