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SanDisk unveils a portable 8TB SSD prototype and 1TB USB-C thumb drive
If you're in the market for a portable SSD, you're probably looking at drives that are at most 2TB in capacity -- 4TB SSDs exist, but they're few and far between. SanDisk is plowing ahead, though, and is showing off an 8TB SSD prototype at CES. The company says it's the world's highest capacity, pocket-sized SSD with a transfer rate of 20Gbps. The drive looks a bit bigger than the company's current Extreme Portable External SSD models, but that's to be expected, since it has a much higher capacity and transfers data roughly four times faster.
The Morning After: PewDiePie is taking a break from YouTube in 2020
Welcome back! This week should be less busy, with fewer oblong-shaped gadgets to discuss (we got the new Xbox and talked all about the Mac Pro last week). In the run-up to the holidays, there's simply not as much big tech news. If you're planning to travel home or visit family, we've got gift guides that you might want to peep at. Something that we missed, though, are the dongles and cables to smooth your transit. I just flew back from New York to London on Saturday, and while it's no nine-hour flight (that's CES in Las Vegas next month), it's long enough to demand some gadget charging. The curse of an early adopter struck, however -- my bag was filled with USB-C cables for my iPhone 11 Pro, Switch and wireless headphones. Airplanes seats, if they have any charging ports at all, are old-school USB-A, so there's another difficult transition on the horizon, just after we accepted the death of the headphone port. A USB-C to USB-A dongle is now on my Amazon wishlist if anyone needs a last-minute stocking filler for me. Now, onto what happened over the weekend. -Mat
USB-C could soon offer protection against nefarious devices
USB chargers and devices are universally accessible and easy to use, but they come with a host of potential security risks, namely the spread of malware from infected devices, and data leakage should a device fall into the wrong hands. Now, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) -- the big dog in the advancement of USB tech -- has launched its USB Type-C Authentication Program, which will help mitigate these issues.
Spare a thought for the guy with Lightning headphones
It was a questionable decision to opt for headphones that work with two devices. Nevertheless, I do love the Audeze iSINE 10s that I've used every day for the past year and a half. Sure, I can't charge and listen to music at the same time, but thanks to a Lightning cable feeding data and power to Audeze's in-line DAC, they sound fantastic on both my iPad and my iPhone. Unfortunately, I'm now stuck with some wonderful headphones that are roughly half as useful as they were yesterday, as Apple has just switched from Lightning to USB-C for its latest iPad Pros.
Apple's iPad and Mac event: By the numbers
For the second time in as many months, Apple's executive leadership took to the stage to reveal the company's latest luxury computing products. This time around we saw a new iPad Pro with a fancy magnetic stylus, a Retina-enabled MacBook Air (made entirely of recycled aluminum), a new Mac Mini, and $9 headphone dongles to make the tablet you just dropped a grand on minimally functional in polite society.
The biggest news from Apple's iPad and Mac event
As expected, Apple spent today's event in Brooklyn, New York, focused on the Mac and the iPad. The long-languishing MacBook Air finally caught up with the rest of the company's laptop lineup while the even-more-outdated Mac mini received its first meaningful update in years. And the iPad Pro, already the best pure tablet on the market by most measures, was completely redesigned again, adding USB-C and taking plenty of design cues from Apple's recent iPhones. Oh, and it's incredibly powerful. Apple even shows off the iPad Pro running attached to 5K displays now. While all these updates are meaningful, Apple is charging significantly more for them than it did for the products they replace. Get ready for some sticker shock. Whether these changes will be worth the cash is up to you: Read on to get details on the most meaningful changes Apple made today and how much the new hardware will set you back.
Apple now offers a USB-C Watch charger
The iPhone XR made its entrance today, but that's not the only new product available in the Apple Store. The company also introduced a USB-C charger for the Apple Watch. Up until now, the only official option for charging your Apple Watch was a USB-A cable, which made it difficult if you wanted to charge directly from your late 2016 and on MacBook Pro. If you're interested in picking up the cable, it will set you back the same as the USB-A Apple Watch one: $29.
Google's $30 USB-C earbuds offer access to Assistant, translations
Google's first attempt at wireless earbuds, the Pixel Buds, aren't for everyone. Not just because they don't live up to the hype -- due to jerky performance, overly sensitive touch controls and a tedious case design -- but also because they cost $159. If that's a lot more than you're willing to spend, Google has a budget-friendly option for you: the Pixel USB-C earbuds, priced at $30.
New iPad Pros will reportedly get Face ID and lose the home button
Apple's iOS 12.1 release back in September hinted at a new iPad launch before the year is out, and now new details have emerged on exactly what the device might look like. According to 9to5mac, sources familiar with the development of the new 2018 iPad Pro have revealed there will be two WiFi and two LTE models in both size options.
OnePlus is dropping the headphone jack from the upcoming 6T
Apple seemingly hammered the final nail in the coffin for the 3.5-millimeter headphone jack in iPhones Wednesday after dropping the 6s and SE models (the last of its handsets to include the port) from its lineup. Another company is axing the headphone jack too, after OnePlus confirmed its upcoming phone won't include the port.
HP's new 4K display lineup has USB-C connectivity
HP made its focus on its business audience clear with its latest range of laptops, and now the brand has rolled out a new lineup of 4K displays, and a multiple display dock, to further reinforce its commitment to professional users. The collection includes the new EliteDisplay S270n, plus three Z-series displays in sizes from 27 to 43 inches.
Project Linda is a laptop dock for the Razer Phone
It's CES, and that means Razer is in Las Vegas with another one of its concepts. As the company recently released its first smartphone, it's not too surprising that the Project Linda hardware ties into that: It's a laptop dock for the Razer Phone.
Kingston's 7-in-1 USB-C hub saves your MacBook from the dongle life
As sleek and powerful as Apple's latest MacBooks are, one of their shortcomings is the lack of ports and slots, like an SD card reader. And while that's easily fixable with a dongle, things can get tricky if you simultaneously want to charge your computer or pair it with your TV with an HDMI cable. With that in mind, today Kingston launched its 7-in-1 USB Type-C hub, the Nucleum, which aims to save you from having to live the #donglelife. The device has two USB-C ports (one for power, the other for data), HDMI and a couple USB-As as well as SD and microSD card slots.
SanDisk's tiny 1TB USB-C stick is the perfect smartphone upgrade
There's a kind of weird pleasure to be derived from the ever-shrinking size of data storage. Sandisk's latest prototype at CES 2018 continues the company's tradition of space crunching, with a one-terabyte USB-C dongle for your next laptop, tablet or Android phone. And, well, what else can I say? Compared to existing, sometimes bigger USB-C storage, it's adorably petite, even at this early stage. However, there's no word on when it'll appear in stores -- and how much it'll cost. I'd just caution any enthusiasm with the point that this could well be another gadget that's easy to lose.
Get ready to lose the tiniest USB-C authentication key in the world
Yubico has launched a new USB-C authentication key and it is tiny. The tiniest in the world, in fact. But size doesn't matter in this instance, as the YubiKey 4C Nano it works just like any other USB-C authentication key. Designed to replace text messages or external authenticator apps when using two-factor authentication, just insert the key into your PC and bingo, you've got access. Interestingly, though, the company claims its incredibly small size makes it well-suited to simply being left in your laptop, which kind of defies its security and protection purpose. Of course, the alternative is taking it out and -- for something of this size -- inevitably losing it.
Apple's new iPhones can fast-charge, if you have the right adapter
One of the biggest (and most widely predicted) improvements that Apple revealed at its event yesterday was the addition of wireless charging for the iPhone. The glass-backed phones will allow for Qi inductive wireless charging, which means that you can charge them using ubiquitous third-party surfaces. But there are perks if you're willing to continue to use a wire to charge your phone: You can fast charge the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X battery to 50 percent in just 30 minutes.
Nintendo Switch battery lasts for three hours of portable 'Zelda'
Nintendo's new hybrid console is rated for "more than six hours" of use away from an outlet, but mileage will vary depending on the game. In a press release sent out following last night's Switch event, Nintendo says launch title "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild can be played for roughly three hours on a single charge." Obviously, less-taxing games will last considerably longer, allowing Nintendo to claim six hours of battery life with a clear conscience. Whenever the Switch is docked to the TV it automatically charges, so you should leave the house with a full battery every time. However, the Switch uses regular USB Type-C for charging, so you could feasibly top up with the same charger you use for your laptop or phone.
You'll need a new cable to connect the MacBook Pro and iPhone 7
Today, Apple unveiled brand new MacBook Pros with a dynamic Touch Bar and a quick (albeit forced) migration to USB-3 (AKA Thunderbolt). Of course, it's Apple's prerogative to continue to push its customers toward better standards. It did it with USB back in the '90s and removed the headphone jack on its phones because it wants everyone to go wireless. But while it's evolving its ports, it also just made every iPhone owner who wants one of these computers buy a new dongle.
The new MacBook Pro goes all-in on Thunderbolt and USB-C
The rumors are sadly true: Apple is ditching standard USB ports on the new MacBook Pro. Instead, the next version of the laptop will feature a quartet of Thunderbolt 3 ports, which have the same shape as USB-C. More than that, MagSafe is going extinct as well. Meaning, any of your other chargers won't work here in case you trip over the new one and rip it in half. The one port Apple didn't get rid of? The headphone jack. But hey, there's always next year for that sort of courage, right? Click here to catch all the latest news from Apple's "Hello again" event.
Plug this dongle into your Android phone and it records 3D video
The latest Android phones continue to cram more camera tricks up their unibody sleeves, but what about your current smartphone that's barely a year old? That might be where the Eye-Plug comes in. Hidden inside a humble stand deep within Computex here in Taipei, the USB-C accessory plugs into your (currently Android-only) smartphone, adding another camera sensor to your phone for front- and rear-facing dual camera frivolity. (That's where you need that handy reversible connection.) I tested out a prototype, with full production set to begin later this year. 3D selfie videos could be a horrifying reality.
