connector
Latest
Apple granted patent for a 'reduced size multi-pin connector,' namedrops USB 3.0 and DisplayPort
Apple has just collected the US Patent Office's approval to add another to its vast hoard of patents. This one, numero 7,918,689 in the USPTO annals, describes a multi-pin male plug connector and a corresponding female receptacle, with the innovation being a reduction in size thanks to a single row of contacts. You can think of it as Apple's next generation of 30-pin connectors, or rather the next generation as the company envisioned it back in late 2008, the date of filing for this document. Back then, while the age of the click wheel was still upon us, Apple wanted to transfer USB 3.0 and DisplayPort signals over its newfangled plug, aspirations that were codified in claim 11 of its patent. We may now be a solid 30 or so months removed from that doc hitting the Patent Office's inbox, but the desire to have advanced data transfer tech integrated straight into the company's proprietary connectors is unlikely to have withered. Would it be a stretch to expect Apple's now working on a similar solution for the Thunderbolt interconnect -- whose plug looks identical to the one used for DisplayPort -- that is presently gracing its MacBook Pro line? %Gallery-120503%
Windows Phone 7 Connector v1.1 makes uncomfortable debut in Mac App Store
Mac users defying convention of their peers with Zune HD and Windows Phone 7 devices are in for a treat. After a long, drawn out beta release, Microsoft has unleashed Windows Phone 7 Connector into the Mac App Store. The handy utility, now at version 1.1, provides sync capability of all DRM-free media between Microsoft's latest portable devices and your Mac. Users may also update their WP7 software from the Connector, and sync to multiple Macs. Support for Apple Lossless audio is new to this release, along with an option to automatically launch the app when a supported device is connected. Snow Leopard is required admission for this freebie; Leopard users will need to bring their cat into the Snow if they're hoping to join the party. After shutting out Mac users for years, it's good to see Microsoft begin to right its ways. Now, if we could just get a similar outpouring of love for Zune Pass...
Hanwha unleashes HDMI / USB adapter for iPad, iPhone 4, and fourth-gen iPod touch
Feel the desire to watch your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch (fourth gen) videos on the big screen, but looking for something with a little more girth than Apple's HDMI solution? Hanwha's latest dongle might do the job. As you can see above, in place of the original adapter's dock connector port is a USB 2.0 socket -- compatible with cameras supporting mass storage connection -- alongside the 720p-friendly HDMI port, but you'll have to use the switch to toggle between the two modes. And that little mini-USB port on the far right? Well, it's there to provide some juice to "reduce battery drain," but probably not enough to charge up your iDevice. If you're still interested and have a friend in Japan, Hanwha's charging ¥5,980 (around $73), which is almost double that of Apple's $39 connector. Is USB support worth such a price jump? Your call.
Ford Focus Electric confirmed to not support fast charging, EV fragmentation looms large
Thought that fragmentation was reserved for the mobile OS realm? Think again. With the first (and second) waves of electric vehicles dribbling out to the streets, an obvious problem is becoming even more obvious. The city of Chicago is fixing to install 73 fast-charging EV stations by the end of the year, but two of the most commonly driven ones won't be able to take advantage. Chevy's Volt and Ford's Focus Electric will only support the slower Level 2 charging, leaving those faster ones for Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i MiEV owners to enjoy. As if that weren't headache-inducing enough, a slew of other automakers are reportedly planning to "sign on to a new standard for fast charging that would be incompatible with Chicago's infrastructure," and if you think the Windy City is alone in this mess, you're wrong. We've already heard of similar issues in the nation's capitol, and Jack Pokrzywa, manager of global ground vehicle standards for SAE International, still doesn't seem convinced that auto producers are really ready and willing to commit to a single fast-charging standard. HD DVD vs. Blu-ray was one thing, but thousands of vehicle chargers crowding up our cities once they become obsolete in a year? That's so not green.
TwelveSouth Magic Wand brings your keyboard and Magic Trackpad closer together
Kind of crazy that we haven't seen more accessories that combine the Apple Bluetooth keyboard with the Magic Trackpad yet, but TwelveSouth has it covered with the Magic Wand, a simple aluminum half-tube that takes your two Apple wireless peripherals and joins them as one. Cute. Of course you're still stuck with duplicate sets of batteries, and you'll have to somehow deal with the fact that you just spent $30 on a piece of metal that creates a godless keyboard chimera monster, but if you can get past that the Magic Wand is shipping now. Video after the break.
Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac OS goes gold, hits the Mac App Store
It's been available since October in beta form, but Microsoft has just turned its Windows Phone 7 Connector product to a shiny shade of gold, giving Mac owners a solid (if not Zune-free) option for hooking up their Windows Phones without firing up Boot Camp. We're told there aren't any new features in the latest build worth noting, so you'll get the same options as before: media synchronization, iTunes compatibility, and support for Windows Phone firmware updates. A full Zune client would be choice, of course -- but we'll take it. And you can take it, too: it's now in the Mac App Store. [Thanks, Hayden]
Icron Technologies unveils 20-meter USB 3.0 cable, mostly because it can
Looked at your stash of USB 3.0 cables lately? Chances are that each and every one of 'em are three meters or shorter, and there's good reason for that. Signal degradation over long distances is a problem that the world at large has been dealing with since the early days of human life, but somehow or another, Icron Technologies has figured out how to bend physics. The company has just announced a partnership with Intersil Corporation, and the two are linking up in order to produce a 20 meter USB 3.0 cable. Reportedly, it'll deliver a full 5Gbps of USB 3.0 throughput over the full 20 meters, but there's no mention of a price. Rest assured, it'll be far more than you're prepared to pay.
Skunk Juice earbuds and their magnetic connectors might just save your ear drums (video)
You know when you're rocking out, earbuds nestled in your canals just so, and then the cord catches on something and it feels like your brain is getting sucked out through your ear holes? That very situation could be avoided if only you were wearing Skunk Juice earbuds. They feature a magnetic ZZYZX SnapJack connectors, not unlike those found in Belkin's BreakFree guitar cable, providing a failure point somewhere south of your fragile head internals. Additionally, you can pop your magnetic terminator onto the end of any other pair of Skunk Juice 'buds and listen in on what the other person is grooving out to, a situation charmingly demonstrated in the video below. We're a little doubtful that these will ever be common enough for that particular halcyon vision of the future to come to pass, but right here in the present we're quite sure that's a strong contender for worst product name of the year -- already.
Patents aplenty: iPhone radio, fiber optic MagSafe, 3D without glasses
Apple's patent team must be cramming before the end of the year, because this past week we've seen a flood of patent applications come out of Cupertino. First up, Apple has patented a radio system in the iPhone (finally!), allowing you to listen to standard FM and AM broadcasts on the smartphone. The patent itself also includes an idea for a satellite radio connection, as well as a card to plug into Macs that would do the same thing. And there's a radio map idea as well, that would chart and let you browse nearby radio stations. Pretty cool idea -- hopefully we'll see it in the next iPhone revision. Next up is a new version of the MagSafe power adapter that could include a fiber optic channel, so that the cord not only carries a power connection, but can also transmit data to and from another unit equipped to provide both (Intel's Light Peak technology isn't mentioned in the patent, but it would probably work). You can see four pins in the current MagSafe connector, but this fiber optic node would sit right in the middle of those. Cool idea, though it seems like the actual implementation would need to be worked on a little bit further. Finally, Apple's also picked up patents for a 3D rendering system that would allow you to see live 3D in a room without glasses. This one's complicated -- it would track a user's position, and then send separate images to their right and left eyes through multiple projectors. This patent was actually filed a few years ago, so it's likely a hairbrained idea Apple had at the time, rather than anything that will eventually see the light of day. At least Apple's keeping up the creativity for us, right?
Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac moves to public beta
That didn't take long, did it? The promised beta of Windows Phone 7's Mac-friendly companion app is now available, bringing basic media sync capability -- notably with iTunes and iPhoto integration -- to that shiny new Microsoft-powered phone of yours. In fact, Microsoft delivered the client so fast that it beat every single American WP7 device to market -- so AT&T and T-Mobile folks, you can rest easy knowing that you'll be Mac-compatible from day one. Notably, the so-called Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac lacks any Zune functionality; Microsoft has never written a true Zune client for Mac, unfortunately, but at least this is a critical first step that makes these things usable for Mac owners that aren't tied to the iPhone. Let us know how the app treats you in comments, alright?
Patent illustrations hint at double-dock iPad, touch-based corner button
Patently Apple has a few new patent illustrations from China that may hint at future iPad hardware features. The first is a second dock on the side of the tablet. As you can see above, the connector would come in handy if you wanted to view the iPad in landscape form, but didn't want to have a cable sticking out of the side. Personally, I can't really see Apple duplicating functionality in this way, though -- while a second port would be handy, it seems a waste to have a completely separate port used only half the time. Like most patents, this is only an idea at this point -- Apple isn't required to actually use it in a future release. The second idea is more interesting, in my mind: the images show what seems to be a touch-sensitive area on the corner of the front of the iPad. PA presumes that this would be a button-less button, an area you could tap or press to do things like return to the iPad's homepage or flip pages in iBooks. Now that's a really interesting idea -- the front glass section of the iPhone and iPad is pretty much unused at this point, and if Apple could work it out so that even part of it could become functional (even in a limited way), that would be exciting. And finally, it's worth noting that quite a few of these pictures have what's presumably a small camera sitting at the top of the iPad's screen. Yes, by now it's pretty much a given that the iPad will come with a camera in the next iteration, but there's another slice of evidence to stick in the growing proof sandwich.
Mobile High-Definition Link supergroup upgrades to Consortium status
The Nokia / Samsung / Toshiba / Sony / Silicon Image team hoping to bring a standard to the world of high definition outputs on mobiles just got a bit official-er, shifting from the old working group title to the newly formed MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) Consortium. If you haven't been paying attention over the last couple of years (we understand, we've been caught up in the Twilight series too -- Bella's life is so complex) Silicon Image has been pushing a 5-pin alternative to pared down HDMI jacks that are capable of outputting 1080p to connected displays while also providing power to the mobile device over a single cable. A 1.0 draft of the spec is due in the first half of the year, but an early peek is available now for $100. Since we're not CE companies looking to implement the jack or build cables and docks we'll pass but you might be interested in perusing the FAQ on the site if you're still not sure why we need yet another type of connector to feed HD from our pocketable devices to the big screen.
Nokia N900 micro-USB connectors prone to failure?
The N900's well on its way to developing a solid reputation as a hacker's dream, but here's the thing: hackers need a way to charge their device. Actually, we all do, which makes a trending problem with N900s in the field particularly worrisome. It seems that the micro-USB connector's surface mount design is causing it to become misaligned or disconnected completely, and affected users seem to be having mixed results getting the issue covered under warranty. One of the symptoms of a misaligned connector is that it's unusually snug or difficult to connect, and thinking back to our review unit, we did have some minor issues there but didn't really think anything of it at the time. Anyone out there run into this nasty little issue? Update: Mark Squires, head of social media at Nokia, dropped by our comments with an update. In short, Nokia is looking into the matter and anyone who experiences the issue should be covered by local Nokia customer care assuming that the N900 hasn't been mistreated.
DisplayPort 1.2 receives final VESA blessing, grows into a real standard
VESA might've been a bit tardy with finalizing it, but DisplayPort v1.2 is now all official and it comes with an impressive tally of numbers to get your attention. Doubling the data throughput of v1.1a (from 10.8Gbps to 21.6Gbps), the latest version will be able to support multiple monitors via only a single output cable, allowing you to daisy-chain up to four 1920 x 1200 monitors, for example. It can also perform bi-directional data transfer, which will permit USB hubs, webcams, and touchscreen panels integrated into displays to communicate over the same cable as the video signal. Backwards compatibility with older peripherals is assured, but you'll naturally need a v1.2-capable computer to exploit all this newfound goodness. You'll find the full PR after the break.
Atlona's HDAiR wireless USB-to-VGA / HDMI adapter gains audio, usefulness
Remember that HDAiR adapter we reviewed with exceptionally high hopes earlier this year? Yeah, it wasn't exactly the dream device we wanted, but it seems as if Atlona may have just remedied the primary gripe we had against it. The all-new HDAiR wireless USB-to-VGA / HDMI adapter is essentially the same one as before, but this time audio is involved. In response to widespread demand for the feature, the outfit has added the ability to output audio in both 3.5mm analog, as well as embedded on the HDMI output. This one's also compatible with Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7, and it's still using the tried-and-true UWB protocol to sling content. If you managed to hold off on the first guy, this one's available to order now for $219.
Apple's Mini DisplayPort gets VESA stamp of approval
We already knew that Apple's homegrown Mini DisplayPort connector was being baked into the DisplayPort 1.2 specifications, but now said socket has even more validity in the marketplace thanks to a ringing endorsement from the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA). As of now, the diminutive connector has managed to comply with all of the signaling and protocol capabilities defined in the DisplayPort Standard Version 1, Revision 1a, and we're told that DisplayPort 1.2 -- which incorporates mDP and doubles available bandwidth to 21.6Gb/second -- is nearing finalization. Looks like we can finally look forward to seeing products take advantage of this socket aside from those Designed In California (and copied shamelessly in the outskirts of Shenzhen).
TUAW Review: Kanex HDMI + audio adapter works fine but costs extra
When we first heard about the Kanex HDMI + digital audio converter a few weeks ago, I was eager to give it a trial run and see if it managed to deliver on the promise of integrated audio with HDMI video. I've been playing with the $70 unit for a few days now, and the answer is a qualified yes: it does the job, but depending on your home theater setup you may be able to get by with a less expensive option. The digital-audio Kanex unit ships without a manual and is largely self-explanatory (although the company has now posted a basic user guide and FAQ) -- a female HDMI port on one side of the roughly iPod-sized unit, and three male cables coming out the other side. The cables connect to the mini DisplayPort, optical audio out, and USB port of your Mac; while Kanex does sell a $60 unit that handles audio over USB, this version only uses that connection to power the adapter and does not provide a USB audio interface. If you're running short of open powered USB ports you might opt to plug it into a USB power adapter instead. In operation, there's not much to worry about: I plugged in all three ports to a unibody MacBook Pro and connected an HDMI display, then went to the normal Mac OS X Displays preference pane, where I found a full assortment of resolutions for my enjoyment. The top few 'television' options may vary with your connected gear; on my test set (a Vizio 42" 720p display) I was able to choose 720p and, oddly enough, 1080i and 1080p. Below that you have resolutions ranging from 640x480 up into the 1600x1000 range.
Kanex brings digital audio into a Display Port to HDMI adapter
When we published our "Ultimate Mac mini Home Theater" guide in August, I drooled along with everyone else at the idea of supercharging my HDTV with a mini for movie and music playback. Something nagged at me, though, as I looked over the options for going from the mini's video-out ports (the current model sports both DVI and Display Port) to the HDMI standard connector that most TVs expect nowadays... how to get that digital audio signal onto the HDMI link, and avoid a second set of cables to handle sound? It seemed less than graceful. If you want to skip over a clunky external converter box like this one, current minis and other Macs featuring the Mini Display Port connector now have a new option for HDMI; Kanex's two audio-included connectors can put the sound onto the HDMI link where it belongs. Kanex is selling two models of the connector (both are on extremely limited availability right now, the company says). The $60 Digital Audio version includes a TOSLINK optical connector for premium quality sound, and the USB Audio version delivers analog audio for $50 [as of 10/20, the price has gone up on this unit to $60 as well]. Both let you put all your eggs in the HDMI basket and clear your cable clutter, while simplifying your TV remote input dance as you try to get the audio and video sorted. We're hoping to get our hands on one of these units soon and we'll let you know how it performs. Thanks to Michael W. for the tip.
Atlona ships AT-DP200 DVI to Mini DisplayPort adapter
Folks who just so happen to own a Mini DisplayPort-equipped monitor (you know, like Apple's 24-inch LED Cinema Display) have been longing for this adapter for what feels like forever, and while Atlona assured us it was coming way back in July, it has taken until now for the all-important ship date to arrive. The AT-DP200 is capable of maintaining resolution and HDCP compatibility, but considering the $179 price tag, we might suggest picking up a new graphics card instead. Your call, buster.
Tech-On! examines DiiVA's (slim) opportunities in an HDMI world
Like us, you may be wondering if anything can take on HDMI in the digital connector space. Tech-On! has gone a bit more in depth on China's new DiiVA standard to examine what it has going for it, and whether there is a way for it to survive in the marketplace. So far most of its support has come from Chinese manufacturers, but LG, Panasonic, Samsung and Sharp are all apparently part of the DiiVA promotion group, with compatible equipment expected to be on display at CES 2010. Mix in the defection of an executive from Silicon Image who worked on spreading HDMI to DiiVA backer Synerchip, and it seems like the spec -- based on CAT-6 cabling and offering enhanced networking functions -- might actually stand a chance.
