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The best USB-C cables and adapters
By Sarah Witman This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full guide to USB-C cables and adapters. If you have a device with a USB-C port—like a MacBook or Android phone, or 2018 iPad Pro—you're going to need some cables. Unfortunately, when it comes to USB-C, even cables that look identical can perform very differently. Your MacBook's charging cable, for example, has the exact same connectors at each end as a top-speed Thunderbolt 3 cable, but it's different internally; it transfers data at a snail's pace, and it can't send a video signal. To make sure you get the right cable for your needs, we've tested 36 cables and 16 adapters to find the best ones for charging, data transfer, video, and more.
The best Bluetooth audio receiver for your home stereo or speakers
By R. Matthew Ward This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter, reviews for the real world. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here. After doing 13 hours of research and considering 76 models, we performed dozens of hours of real-world testing and 13 additional hours of focused, in-depth testing on the top 14 Bluetooth-audio receivers for adding wireless connectivity to an existing audio system. We think the StarTech BT2A Bluetooth Audio Receiver is the best receiver for most people thanks to its combination of connectivity, range, audio quality, and usability at a reasonable price.
The best USB-C adapters, cables, and hubs
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 article here. After 10 hours of preliminary research, we tested more than 25 USB-C accessories to put together this guide to the best ways to connect peripherals and devices to a USB-C–equipped computer. It's by no means exhaustive. USB-C can, in theory, replace every other port, and there are a seemingly infinite number of port combinations you might encounter. We focused on the most important tasks you'll likely face, such as connecting older peripherals like hard drives and hooking up an external display.
New Mini DisplayPort video adapters from StarTech
All of Apple's new offerings in the Mac line use Mini DisplayPort to pump video out to other monitors or video displays. Whether it's an 11" MacBook Air, a fully-loaded Mac Pro (with two Mini DisplayPort outputs), or any of the machines in between, Apple has standardized on Mini DisplayPort for video output. To connect to different types of displays, Apple also sells a number of video adapters through Apple retail stores and the online store. There are Apple-branded adapter cables for VGA, DVI, and Dual-link DVI, as well as a Moshi HDMI adapter. Now a new source of these adapters has hit the market. StarTech is a maker of parts, adapters, KVM switches and the like, and it apparently saw a big potential market for these cables due to Apple's standardization. StarTech has just announced a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter (US$21.99), a Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter ($21.99), and a Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter ($33.99). The pricing is great on the HDMI and DVI adapters; the HDMI adapter is a full $13 less than the Moshi HDMI adapter, while the DVI adapter is about $8 cheaper. The VGA adapter is about $5 more expensive than the Apple equivalent. If you need to connect your Mac to another video display, it's good to know that you have another alternative for the necessary cables.
USB 3.0 ExpressCard adapter promises more than it can deliver
Been fretting over the upcoming slew of USB 3.0 devices and your relatively new laptop's inability to exploit their full speed? Well this isn't going to help you much, but it's a great example of why you should shop with a careful eye and preferably from reputable stores. British e-tailer StarTech.com (no, we haven't heard of them before either) is now offering an ExpressCard-based USB 3.0 adapter for £39 (about $64), which seems a bargain considering the promised 5Gbps transfer speeds and general bragging rights associated with having SuperSpeed. But here's the rub: while USB 3.0 certainly supports such speeds, the ExpressCard 1.0 device in question doesn't. In fact, you'll be limited to a tenth half the speed the 3.0 controller onboard is capable of, leaving us to question what the exact point of this device really is. Any ideas? Update: We've double-checked the specs and this card can in fact give you 2.5Gbps throughput, which isn't quite so terrible, but still isn't the full USB 3.0 spec which is lauded on their sales page.
