Account security is one of the most vital pieces of the busy and interconnected world right now and nobody wants strangers accessing their personal information online. You might use a password manager as well as two-factor authentication like we mentioned in a previous post, but now there’s another way to stay protected.
In response to similar approaches from Google and Dropbox, Facebook has added support for safe login security keys. When you log into your account, this device will prove your identity rather than a code which sends to your phone. In addition to the superior security, they’re also potentially faster. With just a tap on the device you can have access to your Facebook account and feel safer in knowing only you can unlock it. It’s a welcome move from the company in an age where cyberattacks and identity theft are on the rise and as a universal rule on the internet, it’s never a bad time to strengthen your defences.
With the potential to push past the lithium ion cells in the majority of mobile tech today, scientists from the University of Central Florida have created a supercapacitor battery prototype. This model works like new even after 30,000 recharges and has an estimated lifetime 20 times longer than traditional mobile battery sources.
Supercapacitors can be charged quickly because they store energy on the surface of a material rather than using internal chemical reactions. This two dimensional sheet is predominately made of graphene and prioritizes surface area to maximize its storage.
To the confusion and frustration of many iPhone 7 users, the lack of an audio jack is being seen as a step forward rather than back. With the advent of USB Type-C, audio will no longer require a 3.5mm headphone port. Instead, that data can be transmitted, along with videos and power, through Type-C.
The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) recently announced its awaited audio specifications for USB Type-C to end the reign of our beloved headphone jack so lets take a look at the new standard. Officially called the USB Audio Device Class 3.0, manufacturers that need to feed sound through USB Type-C ports are affected the most by it. Everything from PCs to phones is included and the USB-IF expects Type-C to be the “primary solution for all digital audio aplications, including headsets, mobile devices, docking stations, gaming set-ups, and VR solutions.”
If the “smart TV” craze hasn’t made it to your home entertainment yet, making one on your own is getting easier every year. All you need is a spare HDMI slot and the Intel Compute Stick.
While all pre-built desktops and laptops come with a hard drive, it’s not uncommon for users to look for a more mobile way to store their data rather than carrying their entire machine with them to all destinations. External hard drives have been the answer to this lack of mobility ever since the ingenuity of a floppy disk met with the carrying capacity of standard disk or optical memory and while many users have their needs met by existing externals, the paradigm of “bigger, faster, and cheaper” in the tech industry rings true as Seagate unveils the Innov8.
The Seagate Innov8 is first in its class in a variety of ways. Its 8TB capacity is something rarely seen in externals and the reason for this is transfer speed. External hard drives usually connect to a machine through a USB cable and with the standard transfer rates of USB 2.0 and even USB 3.0, uploading and accessing such a massive quantity of data was not feasible. Seagate has solved this by being the first and only pioneer to not only use USB Type-C connections to access data, but also for power needs. The Innov8 reduces the additional power cord required for external hard drives of this size by making it energy efficient enough that just one Type-C connector can power the device. Additionally, with the recent release of USB 3.1, an 8TB drive is no longer some overwhelming beast of a data load to sift through when armed with speeds up to 10Gbps.
Question: Have you ever used a WiFi printer setup? It may sound like nothing special, but trust me, once you try it you’ll wonder why you waited so long. Some printers have WiFi built into them already [Brother for only $109 >] and some printers need a wireless print server. This is where the D-Link wireless print server comes into play.
The D-Link DP-301U allows you to connect those older laser and inkjet printers to the wireless print server. Meaning everyone in your office will have access to the printers without the cables. Consider I work off a laptop and so do most others, walking around and being to print on demand is insanely convenient. You may not think so now… but that means you don’t have a wireless printer connection [otherwise you’d agree].
You can buy it from Amazon.com and includes free shipping [limited time] if you use a free shipping Amazon coupon. The unit is not refurbished.
This is indeed a great deal for everyone and you should buy it while this price is still so low.
Never again will the average skateboarder miss out on recording a sweet 12-stair or kickflip due to lack of battery life on the most popular recording device on the planet. With the revolutionary method of harnessing centripetal force, FluxTech Industries is looking to change the lives of millions of skaters across the world with the PowerBoard.
While many have dreamt of the hover board since Marty McFly showed us its possibilities, the PowerBoard achieves a far greater feat. To understand this, lets look at some of the board’s functionality. Underneath, there is a thin panel covered in an adamantium shell. Inside the panel a unique architecture of circuits, capacitors, and Legos enables the board’s magnificent ability to convert each wheel’s centripetal force into electromagnetic energy with 120% efficiency, a magnitude completely unheard of in the physical world.
At trade shows around the world, StoreDot is showing off the Samsung Galaxy S6 with a modified battery and charging port which enabled the device to charge from 10% to 100% in 5 minutes and 25 seconds. This solution isn’t simply faster, the physics within the battery is a new generation of lithium ion batteries which sets it apart from companies pursuing similar avenues to solve the battery inconvenience.
Possibly one of the most impressive features is how the charger manages heat. At Nexcopy we manage temperatures between each piece of our products to keep them safe and durable throughout their use, so we can appreciate some solid thermal decorum when we see it. These new batteries will make sure your phone is never hot to the touch during or after a charging session and it does so with modifications to the connector itself. This however, means there isn’t simply a wire between the phone and the charger but rather a solid, wall-mounted charger unit.
What does this means for the industry? Well the technology is alive and well to make our charge times negligible. The delay will be in the coordination needed to make the improvement. There has to be a suitable connection port to enable the top speed charging, and a StoreDot 150W charger is required to reach these speeds. Most notably, Samsung has invested alongside other interested parties so eliminating the wait time of charging could be a thing of the past in the next generation of our smartphones.
The USB 3.0 / 4K display and dock station is ideal for the Bring Your Own Device work environment (BYOD).
Assuming you have a limited port laptop computer the StarTech dock station can expand your laptop screen and extend out to a 4K video feed needed. It doesn’t stop there with USB 3.0 port connectivity, and Ethernet connection.
The front side of the dock station also includes a USB charging port. You can avoid the inconvenience of a dead battery and make sure your mobile device is always ready to go, using the dock’s USB fast-charge and sync port. Plus, the always-on port supports device charging even when your laptop isn’t connected to the dock.
The dock station can act as a charging station unplugged as well, making it a very portable solution. A good fit for this product would be home-office where the work space is not that large, or class room where the budget isn’t there for a complete work station and a BYOD situation best applies.
With the single USB-C port of the new MacBook laptop we knew a power station and/or dock station was right behind. Here is a Kickstarter compaign to address the single port computer and connecting all your peripheral gadgets to your new computer.
The ultimate dock station will power and charge your system using USB’s new Power Delivery specification, while providing an additional alternate mode video output up to 4K resolution, gigabit Ethernet, audio input/output, and 4 USB ports. The tall slender design of the dock station packs a number of sockets to support any type of peripheral you need to connect.
In addition, the USB 3.1 Type-C specification supports a feature called “VESA Alternate Mode” which works with the built-in graphics processor on supported systems to provide video output at resolutions up to 4K. This is particularly important given the up-tick in TVs and monitors which are being released with a 4K specification. The other two display outputs in the Ultimate Dock are enabled by the DisplayLink DL-3900 graphics processor, which can support two additional 1080P displays at 60Hz. The DisplayLink driver is still in development, but the Kickstarter campaign claims the driver will have a final release by the time the dock station hits full production.
The Plugable Ultimate USB-C Universal Docking Station supports:
Infinite USB is a concept which dates back five years. The concept is brilliantly simple. The USB cable design allows multiple devices to be charge from an extending USB plug, and at the same time, allow data transfer through that one original USB port.
Today, Infinite USB has released a new version for the Mac computer. One which supports Apple’s Type C connector. This is a really smart move on Infinite USB’s part because the Mac computer only has one USB port. So additional sockets is very important.
Like the original design from years back, the connection is simple and straight forward.
Using the original USB port of the computer, the Infinite USB creates a pass through, or extended USB port. They do this so that once the Infinite USB cable is connected, you still have access to the data transfer ability of that original Mac USB port. However, Infinite USB was ultra-clever and created a design to steam off some power form the USB buss so you can charge additional devices.
The USB connector builds upon this concept with module cables and connectors so you may continue to high-jack power off the original USB socket, while still having the original USB port with data transfer capabilities.
To be perfectly clear, the Infinite USB will only transfer data to one USB device… it will not transfer data to all the devices connected. It is important to understand the Infinity USB concepts is a creative charging station, not a USB hub.
The product can be found on Kickstarter for $20. There is only one day left at the time of this writing, after that you can order product through the company website.
Brando, a USB gadget distributor located in Hong Kong, now has available a massive USB charging station.
The 60 port charging station can charge sixty devices at 1A or charge 30 devices at 2A. It is not clear if the 2A charge would require a USB Y-Cable. The box does not support data transfer capability so don’t purchase the unit if you are looking to sync your digital device or USB data load a bunch of flash drives.
At $199 USD this is worth considering.
Imagine what kind of bird’s nest would be created with all those cables!
