USB Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Belkin's Thunderbolt dock delivers plug-and-play flexibility

by Michael Rose (May 9th, 2013)

It's dock o'clock, thank goodness, as Belkin's long incubation period of the Thunderbolt Express Dock closed out last month. The US$299 expansion peripheral is now shipping to customers; is it worth your attention? We've had a week to put it through its paces. The most direct product comparison ...

Mobile device power shines with Etón's new BoostSolar

by Michael Rose (May 7th, 2013)

It may rank closer to the "inconvenience" end on the post-disaster scale of challenges, but a lack of power for mobile devices certainly didn't help matters in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy last year. Innovative devices like the BioLite camp stove made appearances on the streets of New York as ...

ChargeCard wallet charge cable gets the hands-on treatment

by Steven Sande (Mar 5th, 2013)

Back in July of 2012 I reported on a Kickstarter project that aimed to put a charger cable into your wallet. That project went way over its funding goal, and the resulting product -- ChargeCard (US$25) -- is now shipping, at least for the iPhone 4/4S and older devices that use the 30-pin Dock ...

Matrox DS1 is a practical, powerful Thunderbolt dock

by Michael Rose (Mar 3rd, 2013)

During my perambulations on the Macworld/iWorld show floor in February, I chatted face-to-face with a Belkin representative who bravely asserted that the company's $299.99 Thunderbolt Express Dock would be shipping "this month." This would be the same Express Dock that was originally seen in an ...

MMT offers a mobile monitor for your Mac or iPad

by Victor Agreda, Jr. (Feb 1st, 2013)

This is the first Macworld for MMT, Mobile Monitor Technologies, and the company is offering a slightly different twist on portable USB monitors. Each is wrapped in brushed aluminum, and each has a nice build quality with what appears to be an outstanding screen. But there's a model with a ...

Kanex 4-port USB 3.0 Hub first look

by Erica Sadun (Jan 3rd, 2013)

We recently got a chance to take a peek at a new Kanex USB 3.0 hub, which promises to be a feature-filled accessory. Retailing for $59, this 4-port powered hub offers adapters to switch from US power to most standard international types, which in this case appear to be Type C, Type G and what ...

Hubs du jour: A couple of USB 2.0 offerings

by Erica Sadun (Nov 7th, 2012)

A pair of USB 2.0 hubs arrived at TUAW Central today for testing and review. If you're thinking that I may have mistyped USB 3.0, unfortunately I didn't -- for some reason, Mac accessory manufacturers seem to forget that new Macs are equipped with the faster USB 3.0 ports. For a USB 2.0 hub, ...

30-pin to Lightning adapter: early users test compatibility

by Erica Sadun (Oct 10th, 2012)

We got a message from developer David Stanfill this morning, who's had an opportunity to start using Apple's 30-pin to Lightning connector. As early pre-orders are just now arriving, we were curious as to how things were working. "I can confirm," he writes, "That the 30-pin to Lightning cable ...

Don't like your Lightning cable? Double Helix will mod it for you

by Kelly Hodgkins (Sep 27th, 2012)

If you would rather have your Lightning cable look bold instead of bland, then you should check out this custom mod by Double Helix cables. The cable maker is offering to take your Lightning cable and turn it into something that stands out from the crowd. The customized cable is crafted from ...

A look inside Apple's Lightning cable

by Kelly Hodgkins (Sep 26th, 2012)

Apple's iPhone 5 includes a new Lightning cable that drops the number of available pins from 30 down to eight. Besides its smaller size, the new cable is also reversible and lets you insert the plug without worrying whether it's facing the right way. Apple says the cable has "an adaptive ...

Some users reporting difficulty removing Lightning cable's USB end

by Kelly Hodgkins (Sep 26th, 2012)

If you're having some problems with your new Lightning cable getting stuck in your Mac or PC, you are not alone. According to a CNET report, a growing number of iPhone 5 users are complaining that the USB part of the cable is difficult to remove from their desktop or laptop USB port. In some ...

Apple accommodates European law with Lightning Micro USB adapter

by Dave Caolo (Sep 13th, 2012)

Apple's iPhone 5 introduced the Lightning connectivity port as well as adapters for older, 30-pin hardware. A Micro USB adapter was also released on Sept. 12, which Apple had to produce to comply with European law. Apple, RIM, Nokia and nearly every other major mobile phone manufacturer agreed ...

Building an OS X Mountain Lion installer thumb drive

by Erica Sadun (Jul 25th, 2012)

Last year, I posted about creating a standalone Lion USB installer thumb drive. This year, I update those instructions for Mountain Lion. You'll need a copy of the OS X Mountain Lion installer. If you saved a copy when you first installed Mountain Lion, great. If not, you'll need to re-download ...

ChargeCard: An iPhone charger in your wallet

by Steven Sande (Jul 19th, 2012)

A lot of innovative ideas have popped up around the idea of always having an iPhone charging cable at your fingertips, but the ChargeCard -- a Kickstarter project that is a little over quarter-funded with 38 days to go -- is one of the most clever I've ever seen. The inventors of the ...

Targus Plug-N-Power Charging Station keeps peace in the family

by Steven Sande (Apr 26th, 2012)

In many homes with multiple iOS devices, charging up those iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches can turn into a battle for dominance over a wall socket. Targus is now selling the Plug-N-Power Charging Station (US$29.99) to keep the peace in your household and ensure that all of your gadgets are ...