USB-C charging is our future, especially with the advent of the EU behind the standard as we found out last week.
But USB-C has work to do:
- One of the persistent problems with USB-C (which is also a problem with cables like HDMI or the whole mess of SD and microSD cards) is that USB-C cables can look the same but behave differently.
- Same ports, different fast charging capabilities at 60W or 240W, 2.0 or 3.2 speeds, Thunderbolt support or not … your average cable is likely a mix.
Now the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), with the support of the countless participating companies, has developed “Certified USB Type-C Cable” logos for certified cables and chargers.
- The logos are intended to “demystify the USB-C 2.1 and USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) 3.1 standards”.
Here are these logos:
🔜 Fairphone 4 5G announced: A great new offer from Fairphone, now with 5G, a 750G chipset, two 48-megapixel cameras and more ethical than ever – it could also get Android 15. I’ll speak to Fairphone next week and have questions! (Android authority).
📸 Vivo X70 Pro Plus in the test: A premium flagship, but the experience isn’t quite there, although the gimbal stabilization of the camera system is a big talking point (Android authority).
📈 Samsung could put its hopes on it the basic Galaxy S22, which makes it at least half of the total S22 series production (Android authority).
🆘 Pixel owners in an emergency can send for help faster with this app update (Android authority).
🆕 Xiaomi’s next smartphone could wrap up a 4K display (Android authority).
🎧 Sony’s newest true wireless earbuds are only $ 100 (Engage).
🤔Intel starts its next-generation neuromorphic Loihi 2 processor– So what’s that again? (Ars-Technica).
🍎 Apple Fortress of Secrecy crumbles from the inside: some don’t like to endure the hierarchical, mysterious nature of the company (The edge).
⚽ Konami’s free eFootball is already the worst-rated Steam game in history (VGC).
🔋Lordstown Motors sells its factory to Foxconn for $ 230 million, and Foxconn will lease Lordstown Motors as a tenant at the former GM facility, and Foxconn will also buy Lordstown Motors shares for $ 50 million (The edge). Here is a nice new video about the creation of Foxconn from TechAltar, even (Youtube).
🤝 Disney and Scarlett Johansson have settled their lawsuit privately, likely for tens of millions (The edge).
👖 One pair of jeans, 365 days: Why I wore the same pants for a year (they were washed during the 365 days, mind you) (CNET).
📚 Day one in Every: An excerpt from Dave Eggers’ new novel (Wired).
📈 300% increase in silicon throws another price shock on the world as the base metal faces constraints (Blümberg).
👂 “Has someone else still reading the subtitles all the time even though you can hear the sound quite well?
10 upcoming book adaptations we can’t wait for is the heading of a Mashable Article that kindly really helps you prepare for some big storylines that appear in TV and movies, and that doesn’t include Dune or the Wheel of Time.
The list isn’t exactly full of things I agree with, but wow, there are a few sci-fi wonders out there:
- One of the great science fiction stories, Liu Cixin’s Three Body Problem, and Game of Thrones’ David Benioff and DB Weiss will serve as showrunners and executive producers, with Derek Tsang confirmed as director. (Just don’t think about the final season of Game of Thrones.)
- Also on show is The Time Traveller’s Wife (uh, again) on HBO.
- And The Power of Naomi Alderman, a harrowing story about how women develop an electrical current in their bodies that is rapidly changing the male-female dynamics in the world, and which made former President Barack Obama’s list of his favorite books in 2017, is coming to Amazon Prime.
- I’ve saved a big list for the end of this list because it’s Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien.
- One of the standout triologies of all time is going to see new details that Amazon is apparently tracking down in this TV series.
All the best!
Tristan Rayner, Managing Editor.