USB-C is happening. Considered the next micro-USB, the latest port is making its way onto more devices each month. OnePlus were a pioneering manufacturer to adopt USB-C, followed by HP and Apple. Apple saw the latest connection as an ideal connection for their high-end laptops. Today, the Huawei P9, HTC 10 and Samsung Note7 boast USB-C with improved power, connectivity all in one cable.
This should be awesome, but who doesn’t remember the fallout from Nokia changing to the skinny charger or the first time micro-USB emerged onto the market. Finding third-party accessories didn’t prove as straightforward as one would have hoped. The trade off is a huge amount of innovation, as USB-C provide fast charging, faster data transfers and use of external monitors. Most importantly, USB-C is fully reversible. Yes, you cannot plug a USB-C in the wrong way around. Just think about that for a moment.
Until recently, USB-C was moving quite slowly, but it’s widely expected the next range of Samsung flagships will ship with the new connection. Over the next couple of years, you’ll see a wide range of accessories flood the market taking advantage of USB-C abilities.
So what do you need to know to avoid being left behind when the cock crows on our current cables and a new era begins?
USB-C is not a new standard
We have had a number of revisions of the USB at this stage – from the 1.1 to the current popular 3.1. Essentially these upgrades are defined by what the connection can manage in terms of speeds and connectivity. The main improvement seen with USB-C is all about the actual physical connection such as the micro-USB.
The real defining factor of the USB-C however, is this is the first module that is viewed as replacing both ends of the connection point to make a truly reversible cable.
End of an era for the headphone socket
Let us share a secret with you. The rumours of LG and Apple wanting to get shot of the trusty 3.5mm headphone socket are very true. Any idea what they want to replace it with? Okay, so the context of this article is a giveaway. That’s right the magic USB type C. Seriously, you can expect that much from this simple little cable.
You might wonder what the problem is with the 3.5mm standard, and where it falls short of USB-C. In truth, there are several issues.
First and foremost the headphone jack is quite bulky. Companies such as Apple want to get their products below 3.5mm in depth. An array of patents from Apple have popped up in recent months. These patents show the headphone socket is a key component in holding phones back from getting even thinner. Apple won’t use the USB-C in it’s purest form. Instead, they will adopt a lightning connector version of the same product. A deal with Beats Audio begins to make more sense when one considers the 3.5mm is one of the last analogue connection standards in use. It also has one purpose and required side technology to implement noise cancelling effects.
Not only is USB-C a digital connection, ensuring a base level of sound quality, but it can multitask too. So, for example, a pair of USB-C headphones could play high-quality music whilst simultaneously measuring your heart rate and feeding that information back to your phone.
A few drawbacks and concerns
Now this is nitpicking a bit but is something that needs to be noted. USB-C connections would appear to be rather flimsy. Anyone currently using Apple chargers will have an idea of how easy these are to break and fears are that USB-C follows suit. We are probably going to have to wait a year or so to truly see the wear and tear effects. Our pro-tip is to wrap the spring from a pen cartridge around the cable just below the connection point adds a slightly more rigid support structure.
On the topic of pro-tips, steer clear of budget USB-C cables. Dealz will undercut the competition’s cables. The truth is, you’ll pay a fortune in replacing them. Consider your logic for a moment. You are powering a €600 with a €2 cable. There is a reason why the original manufacturer cables cost around €15. You get what you pay for. Many battery faults that are seen in phones, tablets and laptops is the use of cheap third party cables.
Also, if you are picking up USB-C cables on Amazon.co.uk, look for the star ratings which should help you avoid the duds.
USB-C is definitely a major step in the right direction, and we can’t wait for more companies to start adopting it. It will mean slimmer devices with fewer ports, more flexibility, better data transfer speeds, and even better sound.
Toy Story with food. That’s the really short synopsis. Sausage Party is based in a world where your food lives and has feelings. Living in a supermarket just ahead of the July 4th celebrations in America. The food is in a party mood and looking forward to getting out of the supermarket. As it starts out, Sausage Party concerns itself with little more than building on the pun of a hotdog belonging inside a bun and other sexual innuendos. Eventually, the movie grows as a jar of honey mustard is returned to store after being brought to a customer’s home by mistake. He recants the tales of woe he has experienced and witnessed. It’s now a journey towards survival for the food.
The idea behind a dash cam is a simple one. Should you be involved in an accident while driving, it’s best you have some supporting evidence of your story. Driver’s who have a dash cam are driving safe in the knowledge that should something happen, they have hard evidence to show they weren’t to blame.
Yes, it does make sense. Chances are, if you have a phone holder on your windscreen, you already have a great quality camera staring at the road. The team at Nexar realised that and set about making an artificial intelligence app that could record your driving. The app not only acts as a dash cam but also notifies the driver of hazards not within the line of sight.
Payment gateway providers, Realex, have been sponsoring the 
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The Night Of is your classic Netflix binge series. One major point worth noting is that Netflix people have nothing to do with it for once. Based upon BBC series 
Many have drawn parallels between The Night Of and the likes of Netflix phenomenon Making a Murderer and true-crime Podcast Serial. While there are certainly parallels, the HBO series is not based on any one particular true story though it may borrow from real cases. For the sake of pigeon-holing the series, it’s best to refer to it as a crime drama.
More of us, than ever before, get our daily news fix from social media. We are particularly plugged into Facebook and Twitter. And while Trump is undoubtedly more in tune with the Twitteratti, both candidates have used social media as a way to engage with voters directly en mass. Facebook 
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First of all, when travelling the world and seeing the sights, 
For any of these apps to benefit Pat and John, the pair will first have to get their hands on a new smartphone. The reason being Brazilian police have confiscated their own phones. Police interest in phones means they are looking for texts and photos. Now, the last thing the two lads want the police to find is them rolling around a Rio bed covered in Olympic Tickets. 
Those ads you see on Facebook claiming to be selling magical Android TV boxes are indeed offering an alternative. It’s somewhat of a grey area if you can throw your mind back to the Showbox days, it’s very similar. Dreamboxes are effectively Android TV boxes, and will set you back anywhere between €70 to €150. The humble Android TV box comes in many shapes and sizes and run everything from Kodi to Showbox and beyond. Dreamboxes are setup with Kodi to stream access to premium sports and movies. This does come with a warning that the party is unlikely to last forever and is, at best, a legal grey area. Still, several benefits of having an Android TV box are completely legit making them great value.
Have you ever heard Kodi or XBMC mentioned? If you already know what it is, great – for those of you who don’t know what it is, it’s an all in one media centre app, it can provide streaming for music, video and more, but wait. Kodi is also the brains behind the Dreambox replacing your TV subscriptions, but again remember this is a grey area.