Have an old Game Boy, portable cassette or CD player, or other gadgets designed to run on alkaline batteries, but hate buying disposable batteries? One solution is to switch to rechargeables. Another? Switch to USB power. Of course, that second option is easier said than done. But a new Kickstarter campaign aims to make it […]
adapter
mouSTer lets a modern mouse work with vintage computers
Most of the mice available for modern computers connect to a PC via USB or Bluetooth. But there was a time when computers didn’t have either of those things. So if you want to use a modern mouse with a vintage computer, you have to get creative. And that’s what the folks behind the mouSTer […]
Microsoft’s USB Type-C adapter for Surface coming this week… for $80 (Updated)
Some modern laptops and tablets have nothing but USB Type-C ports. Most of Microsoft’s Surface devices, meanwhile, don’t even have a single USB-C port. But the company promised last year that it would eventually launch an adapter for folks who need one. And now The Verge reports that an official Microsoft Surface USB Type-C dongle will be […]
Amazon introduces $15 Fire TV Ethernet adapter
Amazon’s new Fire TV supports 4K video and HDR content. It’s smaller and cheaper than its predecessor. But it’s also missing a few things… like a USB port, microSD card slot, and Ethernet jack. But the new Fire TV does have a micro USB port. Amazon says it’s only for power… but for folks that […]
Satechi Type-C hub adds ports to MacBook, Chromebook Pixel
Laptop makers are starting to equip their computers with USB Type-C ports and some of those models support USB 3.1 or Thunderbolt 3 technology. That means you can not only plug in storage devices and other peripherals, but power cables, external displays, and other hardware. Sounds good, right? But some of the first notebooks with […]
ZNAPS is a magnetic adapter for iOS and Android devices (crowdfunding)
Apple makes a magnetic power cable, called MagSafe, for its line of laptop computers. The nifty design means you will be much less likely to destroy your connection port and your cable because it quickly releases when strained. Plus, you don’t have to be so exact when plugging in the cable. The magnets do the […]
Apple’s new MacBook has a single port for charging and almost everything else (unless you get a $79 adapter)
Apple’s new MacBook measures half an inch thick, weighs just 2 pounds, has a fanless design, and gets around 9 hours of battery life. It’s the company’s first all-metal laptop, and it’s the lowest-power MacBook to date, using just 5 watts of power. But those aren’t the only things that make the new MacBook unusual: […]
$10 adapter turns Chromecast into cheap Sonos competitor
Want to stream internet radio to your home stereo system? You could invest in a Sonos system for $250 or more. Or as GigaOm’s Janko Roettgers discovered, you could spend about $45 and stream online audio to your existing stereo system. All you need is a $35 Google Chromecast and a $10 HDMI to VGA […]