GoKawiil
Tech News
Amazon has cut the price of Bose's QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) to $199, down from their $359 list price, marking a $160 discount. The headphones, a 2026 refresh of Bose's mainstream over-ear line, include Immersive Audio, improved ANC for glasses wearers, USB-C lossless audio, and multipoint Bluetooth.
Baseus is offering a limited-time discount on its Spacemate RD1 Plus Docking Station through Amazon, cutting $110 off the price with a promo code. The 14-in-1 USB-C dock supports dual 4K displays at 60Hz or a single 4K display at 120Hz on compatible Windows machines, and includes a built-in 120W GaN power supply plus a status display.
A developer with over 15 years of experience in large C++ codebases describes replacing raw and smart pointers with 'index-handles' as a technique for dynamic memory management. The post, updated in November 2018, adds a method using a per-slot generation counter to prevent 'handle collisions', building on an earlier discussion of pointer- and allocation-free programming.
USB Type-C, finalized in August 2014, is the successor to the original USB Type-A and Type-B connectors introduced with USB 1.0 in 1996. Unlike earlier designs that forced separate host and device shapes and relied on inconsistent color coding, USB-C is thin, reversible, and uses a single connector shape for both ends, with the devices themselves negotiating data and power speeds. The latest iteration, USB4 Version 2.0, can move data at up to 80Gbps through that same connector.
Black-colored USB-A ports typically indicate a USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed USB) connection capable of transfer speeds up to 480 Mbps. This color coding is only a common convention rather than an official industry standard, so a black port's speed can vary between different computers. USB-C ports, by contrast, rarely use color coding at all, and any color present is usually just cosmetic.
A new Show HN project called Hacker Times reskins Hacker News content in a New York Times-style layout. Among the stories surfaced is a guest essay on Terence Tao's blog by Karthik C. S., Amit Sahai and Jie Xue, arguing mathematicians should value understanding over competition with peers or AI systems.
Northwood Space, a ground infrastructure startup building antennas and software for satellite communications, announced a $375 million Series C round co-led by Andreessen Horowitz and DFJ Growth, valuing the company at $2 billion. The round includes a financial agreement with HSBC, and funds will go toward scaling operations, hiring, and fulfilling existing contracts. Founded in 2022 and led by CEO Bridgit Mendler, the company previously raised a $100 million Series B in January and secured a nearly $50 million U.S. Space Force contract.
ESR has released its Xtend line of chargers featuring built-in retractable cables, including a 45W wall charger that supports up to 60W via AVS and a 100W car charger with two cables. The 45W model offers 3.1 feet of retractable cable, longer than typical competitors, plus a separate USB-C port for other cables, and comes in black, white, and burgundy finishes. It's priced at $49.99 normally, currently discounted to $35.99 for white and $41.99 for burgundy on Amazon.
Some USB-C cables sold on retailers like Amazon include sealed connectors designed to resist water and dust, but not all are genuinely waterproof. The International Electrotechnical Commission's IEC 60529 standard assigns an Ingress Protection code, where the first digit rates dust resistance and the second rates water resistance. Cables with IP67 or IP68 ratings meet the threshold for true water protection.
CUKTECH has released the 15 PowerStation, a 140W GaN desktop charger that combines a 140W USB-C port, a built-in 120W retractable USB-C cable, a secondary 33W USB-C port, a 22.5W USB-A port, a 15W magnetic wireless charger, and a 5W wireless pad for earbuds. It also includes a 1.8-inch diagnostic display and can charge up to six devices simultaneously, though the 140W output is shared across all connected devices.
A project called Sprout is developing a replacement logic board for select older iPods, including 1st and 2nd-gen iPod minis and 3rd and 4th-gen iPods, adding USB-C charging and, in one version, Wi-Fi support for streaming apps and AirPlay. The feature set is still under development, and the Crowd Supply campaign has not launched, with no pricing or release date confirmed yet.
INIU has introduced the Rugged 20000, a 20,000mAh power bank that doubles the capacity of its earlier Rugged 10000 model and raises maximum output to 65W. It includes two USB-C ports and one USB-A port for charging three devices simultaneously, an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, and an Automatic Low-Current Mode for small gadgets like earbuds and smartwatches.