GoKawiil
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Logitech G has released the Yeti 2, successor to the original Blue Yeti USB microphone launched in 2009, priced at $159.99 in black or white. The mic features a built-in proximity sensor that tracks a speaker's position in 3D and automatically adjusts gain, EQ and pickup pattern, along with an interactive LED display and AI de-noising.
A tech trivia feature identifies the original iMac G3, released in 1998, as the first widely used computer to drop all legacy ports in favor of USB exclusively. The machine shipped with two USB 1.1 ports and no ADB, serial, SCSI, or floppy connectors, while retaining Ethernet, a modem jack, and audio. The piece also examines near-misses like Sony's VAIO 505 and Compaq's iPaq Desktop, which came later or kept some legacy ports.
USB extenders and long cables can technically move both power and data, but rarely deliver top performance in both categories at once. For example, Anker's 10-foot 240W USB-C cable transfers data at just 480Mbps, while Icron's 328-foot extender hits 5Gbps but only supplies 6W per port. USB-IF's compliance rules also don't cover generic male-to-female USB-C extension cables, even though such cables aren't illegal to sell or use.
Google offers ChromeOS Flex, a free operating system that can replace Windows on older machines meeting modest specs: an Intel or AMD CPU, 4GB RAM and 16GB storage, though chips from 2012 or earlier aren't supported. Installation involves using Chrome's Chromebook Recovery Utility to create bootable media on an 8GB-plus USB drive, then booting the target PC into its boot menu to install or trial the OS.
USB to USB-C adapters may look identical externally but vary widely in the USB specification they support, power delivery capability and internal component quality. These differences affect transfer speeds, charging times and can even risk port damage if a mismatched adapter is used.
Amazon has cut the price of Anker's Prime Docking Station to $169.99, a $100 reduction from its $269.99 list price and a match of its previous lowest sale price. The 14-in-1 device merges a laptop dock with a charging hub, supporting dual monitors and up to 160W of combined power output.
USB-A is the original rectangular USB connector from the USB 1 standard, designed with a one-way host-to-device connection so it only fits one way and can't be flipped freely. USB-C is the newer, smaller, reversible connector that replaced older peripheral formats like USB-B, Mini-USB and Micro-USB, especially on modern mobile devices.
YouTuber EastMakes repurposed a 15-year-old HP ProLiant N40L micro-server by designing a custom motherboard around a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5. Starting from the open-source Raspberry Pi I/O board schematics, he reshaped the PCB to fit the server's original chassis, added an NVMe slot, USB 3.0 ports, and Ethernet, while trimming down to a single HDMI output.
The Wolfbox MF60, a rechargeable electric air duster capable of spinning up to 110,000 RPM and producing air speeds of 72.4 m/s, is now selling for $33.99, down 32% from its $49.99 list price. It runs on dual 2,500mAh batteries offering up to 240 minutes at its lowest speed setting and recharges fully via USB-C in roughly 3.5 hours, and it ships with multiple nozzle attachments for tasks ranging from PC cleaning to inflating pool floats.
Apple originally designed a smaller, hinge-mounted Apple Pencil exclusively for its foldable iPhone Duo, but according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the accessory hit unresolved technical problems before mass production and was scrapped. Apple instead opted to support the existing USB-C Apple Pencil, though that compatibility won't be ready at launch and is expected to arrive later in 2026 after further software development and testing.
Monitors with built-in USB hubs use two types of ports: an upstream port that links the monitor to a computer, and downstream ports where peripherals like keyboards or drives connect. If a monitor's video signal runs over HDMI or DisplayPort, those cables don't carry USB data, so a separate USB upstream cable is required for the hub's downstream ports to function. USB-C can eliminate that extra cable when the monitor and cable support DisplayPort Alt Mode and USB Power Delivery.
USB 3.0's successors were renamed using confusing 'Gen' labels tied to speeds of 5, 10 or 20 Gbps, making printed USB 3.2 labels unreliable indicators of actual performance. USB-C ports add convenience but say nothing about speed, since USB-C devices can still run at USB 2.0 rates. Real-world tests, like Kingston's DataTraveler Max hitting up to 1,000 MB/s versus Samsung's Fit Plus write speeds of just 58.4 MB/s, show huge gaps hidden behind similar branding.