11 ms·

I'm a USB-C Maximalist

• xeyownt 4mo ago
  USB-C standard sucks. Supposedly would unify things, but can't find two cables that have same specs.
• radial_symmetry 4mo ago
  So many kids toys use custom brick chargers, especially remote control cars. I refuse to buy anything that isn't USB-C, I'm not keeping track of all of those.
  • synalx 4mo ago
    With a soldering iron and USB-CD PD trigger boards, I've successfully converted a few of this kind of thing.
    • vablings 4mo ago
      There are barrel jack USB-C adaptors now that you can just glue in place. Very useful for homelabbers.
      • lewi 4mo ago
        I love them, useful for super clean desk setups . I use a 140w USBC charger -> USBC to Barrel Jack -> LG Ergo screen -> USBC -> Laptop. One AC plug powers the display & laptop.
  • scrumbledober 4mo ago
    I recently bought a very cheap RC car for my kids, and it was USB-C rechargeable but instead of having a port it just has a USB-C cable that comes out of it and plugs into a power brick. I love that.
  • riffraff 4mo ago
    I think that's changing too, my son got some cheap radio controlled boat a few weeks ago, the remote uses AA and the boat has USB-C as input (interestingly enough, it has a weird USB-C cable with a built in light to signal when charging is done).
  • russdill 4mo ago
    The step I've taken is just purchasing USB-C to barrel in various voltages and labeling them appropriately.
  • imp0cat 4mo ago
    Wait till you enter the world of more advanced RC stuff, that's when the Cambrian explosion of connector types really happens.
• snickmy 4mo ago
  Any recommendation for electric shavers that are USB-c ?
  • nemomarx 4mo ago
    https://www.meridiangrooming.com/collections/trimmers https://www.meridiangrooming.com/collections/trimmers more of a trimmer but this had an alright replaceable blade set up and has USB c. if you need the rotating heads I haven't seen one just yet though
    • jitl 4mo ago
      Xiaomi has a few; I got their teensy travel one but more models: https://www.mi.com/global/product-list/personal-care/shaver/ https://www.mi.com/global/product-list/personal-care/shaver/
  • jitl 4mo ago
    Trimmer: I purchased this from Amazon USA for $70 on sale, now listed at $96. I am happy with it, but haven't had it long enough to comment on durability: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQ1GZY7H https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQ1GZY7H "Manscaped Beard Hedger Men's Premium Beard Trimmer, 20 Length Adjustable Blade Wheel, Stainless Steel T-Blade for Precision Facial Hair Trimming, Cordless Waterproof Wet/Dry Clipper" Shaver: I purchased this in-person at a Xiaomi store in Manila, very happy with it especially for the price ($20-ish): https://www.mi.com/global/product/xiaomi-electric-shaver-s200/ https://www.mi.com/global/product/xiaomi-electric-shaver-s20...; Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Xiaomi-Electric-Skin-Touch-Waterproof-Runtime/dp/B0FD2T5VRW https://www.amazon.com/Xiaomi-Electric-Skin-Touch-Waterproof... "Xiaomi Electric Shaver S200"
  • 0x457 4mo ago
    Keep in mind that you can buy cables that are USB-C on one end and whatever on the other end. I have multiple USB-C to 12V barrel jack cables for this reason specifically. No idea because you still need a special cable, but better than nothing.
• eigencoder 4mo ago
  I don't like USB-C because they all look the same on the outside, but they're not all the same on the inside. Especially my cheap consumer electronics. Sometimes they will charge, sometimes they won't charge, but all the cables look the same, and you don't tend to know in advance.
  • PhilipRoman 4mo ago
    Yeah I have some devices that expect the manufacturer charger (I guess it's pre-negotiated to 19V or something) and I'm not even sure what was the point in giving it a USB C connector.
    • soneil 4mo ago
      I have a couple of devices that are 12V over usb-c. The devices themselves are fine, but the wallwarts the mffr provided are just that - 12v over usb-c. No PD. If a device is expecting 5V, there's a healthy chance it'll .. stop expecting 5V. We blame usb-c for all this, but it does feel like some mffrs are going out of their way to screw it up.
      • rangestransform 4mo ago
        Imagine if all USB-C cables had a patent owned by the consortium and an identification chip made by the consortium. The spec could require that devices would not use the cable at all unless the chip is cryptographically verified, and bad cable manufacturers could be sued into oblivion for breaking the patent. The more I age, and the more I expect my devices to justwork™, the more I appreciate Apple’s pro consumer monopolistic moves.
    • Gigachad 4mo ago
      >I guess it's pre-negotiated to 19V or something This kind of defect is extremely rare since this would basically be a USB killer frying every other device you plug it in to. 99% of the time it's the device is missing some resistors on the cc pins which signal to the charger to send 5v. Since usb-c it defaults to 0v until you request something. But USB-A has no CC pins so it just puts 5v out at all times.
• flowerthoughts 4mo ago
  I'm the same. Though I still think they could have made USB much neater as a protocol, USB-C now does everything I need for goto-connectivity. I recently looked at the connector and reflected on how insanely small it is. It's no wonder it took decades to get to this point, and it's a very neat physical design at a great price. 16 pins and 10A in that little thing. Amazing.
  • PunchyHamster 4mo ago
    It took that long because nothing it does now was ever a requirement. It was created as serial/parallel port replacement (fun fact - max speed parallel port is faster than USB 1.1, at ~2.5MB/s). If we designed it now it would be up to 48V from the get go, USB-PD only (there is zero reason for static modes aside from fallback 5V for simple gadgets) and be just a PCIe transport . USB to HDMI could just be a single chip that does PCIe framebuffer device.
• theandrewbailey 4mo ago
  > No. One charger. One cable. One standard. USB-C being "one standard" is a bit of a stretch. It is the Unintuitive Serial Bus, after all. Most will charge. Some faster than others. Some will supply data with 2.0 speeds, others 3.0, yet others will do more. Some will only work with the other devices they came with. Few cables will tell you which is which, unless you have a tester.
  • klabb3 4mo ago
    There were two major flaws with the rollout of USB-C, none of them technical: To have unmarked cables. This should have been explicitly forbidden by spec as non-compliant. Today unmarked is the norm, even with premium brands. And the few ones that actually mark their cables have their own markings (which I assume is because the official logos are so incredibly bad). So now instead of wondering if the charger will work, you’re wondering if the cable will work. Secondly, the USB-C rollout was only successful on the sink (device) side. Almost all cheap gadgets come with an A-to-C cable, and chargers and PC ecosystems are very biased on the A ports for the host side. This created an awfully ugly side effect: devices are not always compliant with even basic charging. Since C-to-C should not have live 5V line active at all times, these devices don’t charge at all. I think they’re missing that resistor that tells a compliant charger to make it live. But in either case they only work with A-to-C.
• cgyvbunji 4mo ago
  > What are the chances that I could find the exact charger needed for a GameBoy Colour? Your chance is 100% because the charger for GBC is 2 AA batteries ;)
  • TulliusCicero 4mo ago
    Yeah, or you can just get a cheap retro handheld with similar stylings that will charge via -- you guessed it -- USB-C.
  • vel0city 4mo ago
    Yeah, the GBA SP would have been a much better example. What an odd connector. I really need to get around to modding a USB-C port on to mine.
  • rwky 4mo ago
    I still prefer to buy things that use AA batteries than in built rechargeable ones. Li batteries are almost always the first thing to go.
• pluralmonad 4mo ago
  I would like the USB-C connector was more durable. I've literally never killed a USB-A connector, but enough lateral force and USB-C just breaks. I suppose it was made so small due to mobile devices, which is understandable, but came with tradeoffs.
  • fl0ki 4mo ago
    Try the relatively recent Anker Prime cables, the ones that are both braided and soft. I haven't managed to break one yet, despite breaking several past Anker cables that also claimed to be durable.
    • sudobash1 4mo ago
      I don't have a problem with USB C cables, and even if I did it wouldn't be a big deal. The cables are cheap compared to the devices they charge. It is broken USB-C ports that frustrate me about them, or ones with worn out clips.
      • Gigachad 4mo ago
        What way are you breaking them? The two failure modes I've seen are the port getting full of pocket lint for phones (easy to fix) and the port ripping off the PCB. The second one is a design issue where some ports are entirely surface mount rather than having the grounding pins go through the pcb to anchor it on.
        • benoliver999 4mo ago
          I have had a few failures and I can only assume it's the second one? I have one on a thinkpad that only works if you hold it in the right position
      • fl0ki 4mo ago
        I completely misunderstood your post, because I have the opposite problem, I've never broken a charge port but I've broken several cables.
• chaosharmonic 4mo ago
  I too am a USB-C maximalist, but with a handful of differences from OP: - You lose me at "toothbrush." I don't want personal care items that have internal batteries at all, because they'll eventually die on me while the device itself (brush heads notwithstanding) is otherwise perfectly functional. I'd much rather keep rechargeable AA(A)s on hand for that kind of stuff. (I still haven't found a good electric razor for this purpose, though, and have actually just gone back to manual for the foreseeable future.) - I don't think I could live off just one charging port, but would rather just ditch USB-A entirely. - I'm using wired earbuds, with a standard headphone jack, but with the number of full-sized cans that are using USB-C in some way it baffles me that there aren't more or them (or any, that I've been able to find) that also support using it for audio input, so you you can play them while charging.
  • nemomarx 4mo ago
    Why haven't phones just moved to have two USB ports? A slight convenience when you want to charge it in that you don't have to turn it around, you can have USB headphones and also charge, you could use more accessories...
    • penultimatename 4mo ago
      Because the use case and demand versus the cost of engineering and manufacturing isn’t there. The market for USB headphones is minuscule compared to Bluetooth headphones.
    • chaosharmonic 4mo ago
      See, I agree with this too. You wouldn't have to worry nearly as much about the random little things that are specific to just one device or another (IR blasters, the DAC on old LG phones, etc) if you could just plug in a second USB peripheral. But what I'm more getting at is the other way around: that wireless headphones will already have USB-C for charging anyway. And that, particularly for larger ones (that have that port directly on the device, and not in a separate charging cradle), it really seems like a waste that more of them don't leverage that -- so that, again, you could use the headphones while you charge them.
• PunchyHamster 4mo ago
  > What are the chances that I could find the exact charger needed for a GameBoy Colour? Someone's trying to talk about stuff they never used, experienced or googled ever. But yeah game boy advance cable is $2.5 one day delivery here in Poland
  • MayeulC 4mo ago
    Or you can insert a cheap USB-C adapter that converts the game boy socket to USB-C: https://aliexpress.com/item/1005008985278704.html https://aliexpress.com/item/1005008985278704.html
  • LeonidasXIV 4mo ago
    Yeah, but you need to know where to buy it, how to get it delivered etc. Getting a Gameboy Advance cable in Denmark is $18.5 and delivery might take a week or so. Anyway, the exact charger for a GameBoy Colour doesn't exist as the GBC takes AA batteries and can't charge them even if you connect the power brick to it.
• zfnmxt 4mo ago
  > A Pixel 8 Pro (running GrapheneOS) > Tracker What if someone steals my bag? Hopefully the PebbleBee "Find My" device will help me recover it. In your review (from last year) of the tracker, you wrote it doesn't work with Graphene. [1] From the linked issue, looks like there's partial support now. [2] What's the experience like now on Graphene? Is it good enough for tracking a checked bag or similar? [1] https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2025/01/review-pebblebee-clip-universal-and-android-find-my-device-tracker/ https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2025/01/review-pebblebee-clip-unive... [2] https://github.com/GrapheneOS/os-issue-tracker/issues/4079 https://github.com/GrapheneOS/os-issue-tracker/issues/4079
• cestith 4mo ago
  I agree with using a single ubiquitous power standard for small electronics and electrics. That’s almost what USB-C is these days. We need better labelling of cable capacities when there are 20w and 120w cables that at a glance look the same. I was afraid this article was going to say one connector for everything when it said maximalist. If it had said to kill eSATA, SPF+, RJ-45, DisplayPort, HDMI, 3.5mm audio, and a bunch of other ports it would have been far more controversial. I’ve seen people saying we don’t need card formats anymore because everything can just be an external USB-C flash drive. I’m glad this article wasn’t that maximalist.
  • jonhohle 4mo ago
    For many things, though, a barrel jack is sufficient and doesn’t require the additional cost and complexity of USB-C. Barrel jacks have their own problems (is it inner positive or negative, what current is required, what’s the diameter of the inner and outer rings), but after that it’s as simple as it gets, both electrically and mechanically.
    • cestith 4mo ago
      Diameter, length, voltage...
  • Gigachad 4mo ago
    The USB spec does have labeling standards that are pretty clear. But uncertified temu junk obviously doesn't use them. There shouldn't even be such a thing as a 20w cable, the minimum with no emarker chip is 60w.
  • Dylan16807 4mo ago
    Any USB-C cable that isn't defective can handle enough power for anything up to a light duty laptop.
• jaimehrubiks 4mo ago
  We'll we ever see usbc in TVs?
  • Gigachad 4mo ago
    For video input or power supply? I doubt we would ever see it for power supply. For video input it seems almost deliberate since the TV brands all benefit from licensing out HDMI and forcing it to be the only way to connect to a TV.
• cryo32 4mo ago
  I am a USB-C maximalist too. Until I find a cable that doesn't do what it looks like it is supposed to do. Then I suffer from USB-C depression.
• jpalawaga 4mo ago
  I agree. I'm looking at replacing my braun series 7 shaver, and I'd love if the replacement product had usb-c. what really gets me though is products that support usb-c and then don't support PD, so you end up charging at a glacial pace. The most upsetting incidence of this I've seen is a powerbank charging via usb-c but not supporting PD. So slow!
• vvpan 4mo ago
  I think one thing that we have come to think as electronic consumers, or just consumers in general, is to expect the absolute best modern version of everything (plug, AI model, car...). I think it is pure conditioning and we forgot the simplicity and convenience of things just working even with apparent downsides relative to acme version. Could USB-C be better? Probably. Is just settling on a standard so you don't have to think about it preferable? I think so. Consider USB-C standardization as an expression of a specific system of values.
• PStamatiou 4mo ago
  I draw the line at cheap unbranded rechargeable toothbrush. I’d be too worried about fires with cheap cells. I’m happy to pay the premium for top brands for anything with lithium-ion batteries.
• j16sdiz 4mo ago
  > Using my USB-C cable tester, I can be sure all the cables I have can deliver the amount of power my devices need. Wait until they discover off brand usb cable with incorrect e-marker.
• rwmj 4mo ago
  Recently bought a guitar amp which came with a cursed USB-C cable: http://oirase.annexia.org/tmp/IMG_20260709_123740.jpg http://oirase.annexia.org/tmp/IMG_20260709_123740.jpg
  • mystifyingpoi 4mo ago
    I'm curious, what amp is this? Is it for charging something? The end is TRRS, is there a DAC/ADC molded in the plug for audio interface purposes?
    • rwmj 4mo ago
      The amp is this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B098JTSJTH https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B098JTSJTH As far as I could tell the cable is dumb. If you plug the cable into a regular USB-C socket (which I do not recommend) then the tip is +5V and the rest is ground. In fact it's designed to plug into the plug marked "mobile" on the amp and the 3.5mm end goes into the line out of something else, providing AUX input, which is mixed straight through to the output of the amp (which is thankfully a regular 3.5mm headphone jack). I guess they over-ordered USB-C sockets and decided to yolo it, or else for some reason only USB-C footprints fit into the space on the PCB. (But they still had to manufacture or were able to obtain these cursed cables ... it doesn't make a lot of sense.)
      • thenthenthen 4mo ago
        I have one of those cursed cables but then a 3.5 female socket! I have already lost it as well :/
      • mystifyingpoi 4mo ago
        This is cursed as hell. Thanks for sharing.
• mikepurvis 4mo ago
  This year I grudgingly switched from an iPhone 13 Mini to a Pixel 10, largely to get the full integrated Pebble experience, but having USB-C has been a surprising and delightful upgrade to my home/travel experience. For sources, I basically have an INUI battery bank and a 100W wall adapter, then everything is a USB-C sink: Lenovo X1, Pixel 10, Nintendo Switch, Sennheiser headphones
• fl0ki 4mo ago
  I'm still driven absolutely mad by how many devices are being released in 2026 that refuse to charge if they're connected to a port that negotiates USB Power Delivery. They don't fall back to 5V, they just don't charge at all. Devices like this usually come with an A-to-C cable in the box and that's a warning sign, but an even more twisted version of this is when they come with a C-to-C cable and a Type C charger that does not support PD. That's the only combination they tested, and that's your problem now. I now carry enough adapter cables that I can deliberately take PD out of the equation just to work around these devices.
• vablings 4mo ago
  I would happily be a USB-C enjoyer if manufactures stopped forgetting the stupid CC resistors meaning that you device will not charge with a C-to-C cable. It should be considered a defective design and recalled, I have been burned several times by this.
• jitl 4mo ago
  Same. Other devices I'm powering with USB-C: - Vacuum, $???, Xiaomi, okay (hard to clean filter): https://www.mi.com/global/product/xiaomi-vacuum-cleaner-p30/ https://www.mi.com/global/product/xiaomi-vacuum-cleaner-p30/ (gift from friends) - Beard trimmer, $90, Manscaped, great (but I just got it): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQ1GZY7H https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQ1GZY7H - Shaver, $20, Xiaomi, great: https://www.mi.com/global/product/xiaomi-electric-shaver-s200/ https://www.mi.com/global/product/xiaomi-electric-shaver-s20... (purchased at Xiaomi store in Manila) - Front door palm reader lock, $299, Eufy, good (slow charge speed mitigated by second built-in battery): https://www.amazon.com/eufy-FamiLock-Smart-Lock-Recognition/dp/B0DYNSPC92 https://www.amazon.com/eufy-FamiLock-Smart-Lock-Recognition/... - Lighter, 10 for $66 after negotiating, Shenzhen Vasipor Technology Co, good but needs USB-A-to-USB-C cable: https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/High-Powered-Rechargeable-Electronic-Arc-Lighter_1600904165424.html https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/High-Powered-Recharge...
  • walthamstow 4mo ago
    How funny, I also have the Xiaomi shaver, also bought while in BGC Manila. It's great, but does have a tendency to turn itself on in a packed bag
• recursivedoubts 4mo ago
  Please, please, please: we NEED a magsafe version of USB C Yes, you can buy adapters, but you end up w/device warts that don't work w/normal USB-C cords and my understanding that they are for the most part pretty dangerously out of spec Magnetic coupling is an incredibly underutilized user experience tool
  • chaosharmonic 4mo ago
    As much as it still pisses me off reading the Surface product head's comment that if you love USB-C then you love dongles -- while shipping a Mini DisplayPort connector -- I also think it's a waste that they didn't contribute their magnetic docking to the upstream spec. We could have had a USB Type-M. (Or, alternatively, Type-F -- for "magnets, how do they work?")
• kmeisthax 4mo ago
  > What are the chances that I could find the exact charger needed for a GameBoy Colour? Fairly high. Nitpick time: The Gameboy Color[0] took a standard-size battery that you can still buy today. It did not need to be charged, but you did have to turn the system off to swap batteries unless you had a barrel-jack adapter. Barrel-jack DC wasn't quite standard, but you might be able to find something compatible if you went to an electronics supply store and paid careful attention to the listed input voltage and polarity on the device. Regardless, most people didn't bother tethering their Gameboy and just fed it batteries since it ran forever on them. The real proprietary hellhole started with the Gameboy Advance SP, and didn't end until the Switch used Type-C. Hell, the SP is basically a modern smartphone: 1. Proprietary form-fitting battery pack 2. Custom power input connector 3. No separate headphone output Bonus points: the headphone adapter Nintendo sold for the SP didn't have a power pass-through, so you had to choose between headphones or charging. Though there are third-party ones now that do both headphone output and USB-C power input. [0] No "u", not even in the UK
  • mystifyingpoi 4mo ago
    To add insult to the injury, the charging port of Nintendo DS Lite was almost mini-USB, but not quite - with enough force and some metal bending it was apparently possible to make it work with regular mini-USB cable. Absolutely idiotic design, especially since that port was just 5V input anyway, anyone with soldering iron could tweak USB-A cable to work with the proprietary charging connector.
• theturtletalks 4mo ago
  I wish my Xbox Series S would work on USB-C. Some guy modded his with a buck convertor[0] and I wish there was an easier way in 2026. 0. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3Z1U3AYo1I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3Z1U3AYo1I
  • 0x457 4mo ago
    Well, the issue is USB-PD: - 12 V × 5 A = 60 W - 20 V × 5 A = 100 W - 28 V × 5 A = 140 W Meanwhile, that Xbox roughly needs 12 V at 7.5 A (let's say 90 W, but the internal supply is 165W) . So there is just no easy way to do it with USB-PD. Technically, you can make/buy some sort of USB-PD bench power supply to do this, but I'm unaware of anything on the market right now. One that I use (DPS-150) is limited to 5A output. You're better off buying some chunky power bank (like Anker Solix) that has your regular wall plug outlets.
    • russelg 4mo ago
      USB-PD 3.1 supports 240W, which is 48V. It does seem like there's not many chargers that support this, but they do exist.
      • 0x457 4mo ago
        It's such a rare beast that I didn't include it. Here is what one of these looks like: https://frame.work/products/power-adapter-240w https://frame.work/products/power-adapter-240w at that point you might as well just take an Xbox power supply. Also, still going to have the problem that Xbox takes 12V and USB-PD just does not provide more than 5A at any voltage. Doesn't help that many market their power adapters as such, but when you look deeper, it's something like 2x75W + 3x50W + 4x10W.
• m463 4mo ago
  I wish USB power strips were common and well made. Like AC power strips, with a long cable and a body maybe 12" long with spaced out USB-C and a few USB-A ports. I'd also like a version that sits on top of a desk and is angled towards you. They make things like this for AC, but not USB. (actually there are a few out there by no-name brands, but not many)
  • mystifyingpoi 4mo ago
    > actually there are a few out there Because the usecase of charging many (think 5 or more) devices at the same time for hours is pretty rare.
    • m463 4mo ago
      There is already a robust market for chargers with a few connectors. But I would like having a table with a plethora of sockets and cables available. Lots of times, I come in and want to charge a bunch of things. Charge a few drone batteries + the controller. laptop, camera + camera batteries. charge things for a long drive, or a longer trip. As to cables, sometimes I need USB-C, but there are lots of things that require other connectors like micro-usb, or a garmin watch. And sometimes cables go to other devices like wireless chargers.
• kotaKat 4mo ago
  I've been using retractable USB-C cables with as many compact "connector-size" dongles as I can get my hands on. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FC1HSS9X/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FC1HSS9X/ for RJ45/Ethernet - these are super small and deliver full gigabit speed, for instance. Similar things for video (tiny HDMI male adapter), and even my walkie-talkie (the Chinese market has come up with Motorola programming cable adapters that are just little dongles - https://www.ebay.com/itm/800104798120 https://www.ebay.com/itm/800104798120 - I can reprogram and even reload AES256 keys into my radio!). PD triggers let my travel CPAP run off of battery (using a Transcend Micro - it only needs a 19V PD trigger and a solid 100W). And of course... an Ecoflow solar hat and a battery I can shove in my back pocket for when I'm wandering around in the open air. ... and I just realized I can hook my Sony Reon Pocket cooler up to the solar hat...
• sudo_cowsay 4mo ago
  usb maxxing
• breezybottom 4mo ago
  USB-C connectors are so flimsy compared to USB-A, it feels like a real step backward. It barely takes any pressure on the cable to make my charging cable fall out, or to rotate it just enough that it loses connection.
  • atoav 4mo ago
    Not to be that guy, but the USB-C specification requires an extraction force of 8–20 N for a new connector, measured on the sixth unplugging cycle after five conditioning cycles. After 10,000 insertion/removal cycles, the permitted range is 6–20 N. Equivalent hanging mass: 8 N is 0.82 kg 20 N is 2.04 kg So the problem you have is likely one of your manufacturer not producing equipment suitable to pass the USB-C spec. As an aside, the specified extraction force for USB A is: 10 N minimum when new 8 N minimum after durability cycling So pretty much the same, in some cases even less. I don't have problems with USB-C connectors per se. I think HDMI is worse in terms of durability.
    • breezybottom 4mo ago
      Well it's a common manufacturer problem then, because USB-C connections are universally floppy and loose.
      • atoav 4mo ago
        Are they? I can easily dangle my Phone of my USB-C cable. Maybe this is a regional problem. Within the EU I rarely ever had any mechanical problem with USB-C, where applied reasonably.
  • Gigachad 4mo ago
    It's because your port or cable are filled with pocket lint. Get a sewing needle and fish it out and it will connect again.
    • breezybottom 4mo ago
      No, it's because USB-C is physically smaller and shallower. You can visually compare them and see that
• mlindner 4mo ago
  I personally hate USB-C as it's a poorly designed connector. It's flimsy and can easily broken yet at the same time difficult to insert. I've had a couple be broken by getting "squashed" because there's no mechanical support because of the rounded edges so the metal easily pancakes. They also seem to be easily damaged such they stop connecting through a failure mechanism I haven't quite figured out (my macbook air no longer reliably connects to them). Finally, the ports don't have reliable insertion and they're sharp, so they scratch up whatever device they're on as people repeatedly miss the insertion position resulting in surface scuffing. Phones especially should not be using them because of this issue and should be using something like lightning that did not have any sharp edges which avoided most scratching.
• t1234s 4mo ago
  I too jumped on board with USB-C right away. Only downside is some hardware manufacturers use sloppy fitting USB ports. This was a major issue on my Touchbar Macbook Pro. Just slightly bumping the cable would lose sync with my dock. I imagine whatever replaces USB-C in the future should fix this issue and make a more solid connection like USB-A. However USB-C could be the last wired interface as everything in the future will move to wireless.
  • Gigachad 4mo ago
    Try a different cable and make sure the ports aren't full of rubbish. A good cable and clean port makes a fairly good connection with a solid click. Lot of time I've used a sewing needle to fish incredible amounts of pocket lint out of peoples phone ports and cables connect so much better.
• Hippocrates 4mo ago
  I like the fact that we're aligning on one connector but it's hard for me to praise USB-C in and of itself. The connector feels flimsy and has some slop/play in a way that lightning did not, and especially on lower-end devices. The charging standards, voltages, and data rates, are frustrating because they're almost never labeled. This is especially true on low end, cables, and device devices. The worst offenders will only charge with a USB-A to C cable with low voltage, which is not what I hope for when I see a USB-C port on a device.
  • coldtea 4mo ago
    >feels flimsy and has some slop/play in a way that lightning did not No end to the official Apple lighting cables that died on me over the years, and across iphones and ipads.
• diiaann 4mo ago
  I go to Europe enough that I ditch the universal adapter and get a European ubs-c wall plug. A little more maximalist at home to store but more minimalist while traveling.
• JohnMakin 4mo ago
  I'm reminded of one my favorite south park bits, where Cartman freezes himself to wake up in a future that has a nintendo wii, only to discover the technology of that time doesn't support the plug-in format for the wii.
• tombert 4mo ago
  I like my iPhone 13 Pro Max and I don’t want to get rid of it or anything, but I am kind of looking forward to the glorious day that it breaks. Once it breaks, any phone I get (iPhone or Android) will have USB-C, along with my laptop, with One Adapter To Rule Them All when I travel. That’s the dream, anyway. Life rarely works out quite that cleanly for me.
  • mikestew 4mo ago
    I’m a cold-dead-hands 13 Mini owner, but even I’ll admit to the temptation of replacing the last device I have that doesn’t use USB-C with something that does.
    • hadlock 4mo ago
      When my wife finally upgraded her iphone to one that uses the usb-c, finally the last non-usb-c device in the house was gone. It has drastically simplified our lives. Each car only has a single usb-c cable now and that's enough for long road trips even. We got a set of Anker cables ~5 years ago and they still haven't worn out yet
  • jbonatakis 4mo ago
    This is how I feel with my Airpods. Just break already!
    • tombert 4mo ago
      I suppose we shouldn’t criticize companies for being “too reliable”…
  • criddell 4mo ago
    My Kindle Oasis might be the last micro usb device I own. I always said I’d buy the usb-c version the day they released one. Instead they discontinued it :(
• pineapplepizza6 4mo ago
  Why do you need to verify my request, USB-C maximalist?
• evanjrowley 4mo ago
  I used to think of myself as one as well but that's changing as of late. Looking back 15 years or so, I remember the old ThinkPad and Dell Latitude/Precision docking stations functioned reliably for as long as I can remember. Today I have a variety of USB-C and thunderbolt 3/4 docking stations, all of which have been affected by various issues. The the manufacturers of these things don't care. The latest casualty is a Pluggable TBT4-UDZ, which randomly decided one day that I should only have one working monitor instead of two. Doesn't matter if I use Windows, Mac or Linux. Meanwhile, the same monitors & cables work fine with my desktop. I appreciate USB-C as a means to charge my stuff, but from now on, I'm going to try and use other ports and cables for everything else. Every laptop's settings will assume only the main screen will ever be used. I've no time to get used to a nice multi-monitor setup just to have it taken away when the USB-C dock starts acting up.
  • wegwerf17377382 4mo ago
    I've always been a thinkpad fan but their docks were clunky huge uncomfortable things for me. I had a hp nc2400 that had a very nice little dock where you'd set the laptop on top of two guide poles an then slide the dock connector in from the side. A very compact design. The thinkpad docks just always used so much space on my desk.
  • imp0cat 4mo ago
    The USB-C and Thunderbolt docks are annoying! It basically boils down to the fact that they come in two variants, with and without Displaylink. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, depending on your port configuration, number of monitors and OS (the Displaylink docks require drive installation). FWIW, on Linux, the best choice for me was a non-Displaylink one from Lenovo.
• lalo2302 4mo ago
  Why is no one mentioning the masterpiece of the website!
• palata 4mo ago
  > instead I purchased a cheap USB-C rechargeable fan I really don't get that. Why not a handheld fan? It's cheap, doesn't require a battery, and doesn't need electronics. I see more electronic fans than handheld fans, and I just don't get it. People like buying brittle plastic future e-waste?
  • deleted 4mo ago
    [deleted]
  • edent 4mo ago
    Because I can put it next to my bed at night and have it cool me. Not all of us travel with a punkah-wallah.
• cogman10 4mo ago
  I love USB-C. My ONLY problem with it is it's just a bit too small. That creates mechanical problems within the plug which are annoying. Plug it in and pull it out 1 too many times and eventually you get a loose connector cable that needs to be replaced. Generally that's fine as all my chargers have replaceable cables, it's just an annoyance.
  • ramijames 4mo ago
    I also find that I'm constantly stressed that the plug is going to snap. That being said, in ten plus years of using USB-c.. this has never happened to me or anyone that I know. It's actually kind of impressive, all things considered.
  • benoliver999 4mo ago
    I get trouble with the female ports too I have had a failed port on my laptop - fortunately the laptop can charge on two of its ports but it sucks to have lost one. I have had a failed port on an iPad, and on my phone. Again I was fortunate to have a fairphone, so I just replaced the port.
• Telaneo 4mo ago
  It's been a joy to not need to bring 3 chargers along when I travel. I think the only thing we're missing to make the USB-C experience perfect is cable labelling. It's unreasonable to make every cable perform to the max spec, but if we could standardise on some labelling or colours for cables that are charging-only, 480 mbit (usb 2 speed), 5 Gbit (usb 3 speed), 10 GB (usb 3.1 speed), 20 GB (usb 3.2 speed), plus whatever higher speeds (and I guess Thunderbolt too), then we'd be golden. I like the cables I have, and by know I know what cables do what, but it ain't obvious without testing.
  • hereme888 4mo ago
    Wasn't there a push at some point to enforce some sort of spec labeling for USB-C cables? Or was that a fantasy in my head?
    • helterskelter 4mo ago
      USB3 has/had some color labeling standards, but I only remember seeing it with type A.
      • wongarsu 4mo ago
        USB A cables and ports have the inner plastic piece color coded. White for USB 1, black for USB 2, blue for USB 3 (5 Gbit/s), teal for 3.1 (10 Gbit/s). Red or yellow for always-on Blue is the only one that's actually endorsed by USB-IF. For the most part USB-IF would prefer if everyone just used their little icons. Luckily manufacturers have a bit more sense and all follow the same color scheme (apart from the occasional black sheep)
    • pzmarzly 4mo ago
      That's what Thunderbolt 4 and 5 cables essentially are - USB-C cables with guarantees on speeds and PD power.
      • qrobit 4mo ago
        Arguably PCIe lanes the thunderbolt exposes are a differentiating factor, not the maxed-out specs that "plain" usb-c cables can have. Although to be fair, I've never used the PCIe lanes on thunderbolt ports.
• graypegg 4mo ago
  This is a rather stupid to rave about, but I was in amsterdam several months ago, and I forgot to bring my NA to EU plug adapter. I was a bit miffed having to buy a new travel charger, but it's become the best one I own. (Only because all the other chargers I own were spawned into existence around me/came with some device) 65watts isn't even that much, but its enough that I don't need: - the mac charger that's always connected to the magsafe cable I can't use with anything else, - the dinky iPhone brick with the cable that needs USB-C on both ends, - and the slightly less dinky pocketbook e-reader charger with the cable that needs USB-A on the brick-end and micro USB on the business-end. 2x 65 watt USB-C ports and 1x USB-A running at whatever anemic power USB-A is capable of pitfully spitting at my ancient e-reader without drawing the ire of UL or something (5v/500ma still?), perfection. You should go purpose-buy a charging brick, anything is better than the freebie ones you get with stuff.
• guelo 4mo ago
  I have had so many laptops and other devices with unrepairable flaky loose ports that I am no longer a fan of the standard
• kotberg 4mo ago
  [dead]
• _carbyau_ 4mo ago
  TFineA mentions a USB cable tester. I know very little about testing or all the standards involved in USB. And I would like a way to test cables. Is there a good reason we can't hook one (or both?) end(s) of a cable to a computer and use a program to tell what it does?
  • Gigachad 4mo ago
    Sort of. USB-C cables have an emarker chip inside them which reports the capabilities of the cable. The USB controller on your laptop reads this chip and makes use of the info, but as of today there is no standardized way for the controller chip to pass this info up to the OS. I assume most of them don't even provide an interface at all for the OS to request it. I vaguely recall someone from Google working on this issue for Chromebooks. I'm surprised Apple hasn't solved this since they control the OS and hardware. For now you can buy tester devices which read the emarker info and show it on a small display. There's also more advanced testers which test the actual signal integrity and error rates, but these are very expensive and made for the cable manufacturers.
    • _carbyau_ 4mo ago
      Thank you for the clarification! Well, when someone figures out a "standardized way for the controller chip to pass this info up" I hope they do it better than S.M.A.R.T. for disks.
      • Gigachad 4mo ago
        There's also the issue that most USB cables are cheap junk that either is non compliant, or actively lying about it's capabilities. Which is hard to solve since anyone can sell USB cables without needing to pass testing.
• Labo333 4mo ago
  I cannot recommend enough https://github.com/darrylmorley/whatcable https://github.com/darrylmorley/whatcable to know what power and data capabilities your cables support.
• dreamcompiler 4mo ago
  This USB-C toothbrush is something I've been looking for so I don't need to bring a special charger. What would be even better is an electric toothbrush that doesn't contain a battery that would work with USB-PD plugged in. Why? Because I like putting my electric toothbrush in my checked bag because it's not essential, and technically you're not supposed to put lithium batteries in checked bags.
• Waterluvian 4mo ago
  My son plugged a cheap Switch controller into a cheap Switch charging block/dock to charge the controller. I don’t know who shot first but they’re all dead. I love USB-C and I guess the device(s) weren’t to spec, but if it plugs, it ought to be safe. Kind of a surprising miss to be honest. Usually the cheap Amazon crap isn’t this bad.
  • stephen_g 4mo ago
    What solution are you proposing though? As long as people can buy USB-C connectors on the open market, they're going to be able to create devices that horribly deviate from the spec in terrible ways. But it's better that they are available for people who do follow the spec in their designs, instead of, say, trying to tightly control parts availability. A compliant device has quite a lot of protection against all sorts of faults (short to VBUS etc.) but if the device was non-compliant then all bets are off. Who knows, the charger might have been so non-compliant that it could have somehow got mains onto the connector, which is potentially deadly so probably good if it's stopped working... But at the end of the day you shouldn't judge a standard by dodgy and possibly dangerous electronics that completely fail to comply to that specification!
    • 3eb7988a1663 4mo ago
      I thought Nintendo had designed a non-compliant USBC port on the Switch. The conspiracy theory was this was deliberate to strangle the third party accessory market.
• pmarreck 4mo ago
  Yes, but some cheap USB-C devices only charge when the other end is USB-A. This is not to spec, and to my knowledge this was a cost-cutting measure done by Chinese companies to cheapen manufacturing costs. So for that reason I CANNOT simply rely on USB-C, I also have to have a USB-C-to-A converter and a USB-A-to-C cable, which is of course ridiculous. Thanks, China.
  • Tharre 4mo ago
    The "cost" they're cutting of course being 2 simple resistors, that cost absolutely nothing. So less of a executive decision and more a case of whoever designed the board didn't do a quick google search to figure out how the connector works.
    • johnwalkr 4mo ago
      Resistor cost is irrelevant. It's way more likely the device was updated from micro-usb to usb-c by the most junior person and it was missed. Then, any change carries some cost so that design is not changed later.
  • gib444 4mo ago
    My Belkin power bank has that defect. Didn't believe it when I brought it home and discovered it
• svitlak 4mo ago
  We typically use a universal plug brick and an extension cord with your native sockets. Voilà - you can plug in all your devices np.
• _jackdk_ 4mo ago
  USB-C maximalism is great for travel. I personally recommend travelling with a USB-C desktop charger, but use one that accepts a IEC C7 ("figure-8") cable. Then, travel with only the cable corresponding to your destination (or buy one when you get there). That avoids having a wall wart that might not fit in narrow spaces, or whose weight might make it fall out of older sockets. I wrote about it a few years ago; the post does not have affiliate links: http://jackkelly.name/blog/archives/2024/10/06/travel_tip_usb-c_desktop_chargers/index.html http://jackkelly.name/blog/archives/2024/10/06/travel_tip_us...
  • lstodd 4mo ago
    C7 is great advice. But also pack a short length of cat5 twisted pair just in case. When all else fails, it allows to rig up most anything.
    • copperx 4mo ago
      PoE maximalism would be interesting.
    • gorgoiler 4mo ago
      You should write up and publish your notes on how to fabricate connectors from cat5 wire, in the field. It would be a hit.
      • lstodd 4mo ago
        Cut by multiple bend, strip by teeth, curl enough to catch, insert, pull, twist. Do you feel you need a write-up on how to piss in the woods too?
  • p1mrx 4mo ago
    That sounds less janky than my solution: US wall wart charger -> 6ft extension cord -> international adapter. (If you want to overvolt an extension cord, make sure it's completely passive: no light, switch, or surge protector.)
  • yellowapple 4mo ago
• saidinesh5 4mo ago
  I think my only big complaint with USB C these days is that the sockets wear out quickly. The charging port on my motorola phone got so loose that I frequently end up with an uncharged phone after a full night of "charging", just because the cable's own weight keeps yanking it out of the phone. The phone is not even 3 years old. It would be nice to get a user replaceable USB port. Meanwhile, I'm not sure if those magnetic USB cables help this situation any bit or they further damage the port.
  • klausa 4mo ago
    Are you sure it's not the cable? Theoretically, USB-C is designed in a way to prevent this exact thing from happening, where the springs that help retain the cable are in the _cable_, not the device. (This is a frequently toted-out argument about USB-C superiority over Lightning.)
    • saidinesh5 4mo ago
      It's definitely the port too. I changed the cable and the connection is still loose. Not as bad as the previous cable, but still bad..
  • 3eb7988a1663 4mo ago
    Have you checked the port for lint? I have found those disposable flossing sticks are an excellently sized, non-conductive edge of plastic you can use to dig in there and remove the bits preventing the cable from getting a good connection.
• frollogaston 4mo ago
  USB-C is great for charging, which is what most of these are. Especially if it's replacing Lightning which is the worst port of all time. USB-C is not so great for PC peripherals because of how hard/pricey it is to get more of those ports and how unclear the capabilities are. That's why so many peripherals are still USB-A. Some keyboards even have USB-C input but come with an adapter to -A because they know that's how you're plugging it into your PC. Also have never had a reliable video dongle, so either the display has USB-C or it's gonna be annoying. So uh yeah HDMI is great on my MBP, please add a USB-A port too now.
• zkmon 4mo ago
  Looks great. What are it's input ports and output ports? What's the brand and where did you get it from?
• siraben 4mo ago
  I love traveling with this Anker 160W charger, which has 3 USB-C ports.[0] I just found out about GaN technology last year and I can't believe it isn't more widespread. This one can charge two MacBook Pros and an iPhone at full speed. [0] https://www.anker.com/products/a2687-anker-prime-charger-160w-3-ports-gan https://www.anker.com/products/a2687-anker-prime-charger-160...
  • porridgeraisin 4mo ago
    Gan chargers also die really fast.
    • superxpro12 4mo ago
      It's because they try to market the power density claims. So they're smaller, which compromises the cooling, which makes them run hotter.
      • porridgeraisin 4mo ago
        Yep, I gave up on them for now. One of my older laptops also needs a charger that has the third ground pin, lest the trackpad become laggy due to electrical joise. I couldn't find a compact gan charger with a three pin plug and the third actually being connected to ground.
  • mcv 4mo ago
    I recently got the Anker 140W. I bought a MacBook, and apparently they come without a charger these days. So instead of buying an expensive Mac charger, I figured the widely recommended Anker 140W offers a lot more functionality for less money.
• jxnendn 4mo ago
  Wtf they carry around the equipment a fairly well stocked electronics market would be proud of and see themselves as traveling lightly xS
• dabinat 4mo ago
  I recently ran into a problem with a device I bought online. It was refusing to charge and I thought it was dead. I contacted the manufacturer and they suggested the charging brick I was using was too powerful and to use a weaker one. Sure enough, a weaker one worked just fine. So if you only bring a single power bank on a trip, make sure it can power all of your devices, especially if some of them are by third-party unknown manufacturers.
• nirui 4mo ago
  The USB-C idea is great, but the port design is not. If you search with the keyword "USB-C" and "tugged", you'll find a lot of horror stories ranging from bent socket/connectors to fried systems. A few samples: - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11021665 (read comments) - https://www.quora.com/Is-it-just-me-or-are-USB-C-ports-not-actually-very-durable-or-stable - https://www.reddit.com/r/PSVR/comments/11mdfn8/so_this_happened_accidentally_tugged_cable_ps5/ - https://www.reddit.com/r/daddit/comments/1s1kk4i/pro_dad_tip_if_your_kids_have_lights_or_toys_that/ I really like the idea of single port all capable, but the current design of USB-C port is just not up for the task. At least you need a port design that is fail-safe, not fail-dead, to do this job.
• ksec 4mo ago
  Had it not been Braun insisting not making a USB-C shaver I wouldn't have brought a Panasonic Lamdash Pro. But also thanks to that I discover Panasonic being better shaver overall. The next phase I wish hotels all around the world provide USB-C Port by default with a few high power port of 60W Plus.
  • Etheryte 4mo ago
    Braun is the Boeing of appliances. A once great company that's now been hollowed out by beancounters.
  • johnwalkr 4mo ago
    5 years ago it was really hard to find usb-c shaver. I could only find cheap ones; I got an Enchen boost for about $10 and it has served me well.
• __MatrixMan__ 4mo ago
  I recently discovered you can get a usb-C travel bidet, in case you're looking for a way to be even more maximal. Recommended.
• SideburnsOfDoom 4mo ago
  > My wife and I recently went on a 7 week holiday around Europe. Yes, USB-C is very common in Europe, and indeed worldwide. And this is partly as a result of European policy: > One common charging solution for all > USB-C is the common port. https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/electrical-and-electronic-engineering-industries-eei/radio-equipment-directive-red/one-common-charging-solution-all_en https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/electrica...
• eviks 4mo ago
  > But the benefits far outweigh the glitches. Using my USB-C cable tester, I can be sure all the cables I have can deliver the amount of power my devices need. You can't be saying the first with a straight face if you then type the second about a specialized hardware testing device that no average consumer will ever use
  • swiftcoder 4mo ago
    Sure you can, the fancy tester is just geekery at this point. Any cheap Amazon Basics cable from the last few years will do 100w PD just fine. The average consumer is never going to find most of the weird configurations that cause problems with USB-C cables (i.e. shit like wanting DP-altmode at 4K120hz over the same cable you are running 100w PD)
    • eviks 4mo ago
      If you're so out of touch with the average consumer experience, read comments to this post (e.g. a charger turned out to be too powerful for the device/cable, wasn't there supposed to be negotiation baked in?) or any other popular post about usb-c
      • swiftcoder 4mo ago
        I don't know what to tell you man, I manage (and/or help manage) hundreds of USB-C devices, across work, family and friends, all using cheap cables and a random mix of cheap charger bricks and MacBook chargers. Apart from one charger brick that caught fire randomly, I haven't seen an issue in years.
        • eviks 4mo ago
          You don't need to tell me anything, just look around beyond your "I", other "I"s have seen the issues and reported them for you to see
• voidUpdate 4mo ago
  > "What are the chances that I could find the exact charger needed for a GameBoy Colour?" I usb-c modded my DSi a little while back and it's awesome. No worries about trying to find an out of date charger, just smash it in the same one my phone uses and it's fine. I used this one https://github.com/giltesa/Nintendo-DSi-USB-C-Mod https://github.com/giltesa/Nintendo-DSi-USB-C-Mod and while the reassembly of the DSi was a nightmare, it works fine apart from that. Needed a bit of case modding with some side cutters though
• ianbooker 4mo ago
  I use USB to teach students about European Union regulatory policies, because this is one obvious standard they all can connect to. (Pun intended). Throughout the years they were cautious when it was introduced, thankful after it was established, and now they are too young to know any other world. And yes, USB as main connection standard was driven by Apple. But USB as main charging standard was set by the EU.
  • vman81 4mo ago
    > And yes, USB as main connection standard was driven by Apple. But USB as main charging standard was set by the EU. Hard disagree. Yes, they were quick to say that if you want to connect a device to their computers, you'd better be prepared for it to be USB. But their computer market share simply wasn't there to drive anything. More of a "lead by example" deal. With phones OTOH, they COULD have driven it, but in the end they had to be whipped by Brussels to adopt standard USB(c).
• dwedge 4mo ago
  > No. One charger. One cable. One standard. Except this isn't true. Different power delivery capabilities, different standards. Some can transfer data, some can transfer 4K, some support quick charge, others don't. I love USB C but different cable standards all looking identical is infuriating sometimes
• ivanjermakov 4mo ago
  > What if someone steals my bag? Hopefully the PebbleBee "Find My" device will help me recover it. Likely not, at least police won't care about location info. Theft is painful for many reasons, especially because most countries don't consider it "serious". And trying to find thieves yourself is a bad idea either. Best advice is to be aware of your belongings at all times. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42464753 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42464753
• asdefghyk 4mo ago
  Id check for transient suppress on the charger. I had a expensive powerbank that was charging be damaged ( as in no longer worked) by a power transient.
• darkwater 4mo ago
  The USB-C "hate" for the "one cable, much protocols and transports" you read on HN are just in the power-users bubble. For the rest of humanity, USB-C is a blessing with very few drawbacks, especially considering that the biggest usage by far is as a power cable. Data transport is a secondary usage that some people would probably never use in their lives.
• jwr 4mo ago
  The problem with many cheap USB-C devices is that they lack a required resistor on the USB-C pins, which means they won't charge from a compliant USB-C PD charger, only through a USB-A to USB-C cable. It's idiotic that companies don't even test this properly and never read the specs, but here we are. Many cheap Chinese devices like toothbrushes will have this problem.
• fluxusars 4mo ago
  I too love USB-C, though sadly my laptop only has two of those ports, and only one of them can do power delivery and display, so my only choices are between having a powered laptop with only the built-in display, or on battery with external display, or carrying an extra power brick..
• wink 4mo ago
  The problem is just if you don't want to replace stuff that is not broken. My BT in-ears charge with Micro USB, my 2 bike lights do, my flashlight does. The only downside of my Suunto watch is the proprietary charger cable (USB A on the other end) And yeah, adapters exist of course, but still.
• thih9 4mo ago
  Yay EU! User replaceable batteries next: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47098687 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47098687 .
• jkrom3 4mo ago
  The tracking of your bag is great. But when it comes time for you to go retrieve it from the thief… how is that going to go? Are you going to wrestle with them?
• bArray 4mo ago
  I've done a decent amount of traveling - honestly the most important thing has always just been to have stuff that works. Charging things has rarely been an issue. A few extra cables in the luggage is not a big deal. Terrence's issue here is that he is over complicating things: - Toothbrush - Just take a non-battery toothbrush, it's perfectly fine and will not break down or need charging. - Tracker - I'm doubtful you will get it back in most countries. Always keep the essentials such as phone, wallet and passport on your physical person where possible. - Bug Bite Zapper - Do as the locals do, they too don't want to be swamped with insects.
  • threetonesun 4mo ago
    +1 on the toothbrush. It's how I use up all the non-electric toothbrushes I get at the dentist (who always tells me to use an electric toothbrush). The only thing that perpetually annoys me for charging is the Apple Watch, which requires the dumb little puck charger and doesn't have enough battery life to make it even one extra day without being charged. I wish it had gotten the inelegant "flip it over a shove a cable in" like the Magic Mouse did.
• account42 4mo ago
  > Bug Bite Zapper That's a problem that people need a solution for? To the point of packing an additional device for it when "traveling lightly"?
• ubermonkey 4mo ago
  I have made my peace with the fact that, unless I'm willing to replace otherwise perfectly functional items just to change the port, USB-C nirvana is a long way away at our house. The Lightning holdouts: * My wife and I both still have Lightning phones with plenty of life left in them. My 14Pro was actually replaced under AppleCare not quite a year ago, so it's nearly new! * I have two sets of headphones that are Lightning: Airpods Pro and Max. Both still have great battery life despite years of use. If either failed tomorrow, I'd buy a new example, but I'm not spending that money without good reason. * I have a full suite of Apple desktop peripherals (trackpad, mouse, and keyboard) that I swap in from time to time for variety. Like most Apple kit, they're all very well made and will last a long time -- and all charge by Lightning. MicroUSB holds on, too: * The battery charger for my bicycle's derailleurs is MicroUSB -- and SRAM still isn't selling a USB-C version, which is crazy. I could by an aftermarket one, but why? * Likewise, the charger for my camera batteries is Micro. * My bicycle headlight and taillight are both Micro. * We have two Kindles that are both Micro. All these things work just fine. The MicroUSB stuff is less annoying, since most of those things don't need to travel, but the Lightning holdouts are the ironic downside to Apple's generally high level of hardware quality.
• psyclobe 4mo ago
  Nothing worse then a product in 2026 with anything othat than Usb-C; it is a product failure and a no go if u ship anything like micro USB lol
• cliglot 4mo ago
  [dead]