Tag: Tech

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Beats USB-A to USB-C Woven Cables

In 2023, iPhones 15 (iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max) were the first iPhones to ship with USB-C connectors in lieu of Apple’s proprietary Lighting port.

I was one of early adopters of these USB-C equipped iPhones. At that time, I already have numbers of USB-C charging cables, because I use MacBook Pro and iPad Pro. Well, USB-C has been around since 2015, 8 years before Apple had to replace Lightning connector with USB-C to comply with regulations that mandate USB-C on all devices in the European Union.

With the release of iPhones 15, Apple started selling USB-C to Lightning Adapter, designed specifically for users who want to use their existing Lightning cables with iPhone 15. This adapter is priced at 29.00 USD.

Apple USB-C to Lightning Adapter

I primarily needed this adapter for CarPlay, as my car does not have Wireless CarPlay support and still equipped with USB-A ports. Anecdotally this adapter did not provide stable connection between the car, Lightning to USB-A Cable, and to the iPhone 15. I bought a second unit of this adapter and had the same result. Later on I tested numbers of third party USB-A to USB-C cables and settled with a few brands. While these cables generally provide stable connections, I sometimes have to flip the USB-C connector when it failed to make connection.

Beats-branded USB-A to USB-C cables is an Apple product, and it carries premium pricing.

  • Beats USB-A to USB-C Woven Cable (1.5 m / 5 ft.) – Bolt Black $18.99
  • Two-Pack Beats USB-A to USB-C Woven Cables – Bolt Black $34.99
  • Beats USB-A to USB-C Woven Short Cable (20 cm / 8 in.) – Bolt Black $18.99
Beats USB-A to USB-C Cables

After a week using Beats USB-A to USB-C Woven Cable, I found that it provides stable connections. I expect that from Apple product. No issues so far.

I know people who would pay a little bit more to get premium product. This Beats USB-A to USB-C Cable might be for them.

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E-Ink Price Tag

I was going to talk about this last year when I noticed a certain Big Box Retailer uses E-Ink Price Tag on the store shelves.

So far, these E-Ink Price Tags have to be individually programmed. Shoppers will not see prices automatically changed in front of them. There are no radio transmitters and receivers components on the tags we examined. These E-Ink Price Tags are reprogrammable and reusable.

Who knows when they would have ones with radio transmitters and receivers components.

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It’s Foggy

It was a foggy morning and I walked around carrying a phone and camera. I saw a broken fence on a median and it looked eerie. So I took a few pictures with the phone and the camera as cars passing by.

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Apple Vision Pro, One Year to the Day.

Apple Vision Pro, a really expensive personal therapeutic electronic device.

I tried using it for productivity , working on my daily task. In the end I found a different use case for it. I use AirPods Pro with Vision Pro whenever I need to isolate.

I don’t think I would want to use Vision Pro in public, at all.

Here’s to the second year of Apple Vision Pro.

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Head Cleaning

Does new inkjet printer needs print head cleaning right out of the box? Apparently yes.

Print head cleaning uses inks, and printer inks somehow cost more than the printer itself, well some printers.

Color laser printers generally cost a lot more than the inkjet counterparts. Toners, fuser, and print drum replacements could be costly too.

It feels like lose-lose scenarios for consumers.