The OnePlus 7 Pro is (by most accounts) an excellent phone, but there are still shortcomings. Like most flagship smartphones these days, it doesn't have a headphone jack, but OnePlus has also decided not to include a Type-C adapter in the box. To make matters worse, the company has taken a page out of Apple's playbook and nearly doubled the price of the official adapter.
Read MoreMoshi's 2nd generation Type-C audio and charging adapter now available for $40
The loss of the headphone jack on the Pixel lineup meant there was no way to use wired headphones and charge your phone at the same time. While there are plenty of goofy-looking adapters for the iPhone that give you a headphone jack with power pass-through, no such adapter has been available for Type-C Android phones - at least not any that worked well.
Read MoreThe OnePlus 6T will ditch the headphone jack
The OnePlus 6T won't have a headphone jack, OnePlus CEO Carl Pei confirmed in an interview with TechRadar. The reason Pei gave is one we've heard before: saving space inside the device. That saved space, in this case, will be occupied by a larger battery and an in-display fingerprint reader.
Read MoreGoogle's new USB-C headphone adapter promises lower latency and longer playback on Pixel phones
Google got in the headphone dongle business when the Pixel 2 infamously axed the 3.5 millimeter headphone jack after Google made a big to-do about Apple's recent iPhone's doing the same thing in its reveal of the original Pixel the preceding year. The company has now quietly refreshed its headphone adapter, with its listing on the Google Store claiming the improved dongle provides 53 percent lower latency and 38 percent longer playback time than its predecessor.
Read MoreSony’s pass-through 3.5mm dongle for the Xperia XZ2 breaks quick charging
Unfortunately, the trend of removing headphone jacks from smartphones isn't ending anytime soon. Sony revealed its new flagship devices at Mobile World Congress last month, and among other major changes, there is no headphone jack to be found. Sony will include an adapter with those phones, but if you need to charge and listen at the same time, the company is more than happy to sell you a more complicated (yet still terrible) dongle.
Read MoreHyperDrive is a combo USB-C hub, stand, and Qi charger on Kickstarter (and it's already funded)
Usually, we aren't too into Kickstarter stuff here at AP. No small number of crowdfunded endeavors have failed to materialize in the past, and too many of them are merely rebadged OEM goods. But in this brave new dongle-filled world, the HyperDrive has caught our eye. It's a combo USB-C hub, Qi charger, and phone stand all in one. And, unlike many Kickstarter promises, this one has already hit its funding goal.
Read MoreGoogle wants to sell you this USB-C to 3.5mm/USB-C adapter for $44.95
As you might have already heard, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL don't have headphone jacks. It's disappointing, yes, but Google has a solution if you need to charge and listen to your tunes at the same time. The only problem: it's a $44.95 solution, and you'll have this giant dongle hanging off of your shiny new phone.
Read MoreAmazon's two 2017 Fire TV models are a mid-range dongle and a cube-shaped flagship box
Two of Amazon's 2017 additions to its popular Fire TV lineup have been leaked courtesy of AFTVnews: a mid-range dongle and a flagship set-top box. Both will be capable of 4K60, and the cube-shaped one is notable because it reportedly has new built-in hardware that allow it to act as an Amazon Echo Dot when you want it to.
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PSA: Pixel and Pixel XL do not work with Google's USB-C to HDMI dongle
Even in a world with Chromecasts and other streaming devices, it's often just easier to plug your phone directly into your TV with an HDMI cable and an adapter. Some people depend on this functionality quite a bit, and for those of you that do, it might not please you to hear that Google's Pixel smartphones will not support the company's own USB Type-C to HDMI adapter.
Read More
Automatic Link Review: The One Nag Whose Yammering Might Actually Improve Your Driving
I love to drive. No, seriously. I'm someone who actually enjoyed commuting to work, back before I landed my first gig putting words on the web. I'll gladly run to the grocery store to knock a few items off our shopping list, then sometimes head back on the same day to pick up something we forgot. If a friend lives less than two hours away, then they're local. Let's hang out this weekend.
The thing is, all this driving burns through gas, which in turn burns through funds. As fun as it is to gun it when the traffic light turns green, coast in the left lane on the interstate, or brake as briefly and as rarely as possible, these actions all impact how much drivers have to spend down the line, both in fuel and maintenance.
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