Qi 2’s speed boost could mean an adoption boost

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When it comes to iOS versus Android, adoption of the Qi wireless charging standards has been a seesaw. Apple held out on Qi and then incorporated support for it in its MagSafe charging standard that added magnetic stability to the charging connection. Then MagSafe formed much of the basis for Qi2, but Android vendors have all but avoided supporting the new standard.

Meanwhile, while they have skipped on the magnetic attachment, Chinese phone vendors like OnePlus have pushed the envelope on high-wattage wireless (and wired) phone charging.

The next chapter in the saga brings many of these elements together with a 25-watt version of Qi2 (previous versions were limited to 15 watts). The speed bump was contributed to the standard by Google so there’s a good chance we will see it supported in the next round of Pixel phones.

 

4URPC provides a dash of display

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USB-C and Thunderbolt docks are taking on all kinds of functionality beyond port replication, from support for Intel’s Thunderbolt Share peer-to-peer file and screen-sharing tech to becoming app platforms.

A 160-watt dock branded 4URPC (can’t argue with that) making its way through Kickstarter strikes a middle ground, showing basic info on the power levels being used and the resolutions being supported. While it stays true to the kind of info that’s relevant to its tasks, it’s not info that should change very often.

Comm-adored 64: A retro reincarnation

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The Commodore 64 Ultimate has USB and HDMI connectors.

If you’ve ever seen Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, you’ll remember Charlie Bucket’s joyous disbelief when (Spoiler Alert!), Willy Wonka tells him that he’s giving him the chocolate factory. Those emotions have no doubt been felt by Christian Simpson, the Commodore superfan YouTuber who has orchestrated the purchase of the Commodore trademarks and who has become the co-founder and CEO of the “new” Commodore.

Simpson has wasted little time in getting the band back together to launch a low-risk proposition, a reincarnation of the Commodore 64 with a few crucial nods to modern connectivity such as USB and HDMI. The Commodore 64. However, Commodore 64 fans recently had a crack at a reliving the product’s glory days via The C64, which, while designed primarily as a video game machine and based on emulation, can run virtually all Commodore 64 software. It even includes a VIC-20 mode!. (The company behind TheC64 also produced The Spectrum recreation of the ZX Spectrum, but hasn’t sold it in the U.S.)

In contrast, few of the Commodore 64’s contemporaries have gotten much in the way of a 21st Century reboot. In contrast to the beloved breadbox, enshrined as the best-selling computer model of all time, Sean Harrington has taken on one of the least popular computers of all time, the Mattel Aquarius. And since at least 2023, a Polish team called Revive Machines has been looking to do for the Atari 800XL what the new Commodore has done for the Commodore 64. Last month, they showed that they are getting close.