Tech

Kensington SD5500T Thunderbolt 3 Dock review: Cloning greatness

Published

1 month ago

03/09/2022

Xanatan

Kensington SD5500T Thunderbolt 3 Dock review: Cloning greatness

Editors' Choice At a glance

Expert’s Rating

Pros

Great mix of features
Budget price
60W of passthrough charging power

Cons

Two DisplayPort ports limit display I/O options
Charging power wasn’t quite up to rating

Our Verdict

This clone of the IOGear Quantum Dual Mode Thunderbolt 3 Dock Pro (GTD737) is a focused, budget Thunderbolt dock that gets the job done efficiently.

Price When Reviewed

$259.99

Best Prices Today: Kensington SD5500T Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C Docking Station

$247.00

Free

If you’ve read our review of the IOGear Quantum Dual Mode Thunderbolt 3 Dock Pro, you’ve read our review of the Kensington SD5500T Thunderbolt Dock as well. They’re identical in appearance and functionality, though the Kensington dock is simply slightly more expensive for some reason.

Both are very good for what they are: a compact Thunderbolt 3 dock that provides a very focused number of ports, in a configuration that won’t take up much of your desk. There are really only two things that might turn off a buyer: the somewhat limited 60W of power the dock provides, and its use of a pair of DisplayPort connections, an no HDMI ports.

There’s also no option to stand the dock vertically, for space-saving. But Kensington does sell a $20 mounting bracket, which can attach the dock to the back of a monitor. We haven’t tried out that option, but it certainly sounds like a novel and useful solution.

The dock is compact (6.6 x 3.1 x 1.1 inches, 2.7 pounds) with small rubber feet to keep it stably planted on your desk. The included Thunderbolt 3 cable measures over two feet, giving you plenty of room to attach the cable to your laptop. It connects to the front of the dock, next to a 10Gbps USB-A port and a headphone jack.

Note: This review is part of our roundup of best Thunderbolt docks. Go there for more information about competing products and our buying recommendations.

The rear of the Kensington SD5500T Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C Docking Station.

Mark Hachman / IDG

On the rear of the dock is a gigabit ethernet port, a pair of 5Gbps USB-A ports for a keyboard and mouse, and two 10Gbps USB-C ports. (Kudos to Kensington, by the way, for using the dedicated 10Gbps USB logo to identify the faster ports.) There are also a pair of older DisplayPort 1.2 ports for a pair of displays; note that the dock powers a pair of 4K displays at 60Hz if connected via Thunderbolt. Otherwise, the dock will power two 1080p displays at 30Hz, according to the manual, if your laptop just has USB-C. (If you do just have a USB-C connection, do not buy this dock and purchase a USB-C dongle instead.)

Some other docks, like the pricier Plugable TBT-UDZ, offer the option of using either DisplayPort or HDMI cables to connect to your display. Kensington’s approach is fine, given that many 4K displays ship with with both HDMI and DisplayPort options. Just make sure you own the right cables. The dock performed as expected, playing back protected content on Netflix and not dropping a single frame while streaming 4K video while connected to ethernet.

While the integrated USB-C and USB-A ports are rated to provide 5V/1.5A per port (for 7.5W charging of smartphones), they supplied 4.8V/1.37A to our USB power tester, for a total of 6.61W. That was enough to charge, but not fast charge, a Samsung Galaxy S20 smartphone. The dock never gets too hot, even under load.

This dock comes with a three-year warranty.

Between IOGear’s dock and this one, we’d choose IOGear: It’s a little cheaper right now at current prices. Otherwise, they’re both solid options for a Thunderbolt dock.

Best Prices Today: Kensington SD5500T Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C Docking Station

$247.00

Free

Tech

USB logos finally make sense, thanks to a redesign

Published

18 hours ago

04/10/2022

Xanatan

USB logos finally make sense, thanks to a redesign

For years, USB technologies have been an alphabet soup of terminology—when, really, all consumers care about is how fast the USB connection is. But now, finally, a new USB logo scheme solves this problem.

The USB Implementors Forum unveiled new logos on Friday for laptop ports, chargers, and cables that actually try to communicate what each one does. It’s a far cry from the nightmare naming scheme that the USB-IF implemented in 2009. It’s worth noting that the names of each specification apparently haven’t changed, but the logos have, and that’s all that matters.

USB-IF executives said the new logos were established alongside the new 240W USB-C power specification, which can now charge USB-C powered laptops at the levels required by even some gaming laptops. Now, the various USB specifications are defined by their speed. Charging specifications are defined by their wattage, with logos that actually indicate this.

“With the new higher power capabilities enabled by the USB PD 3.1 Specification, which unlocks up to 240W over a USB Type-C cable and connector, USB-IF saw an opportunity to further strengthen and simplify its Certified Logo Program for the end user,” said Jeff Ravencraft, USB-IF President and chief operating officer, in a statement. “With our updated logos, consumers can easily identify the USB4 performance and USB Power Delivery capabilities of Certified USB-C cables, which support an ever-expanding ecosystem of consumer electronics from laptops and smartphones to displays and chargers.”

Check out the new logos, which will be used on packaging, ports, and device power ports:

USB performance logos — The new USB logos clearly communicate not just the speed of the port, but its capabilities.

USB-IF

About the only drawback? There’s no obligation for device makers to actually inscribe the logo on their laptops, which could mean a continuation of the confusion around ports.

The new USB cable logos also feature clear communication of their speed as well as their charging capabilities. The big question is whether these cables will support Thunderbolt, or DisplayPort, or USB4 —any of the protocols, that is.

USB-IF

Finally, there are the charging logos, which again state what the device is capable of.

USB-IF

If nothing else, this is a huge step forward for clarity, communicating to the consumer what they’re buying. The only real regret is why this wasn’t implemented years ago.

Author: Mark Hachman, Senior Editor

As PCWorld’s senior editor, Mark focuses on Microsoft news and chip technology, among other beats. He has formerly written for PCMag, BYTE, Slashdot, eWEEK, and ReadWrite.

Tech

Cheaper OLED monitors might be coming soon

Published

18 hours ago

04/10/2022

Xanatan

Cheaper OLED monitors might be coming soon

OLED monitors, with their vibrant colors and perfect black levels, are some of the very best screens you can connect to your PC. Unfortunately, they’re also crazy expensive: with only a few models on the market, the cheapest is still more than a thousand bucks. That might be changing soon, if a report on OLED mega-manufacturer LG Display is accurate.

OLED-info.com quotes unconfirmed news out of China’s manufacturing sector, saying that LG is ready to start manufacturing smaller OLED panels for smaller TVs and computer monitors. Specifically, it’s preparing to ramp up smaller displays using the cheaper WOLED panel technology, which can be produced much more economically than the older types of OLED panels seen in high-end televisions.

Despite being ubiquitous on smaller gadgets like phones and smartwatches, and extremely popular in high-end televisions, OLEDs have been slow to come to the PC market. We’re just starting to see them become a popular option on more and more laptops, but you can count the number of commercially available desktop OLED monitors on one hand. And, of those, LG’s own offerings have been focused on the ultra-high-end professional media market — it’s only this year that the company has begun supplying panels for gaming monitors to companies like Alienware and Corsair.

While we can’t verify the news without a more conventional source, it makes sense. The high-end television market is currently saturated (no pun intended) with OLED screens since there’s been relatively little innovation in the last few years and huge numbers of consumers upgraded their home theaters during the pandemic. OLED manufacturing technology is poised to go bigger (or rather, poised to hit the midrange between small and big) after spending a decade maturing in the mobile electronics market.

If all goes well, we might begin to see more affordable OLED monitors announced at trade shows like CES, E3, and Computex in 2023, with models hitting the market in the summer or fall. Keep your fingers crossed for some display bargains.

Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer

Michael is a former graphic designer who’s been building and tweaking desktop computers for longer than he cares to admit. His interests include folk music, football, science fiction, and salsa verde, in no particular order.

Tech

New Pixel Watch leak reveals watch faces, strap styles and more

Published

1 day ago

03/10/2022

Xanatan

New Pixel Watch leak reveals watch faces, strap styles and more

The Google Pixel Watch is incoming
(Image credit: Google)

We’re expecting the Google Pixel Watch to make its full debut on Thursday, October 6 – alongside the Pixel 7 and the Pixel 7 Pro – but in the meantime a major leak has revealed much more about the upcoming smartwatch.

Seasoned tipster @OnLeaks (opens in new tab) has posted the haul, which shows off some of the color options and band styles that we can look forward to next week. We also get a few shots of the watch interface and a picture of it being synced with a smartphone.

Watch faces are included in the leak too, covering a variety of different approaches to displaying the time – both in analog and digital formats. Another image shows the watch being used to take an ECG reading to assess heartbeat rate.

Just got my hands on a bunch of #Google #PixelWatch promo material showing all color options and Watch Bands for the first time. Some details revealed as well…@Slashleaks 👉🏻 https://t.co/HzbWeGGSKP pic.twitter.com/N0uiKaKXo0October 1, 2022

Full colors

If the leak is accurate, then we’ve got four silicone straps on the way: black, gray, white, and what seems to be a very pale green. Leather straps look to cover black, orange, green and white, while there’s also a fabric option in red, black and green.

We already know that the Pixel Watch is going to work in tandem with the Fitbit app for logging all your vital statistics, and included in the leaked pictures is an image of the Pixel Watch alongside the Fitbit app running on an Android phone.

There’s plenty of material to look through here if you can’t wait until the big day – and we will of course be bringing you all the news and announcements as the Google event unfolds. It gets underway at 7am PT / 10am ET / 3pm BST / 12am AEDT (October 7).

Analysis: a big moment for Google

It’s been a fair while since Google launched itself into a new hardware category, and you could argue that there’s more riding on the Pixel Watch than there is on the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro – as Google has been making phones for years at this point.

While Wear OS has been around for a considerable amount of time, Google has been leaving it to third-party manufacturers and partners to make the actual hardware. Samsung recently made the switch back to Wear OS for the Galaxy Watch 5 and the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, for example.

Deciding to go through with its own smartwatch is therefore a big step, and it’s clear that Google is envious of the success of the Apple Watch. It’s the obvious choice for a wearable for anyone who owns an iPhone, and Google will be hoping that Pixel phones and Pixel Watches will have a similar sort of relationship.

What’s intriguing is how Fitbit fits in – the company is now run by Google, but so far we haven’t seen many signs of the Fitbit and the Pixel lines merging, even if the Pixel Watch is going to come with support for the Fitbit app.

Pixel Watch price leak suggests Google isn’t trying to match the Apple Watch

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.