A very annoying first world problem

One of the best things about standards is that there are so many to chose from.

I wish I knew who to credit that line to.

I bought a charging cord a few months that has four plugs on it.

It has two USB-C, one micro USB and one iPhone lightning plug.

USB-C is pretty amazing. My work laptop was the first computer that I've used, to have it.

Everything through one connection. Charging, dock, video, sound, etc. etc. No more "proprietary" docking stations (although businesses still get them from the same mfg, like our co., Dell. And the name brand is still just as expensive as before!)

Point is, I can have a dual monitor setup at home, generic USB-C hub, and my work computer simply connects as well.

I find that in my own work scenario it's funny what I bring in to the office...laptop, tablet, hotspot (why I guess because laptop doesn't have cellular, tablet does), scanners, and once in a while a mobile printer. When I say scanner, I mean like what you'll see a guy in Costco or Walmart carrying around, even shop rite...and usually? 20% chance I forgot the battery of charger for one of the devices...so I try to leave the house fully charged.

I looked at the output specs printed on one of my wife's Apple wall warts and it was complicated! No more 5V @.5A.

Have a charging cable with 4 ends for virtually all phones.
Something like this...
https://www.amazon.com/Charging-USAMS-Multiple-Connectors-Co...

Standards -LOL - so true!

Last September 23 there were many press stories of intended rule-making in the EU to require devices to use the USB-C physical connection standard and to harmonize their fast-charging behavior. The stated goal was to reduce the proliferation of distinct chargers and the environmental cost of disposal.

I imagine they though it a bonus that it would punish Apple and Apple users by obsoleting the Lightning connector.

....proprietary ? or unnecessary redundancy of function?

The origin of this phrase is unclear. It is usually attributed to either Andrew S. Tanenbaum or Grace Hopper. It may well be the former but I have a soft spot in my heart for the latter.

I had to look up Tanenbaum, so thank you for that. The mention of Hopper always makes me smile thinking of her piece of wire.

For those of you who are curious about the Grace Hopper wire reference, here is a link to two minutes of Grace explaining it herself on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eyFDBPk4Yw
To be picky about things, electrical signals don't propagate through wire at the speed of light, as the dielectric constant of the surrounding material is pretty much never equal to 1, though the magnetic permeability is rather often essentially equal to 1. Grace is careful enough to get that right, but many people miss the distinction.

I continue to be surprised by the difficulty telling (decidedly not explaining) people that signals generally propagate slower thru fiber optic cable than coaxial cable. The belief that since fiber (fibre?) is newer it must be faster (a version of better) is difficult to overcome.

I'm so glad USB C is becoming a standard. I only carry one charger when I travel now. And I don't buy electronics for travel that don't allow USB C charging.

Me too. USB C can easily be inserted without regard to the shape lining up. I have so many cables from so many different things hanging up, it'd be nice if they were all the same type.

When I used to work with it, if we had a facility that needed to have ethernet say 2-9 miles down the road, we laid fiber, not copper. It was a distance thing. I don't work with the stuff anymore so I wanna say over 328'. Even if not down the road, we were already starting to deal with buildings that were 1.5 mil. sq feet. How does one hit the guard shack from the MDF? The other thing is when we say "speed," imho we're dealing in theory. Again I don't work with it anymore, but even when I did, CAT6 was around and deployed. But what's on the other side of the CAT6? a gigabit backbone? You're not going to connect IDFs that are more than 328' from the MDF with copper, nor are you gonna string them all together so that if #22 goes down, #23-40 go down.

It a misconception (again I don't work with it anymore) to mix up VoIP and IP telephony. The entire backbone say in 2004 was already VoIP, while the phones at people's desks were very often still digital. today it'd be 1) amazing to even see a phone at a desk 2) if one did, to not see some sort of generic SIP going on (again I don't work with it anymore, so anyone is free to correct anything I've said)

I'm like Jerry Maguire and Travis Bickle, anytime, anywhere, show me the money! lol It used to be that doing the above around 2000'ish, a person had a salary same as an Ivy League law grad, not today, since it's so matured. So we move on to bigger and better, half our choice, half our industry and employer's.

Another misconception, 2.4 v 5 ghz wireless. Everything I have at home is on 2.4, except for a DVD player which actually doesn't allow for 2.4, it only has 5. Or this one always got me, I have 300k sq ft, how many APs do I need? There is no answer to that question. Is it an office in Manhattan? Is it a warehouse in Nebraska?

That is a great idea. However, there should be a standard that is used by all manufactures. We know that will not happen b/c they make more money with the various types.

^^Isn't everything released these days USB C? At least in the physical form factor. May be only capable of usb 2.0 speeds, but the physical form factor is USB C. Even the new garmin 7 series units.

In my car I have several cables and adapters as some devices (driveluxe 50) still uses a usb mini, while my phone is usb c. There's also something that uses a micro usb but I can't remember what device...

Oh man, johnnatash, you ain't kiddin'. What a pain. One of the ways you can go wrong is to have a cable that charges the battery (bundled with some Garmin GPS units... see https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=Pu8dqQaIFY5hq2dMWuDix7) but doesn't transmit data like map updates (that can be an optional, extra cable purchase, if you don't already have one), even though both ends of your cable fit the two devices. Gotcha! Confused yet?!? Not me.

Type C is likely to be the trend until ... USB is replaced by wireless/cordless technology.

By the time everybody transitions to USB-C cables they will probably be obsolete. The EU proposal is "designed to fight electronic waste". I guess every little bit helps, but it seems a little ridiculous to "save" just the charging cable when people buy a new phones every year or two. The cell phone is the real electronic waste problem, not the cable. By changing the connector types on the charging cable, a lot of people will need to purchase a bunch of spare cables and chargers.
Mark

The main goal of the EU proposal was to eliminate the number of chargers that end up in landfills, estimated to be 11,000 tons annually according to the linked article. A standardized charger would allow you to buy a phone, and no charger would be included. The EU also points out that this would result in a less expensive phone package. I would not bet on it!

https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/23/europe-will-finally-legisl...

not mistaken the latest iPhone doesn't come with a charger?

I had gotten a phone call from someone when they got the 13 Pro a long time ago.

What they described was they didn't have a charger that could accept the cable that was in the box.

I asked well then how were you able to charge the phone?

The penthouse has wireless charging pads built in, and she simply placed the phone on the pad until she could buy a PD type charger that has USB C instead of USB A

Starting with iPhone 12, Apple no longer includes power adapters in every box as it moves to reduce package waste (and make some cash on accessories). Its newest smartphones also include support for Apple's magnetic MagSafe charging.

Not just the latest, but one generation back. I made the leap from an ancient flip phone straight to an iPhone in September 2021, just before the current generation were released. My box had no charger, and the provided cable wanted to plug into a charger with a USB-C outlet.

So Apple saved a few pennies not packing a charger in every box, and the salesman advised me that with the smaller boxes more phones fit in a crate now. But since none of the many chargers in my house had a USB-C outlet, I bought an Apple fast USB-C charger at the T-Mobile store before going home.

The salesman advised that many people were not happy at this particular juxtaposition.

My new Tesla provides the magnetic charging, but the rate of charging I get there is pretty slow. Leaving the phone in the car to charge would be like leaving my keys in an older car--since the iPhone is my key.

I’m partial to Anker products because I’ve found them to be very well designed, and my coworkers (large electronics manufacturer) agree. One charger Anker makes has the USB-C port as well as the older USB-A port. See https://us.anker.com/products/a2625122. It’s about $25, about the same as the Apple product, but has more versatility due to the dual ports which can be used simultaneously.

I'm rather two-faced about this. On the one hand (am I two-handed? ham-handed?) I usually want slow charging to maximize battery life. OTOH I'll point out that this charger is behind-the-times as it doesn't have any 20 volt output visible in the advertisement.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB-C#USB_Power_Delivery

PD ports by specification below 45 watts are 15 volt. Above 45 the specification states 20 volts. Apple holds two patents on 20 volt devices (see https://patents.justia.com/inventor/dan-fritchman). As you noted lower voltage and lower wattage generally rusults in longer life. An Anker that delivers 60 watts is seen at https://www.amazon.ca/Charger-Anker-PowerPort-Laptops-MacBoo...

Also, an interesting article about future Apple chargers at https://www.engadget.com/apple-dual-usb-c-port-adapter-leak-...

I care about how products "feel," as far as their construction.

I happen to think Anker has terrible customer support--I dealt with them on a dash cam.

Luckily, on their other products, I've never needed any support.

So I'm like my mom, we don't go to that restaurant for the ambience, we go for the food.

You have to be very careful on their pricing too.

I got one of their new 100W USB-C for $14.99, next day it's like $22.99.

So I got a 65W charger and the cable for $43. It's as compact as any other charger. I use this for a Zebra tablet so I don't have to bring the original which is a BRICK (50W). I've tried other charging setups and the tablet never makes much progress. The OE battery is 38.115 Wh @ 7.7V.

I refuse to take a roller bag to work like most of my colleagues as I have so many devices I have to lug to and from when I'm in the office. The anker charger is great, I just have my backpack fully loaded up. I don't even bring a tape measure due to weight, not lying. I have a IKEA paper tape measure! I leave the label maker at home now, again, too much weight (our co.does not have assigned seating so officially we're not supposed to leave anything in the office, but I know people do). I remember 20 years ago SAP America did that and people booked conference rooms indefinitely to get around no offices.

Price is higher now but I'm sure it will drop. The cable if $14.99 is highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B093GHXQB9/ref=ppx_od_dt_b...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08F28BH7C/ref=ppx_od_dt_b...

I've only needed Anker customer support once and it was a smooth process once I researched what I needed to do. The device had been purchased from Amazon and in that instance you deal directly with the Anker site. All Anker purchases done via Amazon are automatically registered as far as warranty. I was asked in the process to provide my Amazon order ID, which I did, and was advised shortly thereafter that a replacement was on the way. Very painless, once I understood the process. Note that Anker does state that if you made purchases through Anker’s authorized resellers, please contact them directly. So if you buy at Best Buy, then you deal with Best Buy

Sure what the $ value of your item was. Mine was approximately $110 at the time, so they told me I would need to send the item back for them to inspect.

I get that's the "1970's" way of doing things, pre-internet.

Because many higher $ items are that--Bilstein products have lifetime warranties--but how many can afford to remove them from a vehicle, and wait while Bilstein inspects the items to verify they're leaking?

I suggested how about if you send me a replacement and I send the the defective item back simultaneously and provide tracking (because I'm a genius and thought of an incredibly fair process all by myself lol). they said no you could just buy another one if you need it faster, huh?!

If you read reviews, you will find people who said too bad it was beyond 30 days otherwise I could have simply gotten a replacement through amazon.

I have had unbelievable customer support like you did on other off brands. Like an air mattress. It was after 30 days so no amazon possibility of replacement (also the size/height was out of stock). Called an 800#, it went off shore, the person asked for the amazon order, and within 1 hour, I had a refund message to my amazon acct. That implies a reseller wanting to be legit as an amazon seller. They didn't even want the defective product back, and it was about $80. One of those mattresses with the built in inflators.

Another example to illustrate I'm not crazy in thinking internet sellers can ship a replacement prior to getting the defective product back.

March 2020 I got 2 front GM OE brake rotors from Rock. One was clearly installed previously, and removed, then returned. The bag was opened and the disc itself had greasy hand prints all over it.

Rock simply issued a FedEx call tag (automated/online) and with their system, as soon as the return label shows dropped off in the FedEx system, a replacement order is released. So that's not amazon where they ship immediately, but it's almost the same. Pretty sure this was the Wamart process when the Allen bike rack had a broken plastic piece--the system recognizes the RMA is in the FedEx system, and the replacement is shipped. Of course amazon ships immediately with the stipulation if the returned item is not sent back, customer charged.

Anker told me we're not big enough to be able to do that--oh really? lol

But as mentioned, it's the restaurant where you go for the food, not the ambience. So I have no qualms about buying their < $50 products. A dash cam? Never again. Plus I don't think they even make them anymore as there've been no firmware updates in years.

I’ll up you one. Now here’s a real first world problem:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/16/well/eat/stickers-fruits-...

^^Must be running low of decent topics to report on.... One more site to add to the sh!t list.

-------------

Here's a funny read. I got in it with 2 mods over on the att forum. I swear, there's morons and children running that place.

https://forums.att.com/conversations/att-internet-features/a...

Search for gpz1100 on the first page; start reading from there.

IPV6 is beyond me. All my life I've dealt with IPV4 and /24's, and that's about as far as I got.

Talk about morons, our household has cars from Germany, Japan, and the USA. I felt morons were all over the forums for 2/3 of those cars. And surprisingly, it's not the first, it's 2 and 3. Progressively worse in that order!

Just to use one of many examples....hey, my DRL burnt out for the 3rd time in one year, and now the socket melted. Dang this is terrible.

I'd get a response to go and buy one of those **** ****** cars if you want to just whine hahahahahahahaha

Yikes. What kind/brand of light bulb were you using? Is your alternator voltage okay?

was a well known issue with GM from about 1995 to 2013. think about it, how often do you see a GM vehicle with only 1 DRL lol

The bulb is a 3157, and GMs technical service bulletin said if a 3157 repeatedly burns, then replace with a 4114.

The 3157 is around 27 watts, the 4114 is about 31. Their logic was since they have dirty voltage with the DRL circuit, a 4114 may be more tolerant (more likely to melt the socket worse).

I finally got smart and replaced the sockets, then used LEDs which draw about 3.7 W. I got a 10 pack for $18. LEDs that cost < $2 each are not uniformly good quality, some of the LEDs have fallen off the bulb too. But no burning out nor overheating since.

One of the GMC products where the DRL is not in the bumper but in the headlight housing? These cost the owners $1400 since the headlight was damaged and was HID xenon.

My previous isp didn't even support ipv6 so it was all new to me too. To this day, I mostly have ipv6 disabled in the clients, but enabled in the firewall/router for when I will need it.

My understanding, a large benefit of ipv6 is doing away with the need for NAT. Clients use directly routeable addresses.

I learned more about this stuff on dslreports.com than the att support forum. Go figure!

Such a strange issue. GM used high beam bulbs wired in series for many DRLs. Saved them money while they claimed safety in US and met requirements in Canada. But those aimed high bulbs are tough for oncoming eyes, even at half voltage.

situation is getting critical at the enterprise level. Even when devices are available, if proprietary, chargers unavailable, worldwide.

What I mean is dedicated chargers that say charge 16 batteries at a time, etc.

My wife an I frequently travel with a laptop, two cell phones, 2 Garmin GPSr's, an iPad Mini, iPods, Bluetooth headphones, a rechargeable electric toothbrush and a bagful of cables & chargers.

Making a standard, like USB-C, would be a step in the right direction but it's going to be quite some time before we replace all these devices.

Sadly, until then, we'll be carrying our little cable bag.

At least the consumer electronics makers have somewhat settled on the Qi standard for wireless charging. My three most-used gadgets - phone, watch, and earbuds - all charge wirelessly, and a single charger with two charging pads enables me to keep everything charged without ever reaching for a specific cord. Having a wireless charging pad built into the car is also a nice feature.

when fast charging for iPhones cost well over $50?

The cable was $20.

Then an aftermarket charger was about $28.

Crazy how Mfi stuff is so cheap today.

I got a 3 pack of Anker 20W chargers for $25.

Then a 3 pack of Mfi lightning cables for $6.

So basically a fast charger for an iPhone today is $11.

But in the enterprise world, there's so much proprietary stuff.

Take for example what you see people in Costco holding in their hands, or Shop Rite. A single battery could be $80, the device $2500, the charger $300. And, zero available worldwide. Rumors are it's now a plastic issue, i.e. need it to make the chargers' casings. I know of a case where someone waited 3 months for a tablet charger made by Getac. Google it and of course a gazillion websites come back who have it listed. Noone can actually get it. Imagine being unable to use a device because you can't charge it. It's been mentioned before, but it made me do a what if, with a EV.

My new tesla Y has a charging pad, but I've not got much use of it yet. I just can't get into the habit of remembering to take my iPhone out of my pocket and put it on the pad when I get in the car. Worse, about half the time when I finally do remember and put it on the pad I forget to take it back off when I get out of the car. Since the phone is the car key that means I've left the car in the same state as someone running into the convenience store leaving their key in the ignition and the engine running.

Lastly, the actual charging rate is pretty low. I'm still trying to train myself to use the feature successfully, but so far it has not been a particularly successful one for me.

Mini is "old" but I like it.

Mini is much more sturdy than micro USB. I've seen many micro's damaged but never a mini. Somehow it was estimated that micro's durability is guaranteed for 10,000 operations (plug in and out), and mini's only for 5,000. I think the opposite is closer to the truth.

USB-C has the advantage that it can be plugged in both ways to work, and therefore it will naturally be the least likely to get damaged.

Do you take any clothes or do you just wear the electronics when you go out? .