Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus has announced that its second flagship phone, slated for release later this year, will have a USB-C port.
USB-C has many benefits over existing USB standards. It handles up to 100W of power (enough to charge laptops like the new Apple MacBook), video, and data at up to 10Gbps. Best of all, it’s reversible so you don’t have to worry about plugging it right side up.
OnePlus says it’s made improvements to the open USB Type C standard that will be exclusive to the brand, but is tight-lipped about what those are. It’s also working on an adapter to make its USB-C port backwards compatible with existing cables.
➤ OnePlus 2 – The First Flagship with USB Type C [OnePlus Forums]
Image credit: Maurizio Pesce
Read next: Sony won’t be announcing backwards compatibility on the PS4 anytime soon
Beats launches new Pill+ Bluetooth speaker, arriving next month for $230
Apple-owned Beats by Dr. Dre has launched a new Bluetooth speaker today in its ‘Pill’ line that will arrive on retailer’s shelves next month.
The device is the first new hardware from Beats since its acquisition by Apple last year, and fits in between the original Pill speaker and the considerably larger Pill XL, which was later subject to a voluntary recall .
According to the company, the Pill+ has a larger chassis to create a “bigger and fuller sound” and can power through a 12-hour listening session without needing a recharge. When you do run low on juice, a full recharge takes just three hours.
In addition to the new unit, Beats also announced a new companion app for the device. The app (available for iOS and Android) will allow you to control your speaker from your phone, adjusting things like play modes or controlling playback through two Beats Pill+ speakers simultaneously.
Beats says that it’ll go on sale next month from Appleom and other authorized retailers priced at $229.95.
A spokesperson told TNW that a European release date and price hasn’t yet been confirmed.
➤ Beats by Dr. Dre Launches New Beats Pill + Bluetooth Wireless Speaker [Business Wire Press Release]
Forget the Apple Watch, what you really want is the Apple II Watch straight from the 1970s
If you’re losing your mind in all the excitement of the Apple Watch orders going live today , it’s time to put down your credit card and take a second to think about what you really want. Cutting edge tech from 2015, or the late 1970s?
That’s right. You too could be the proud owner of a BASIC-based Apple II Watch, given the time, tools, know-how, inclination and this handy tutorial.
As Intructables member and creator of the project Aleator777 points out, it has a “blistering (by early 1980’s standards) 72 MHz” MCU and a 1.8-inch TFT LCD screen, which essentially allows it to display the real date and time – thereby fulfilling the ‘watch’ part of its name.
However, the creator also points out that most of the rest of the UI is just for appearances, rather than actually mimicking the functionality of the actual Apple Watch, which would be a pretty impressive feat. For example, the Pictures option cycles through a selection of bitmaps, weather shows a photo of Earth and selecting Music displays a static photo of a butterfly.
While most of the functions are just for fun, the watch does ‘boot’ when you switch it on to mimic an Apple II.
“A full screen of of brackets fills before the system beep, followed by a disk drive head ‘calibration.’ Both noises are .MP3 files that are played on the tiny 2 watt speaker,” Aleator777 wrote.
If you’re interested in creating your own wrist-worn CRT (in looks at least) smartwatch that bears more resemblance to the Apple II of the 1970s and 80s than the shiny new Apple Watch , then put aside a few weeks, gather your materials and borrow a 3D printer. Simple.
➤ Apple II Watch [Instructables]