For some reason, lots of Chinese manufacturers don't like publishing updates on their websites. Instead they supplied me with a link to a Google Drive containing an instruction PDF and an small .exe with the 2.4.06 update - no love for us Linux freaks. I've locally linked them if you want to install.

Through online chatter, I thought the latest version was v4.0, but Treedix said:

Your device is currently running software version 2.3 and can be updated to the latest available version, v2.4.06. However, please note that version v4.0 includes minor hardware updates. Due to hardware incompatibility, existing devices cannot be upgraded to v4.0 via software.

So, do be careful running this update. Make sure it is for the right version of the device. If in doubt, contact Treedix directly.

Upgrading was easy.

1. Switch on the Treedix by flicking the switch up.
2. Plug a USB-C cable into the charging port of the Treedix.
3. Connect the other end of the USB cable to your computer.
4. On your computer, open the .exe.
5. On the Treedix, hold down the function button.
6. While holding down the function button, flick the Treedix switch to off.
7. The upgrade program should detect the device.
8. On your computer, click "Upgrade"
9. Wait until complete before disconnecting and restarting the Treedix.

There are no release notes, but it does now appear to correctly read some of the more advanced eMarkers.

Let's put it though its paces!

Specs

Physically, it is a little larger than I was expecting. The two UK sockets are far enough apart to easily get your fingers around the plugs. Similarly, the USB ports are well-spaced. There's a tiny LED to show that power is connected, but it isn't offensively bright.

The UK plug is tiny:

Even better, it comes with a proper fuse! The power cord isn't removable, but is long enough for most purposes.

How much power can it supply? This is what the spec sheet says:

But there is a fly in the ointment. While 25W is the most that a single USB-C port can output, the power drops once multiple devices are connected. If you have two or more plugged in, the total output is limited to a mere 15W. Not per-port; total!

25W is already fairly low by PowerDelivery standards, so you won't be using this to power your gaming laptop while charging your tablet and headphones.

Real World Testing

I used my Plugable USB-C Power Meter with some high-quality USB cables. The Orico mostly lives up to its promises.

When charging my laptop from either USB-C port, I was able to measure 22W (12V ⎓ 1.85A). Pretty close to the spec.

As soon as I plugged my phone into the other USB-C port, that dropped that down to just under 8W (4.8 ⎓ 1.65A) per port. Again, right on the promised 15W total.

The USB-A port happily delivered 7.5W (5V ⎓ 1.5A) - much lower than expected. That dropped to around 5W (5V ⎓ 1A) once a USC-C load was connected. The C port was only delivering ~10W which wasn't enough to meaningfully charge the laptop.

Final Thoughts

The flat plug is handy for plugging this in to those hard-to-reach spaces. The cable is long enough for most uses. The mixture of ports isn't for everyone, but handy if you still have legacy devices you need to power.

It meets the promised specification - but the specs are a bit of a let-down. You can get smaller devices which will do 60W charging from USB-C, and they'll spread that out over all their ports.

The two UK sockets are a nice-to-have, but I can't help feeling that they'll mostly be used for adding additional chargers.

It is cheap-ish - US$30 / £20 - and comes in a range of colours. If you need a long cable and don't need ultra-fast charging, this will do.

Typically, headphones fall into three broad categories.

• In ear, like the Apple EarPods.
• Over ear, like the Beats.
• Bone Conducting, like the AfterShokz.

But these are not typical headphones. These are part of a new category of "cuff" audio. They clip (gently!) to your ears. It's actually a pretty clever way to stop your earbuds falling out - and means no uncomfortable foam stuffed into your ear canal. And no wax build up! They only weigh 5g, so are almost unnoticeable while wearing them.

Here's the obligatory promo shot:

And this is what it looks like in my ears:

You can adjust where they sit to make them more comfortable or bring the speaker closer to your ear canal. Here's it riding low on my earlobe.

Just like all modern earphones, it comes with a charging case. The case takes USB-C and doubles as battery storage.

Pop the buds in, wait 10 minutes, take them out with 2 hour of playback charge. The button on the back allows you to pair the clips to your Bluetooth device.

What's In The Box

As well as the clips and their case, you get a small instruction leaflet, a short charging-only lead, and some stickers.

Sound Quality

OK, but how do they sound? Look, I'm not an audiophile - I'm not going to bore on about sparkling centre-stage and ambient high-ends. They sound good. They're not remarkably different from any other headphone. They're small, so you're not going to get the brain-pounding bass that you might get from a heavier over-ear set. They don't completely fill your ear-holes, so you'll be able to hear some of the world around you.

On that note, because they're not sealed into your ear that means there's no noise-cancellation. It also means a small bit of sound leakage. Fine if you're out jogging, but probably best not to listen to anything loud while on public transport, eh?

And, yes, they do go loud. At 50% volume they drowned out the sound of my typing. They have enough power to be relatively painful (if that's what you want) and can absolutely be heard by other people.

But the sound quality is fine. Sure, they have LDAC and all sorts of fancy equaliser features. But the reality is you're probably listening to streaming audio while out in a noisy environment. I listened to a variety of stereo demos and they all sounded great.

I tried a couple of pitch-sweep apps and heard from ~40Hz to ~14kHz. That may be my ears though! Either way - more than good enough for music and voice.

Speaking of vocals, the Clip1 has "AeroVoice™" which claims to be a wind noise reduction mode when speaking. Here's a quick recording of me speaking while standing outside.

Call quality was fine. I could hear people and they could hear me. Similarly, recording on Android was pretty good.

Not as good as a dedicated microphone, but good enough for calls.

The nice thing about the clips is that you can choose how high on your ear you want them. Depending on the size and shape of your lugs, you can have the speaker as far away or as close as is comfortable. Personally, I like them tucked just under my earlobes - but having them ride at the top makes it much easier to hear my surroundings. Either way, the clip are gentle and don't pinch. I find them much easier to wear for a long period than most other cans.

Features

They also come with a few cool features. Most impressive is the auto-ear detection. A gyroscope inside each clip means they automatically know which one is in your left ear and which is in your right. You don't need to look for a little symbol or try and work out which one fits - just clip 'em on and start listening.

Like lots of modern headphones, they will auto-pause your music if you take them off your ears. Unlike the Pixel Buds, they won't pause if you start talking. Placing them in their case and closing the lid immediately disconnects them from your device.

They can connect to two devices simultaneously. Again, that's pretty standard for this class of device. You can listen to music from your laptop and also have your phone connected to take calls. However, this feature isn't available if you use LDAC.

To set up LDAC and other features, you'll need to use their proprietary app.

The App

The PeatsAudio App isn't mandatory, thankfully. It is an iron law of the universe that hardware companies simply can't make decent software. You'll need the app if you want to update the firmware on the Clips. Not that it tells you much about what the firmware update fixes.

It displays the battery level of the clips and their case in this comically large graphic:

You can also fiddle around with the audio equaliser if that's important to you.

There's also an EQ test which attempts to create a personalised listening profile depending on the state of your hearing.

You can set the various sound modes - including LDAC and Dolby.

The most useful thing about the app is the ability to configure the touch controls. Unlike the Pixel Buds, there's no "swipe" detection for changing volume or tracks. Instead you can manually set the actions for double-, triple-tap for each ear.

You can also set various modes and launch your device's AI assistant if you want. Except, this screen is a lie. They only support double- and triple-taps! I spoke to the manufacturer and they said:

Regarding the custom key, please kindly note that Clip1 differs from our other touch-controlled devices as it uses tap controls. Single taps have a high false-trigger rate, and enabling single taps would actually cause more issues. Therefore, this model does not support single taps or long presses.

I wish they supported swipe though. With multiple taps, your timing must be precise so as not to trigger the wrong function.

The app has annoying habit of prompting you to perform a firmware update - even when you're on the latest version.

Annoyingly, you need to register an account before you can use the app. Worst still, you cannot use the app without granting it Internet access! If you're on the tube and have no connection, you won't be able to change the EQ or set the button functions. Rubbish!

I suggest you install the app, configure the device, and then uninstall immediately.

Linux and Android Compatibility

Of course! Bluetooth is a mature, well-supported technology. They connected to my Linux laptop without any problems.

And, yes, even the LDAC codec was supported!

Similarly for Android, LDAC and Spatial Audio were detected.

There were no connection issues - they paired quickly and without fuss.

Bugs

When I got them, they would only play in mono - one of the buds was reporting a dead battery, although it was happy to play audio. Only one channel played though. Because of the low battery, I couldn't run the firmware update function from the app. I tried running the "reset" function which did make them forget my phone - but still didn't fix the battery issue. There's also a "drainage" function which played some loud tones repeatedly - I suspect this is to attempt to drain the batteries quicker. Both buds continued making noise for a while - even though one was claiming to be dead.

I switched to the LDAC codec and all of a sudden, stereo worked. I flicked between the different codecs on my laptop and it went back to mono - and wouldn't go back to stereo until a disconnect and reconnect.

I charged both buds overnight which seemed to resolve the problem. I updated the firmware just to be on the safe side. Then everything started working again.

The app itself is a pile of bugs. After upgrading the firmware, it appeared to give me access to extra tap shortcuts. None of them could be set and they disappeared after reconnecting the clips. The fact that it can't be used offline is a serious weakness. The FAQ page goes to a 404 error.

Worth it?

These cost between £60 - £80 depending on whether the algorithm favours you. That's certainly more than the cheapest USB-C headphones but pretty reasonable. Yes, you can get basic Bluetooth headphones for a tenner, but these are extremely comfortable and feature-packed.

It would be nice if manufacturers could agree on a single standard for recharging headphones. I've got several pairs and, while all the cases take USB-C, none of the buds work in each other's chargers. The lack of swipe is a bit annoying, but not devastating. The app is trash, but you only need to use it once.

Wearing them takes a little bit of getting used to. The clip isn't tight, but you will notice it at first. Shaking your head vigorously won't dislodge them. There's no pressure in your ear canal. It is unusual, but rather pleasant. But, without a doubt, they are comfortable to wear for extended periods.

The touch controls are a bit fiddly. Yes, you can touch at the speaker, wire, or the bit behind your ear - which makes it an easy target no matter where on the ear you wear them - but it is too easy for a triple-tap to be mistaken for a double-tap. Battery life was excellent - after about 3 hours of (non-LDAC) listening, they were still on 60% so I've no doubt they'll reach the projected 8 hours of listening time. The case is a bit lightweight and flimsy, but it contains enough power to recharge the cans multiple times. The USB-C charged at about 2W - not exactly rapid but good enough.

I don't know if clip-on earphones are the future - but they certainly solve some of the problems with in-ear phones. They're lightweight, comfortable, and less likely to fall out while you're moving.

Overall? They've got excellent sound quality, they feel great, and are unique enough to be interesting. There aren't many clip-style headphones available in the UK - so these are a great way to experiment with the form-factor.

The good folks at Benfei have sent me another gadget to review! This is a USB-C Video/Audio capture dongle. Plug one end into a device and the other into your computer - it will show up as a USB video capture device.

Notice the extra USB socket there?

USB Power

One great thing about this device is that it has USB Power Delivery pass through. This means you can charge your device while grabbing video from it. That's more than a "nice to have" - the Nintendo Switch will refuse to output video over USB-C unless it is connected to a power supply.

The capture device claims to be able to pass through 100W - I don't have any devices which need that much power, but my USB-C Power Meter showed devices happily slurping down between 5W and 20W depending on the device I was using.

So how does it do?

Video and Audio

It is limited to 1080p @ 60Hz, which is good enough for most things.

Here's a short clip from the Nintendo Switch:

And here's a capture from my Android phone:

Linux

For the nerds amongst us, this shows up in lsusb as 345f:2130 MACROSILICON USB3 Video which should be well supported.

OBS Studio was able to capture the video and audio input perfectly:

It is the epitome of Plug & Play. Shove one end into your device and plug the other end into your computer's USB-C port. That's it. Done. No software to install, no drivers to download, no switches to flip. There's also a handy adapter if you want to use a USB-A socket - although it will need to support USB 3 speeds.

Limitations

As with most HDMI devices, it will refuse to stream video protected by HDCP DRM. That means you probably can't stream your Netflix / Disney / Whatever subscription to your laptop.

It is limited to stereo sound. I couldn't convince the Nintendo Switch to output surround sound.

Obviously, it only works with devices which have USB-C video output. Modern Android and most hand-held consoles will work. Your PS5 won't.

So what about those devices without USB-C?

Bonus HDMI Dongle!

So you're a wannabe Twitch streamer, or you just want to capture something from your HDMI output? The good folks at Benfei also sent me their HDMI Capture Dongle to review.

There's absolutely nothing else to say about this one. It has the same internals - 345f:2130 MACROSILICON USB3 Video - and works exactly the same.

Shove an HDMI cable in there and you're good to go,

Price

The USB-C to USB-C cable a surprisingly reasonable £15. If you need to capture video for presentations or streaming, it will do the job splendidly. The cable is long enough to drape from a machine to a source - and the Power Delivery is useful.

The HDMI capture is only £12. They both work identically well and are supported on Linux.

Highly recommended!

But how does it perform? Plug the HDMI into your TV and its USB-A end into a suitable power source (my TV had one nearby).

After a few seconds, my TV displayed this splash-screen.

The QR code appears to be vestigial. It tells you the Wi-Fi details of the device, but the USB-C dongle is pre-paired. I plugged the dongle into my Linux laptop and, a few moments late:

Success! It works pretty damn well! The resolution was 1920x1080, stereo sound was clearly separated and was in sync, video quality was reasonably smooth.

There's a pass-through USB-C charging port on the side of the dongle. It will only do 40W - so you don't get ultra-fast charging, but it should be more than sufficient for your average laptop.

It claims a range of 30 metres. My house isn't that big. Once I was about 5m away, video and audio started getting stuttery. A message popped up on screen suggesting changing Wi-Fi channels. For basic presenting, it was absolutely fine while at the other side of the house.

Linux Compatibility

This worked instantly with Linux. Somewhat uninventively, it does not present as a USB-C device! You'll see nothing in lsusb - instead, it shows up as a screen:

As it is just another monitor, you can either extend your desktop to it or mirror your main screen.

Similarly, it presents as a generic audio device:

You can route stereo audio to it.

Android Compatibility

Android's DP Alt Mode support is still a bit shaky. Nevertheless, this Benfei dongle worked! The screen was auto-detected and I was able to play audio without any problems.

Screen mirroring worked - so I could view my apps on the big screen.

Note that if your screen isn't 16:9, you'll get black bars to maintain the aspect ratio. I think that's an Android limitation.

It is hard to take a photo of a TV and have it look good - but, please rest assured, the colours looked exactly as expected.

Playing video and audio worked fine.

Technical Background

The QR code it presents gives an SSID and a (base64 encoded?) password. It says it is a softap which makes me think this is ESP8266 powered. It also seems to advertise KOM.to - whose products come from EZCast.

The HDMI dongle presented both 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi networks - both with hidden SSIDs. Given the power draw of a typical USB-A port, they weren't overly powerful, but got the job done. There's no way to update firmware on it that I can see.

Downsides

These are some minor quibbles.

The dongle only has an LED on one side. It will work either way up, but you won't see the status light if you plug it in upside down.

While video quality is excellent, it is limited to 30fps. It will take a 60fps signal, but there's only so much data you can squeeze over a wireless connection.

The USB-C dongle gets warm during use. Nothing too hot - but it was surprising to me just how quickly it heated up. There are plenty of grilles on the casing to let the heat out.

The USB-A cable is a bit less than 1 metre. That's fine if your screen has a socket - but you might need an extension if not.

None of these are show-stoppers. Just something to be aware of.

Verdict

For slideshow presentations, this is excellent. No faffing around or software to install - just proper plug and play.

For watching videos, it is good enough. Perfect for streaming your laptop or phone to a hotel TV.

The Benfei Wireless USB C to HDMI kit retails at around £56. I think that's fairly reasonable for a bit of kit like this. It comes with its own hard-shell carry-case to protect it. It is light enough to throw in your bag as a "just in case" item. If you're regularly presenting on other people's monitors, you'll know what a pain it can be to get right - this simplifies everything. USB-C means no looking for adapters on your side, and every monitor seems to come with a USB-A socket for power.

Thanks to Benfei for the review unit.

Modern smartwatches are tiny and they do a lot. As a consequence, their battery life is generally poor. The industry's attempts to fix this are either to replace the charging standard every year hoping to find something magical, or to lock you in to a walled-garden on proprietary nonsense.

I want to recharge my watch while I'm riding the bus. That means plugging one end of a USB-C cable into the seat and the other into my wrist. That's how I recharge my phone, eReader, laptop, headphones, toothbrush, and a hundred other gadgets. Why should a watch be any different?

So I bought the only smartwatch I could find with a USB-C port. The Colmi P80 - on offer at £16. It bills itself as "The world's first type-c smart watch".

To be clear, I wasn't expecting this to be a good smartwatch. Anything you buy from AliExpress for the cost of a couple of pints is bound to be a bit crap. What I wanted to know is whether USB-C charging of watches is viable.

What I discovered is that, yes, USB-C charging works even on a relatively small watch. Oh, and that this is a surprisingly decent bit of kit - especially given its price. Let's dive in!

Video Walkthrough

If you'd rather watch and listen than read a blog post, please enjoy this shonky video:

What Works?

It tells the time accurately!

You can set it up without using the app (more on that later). It Bluetooth paired to my phone without a problem - and without PIN entry. I could make and receive calls from the watch - and the voice quality was adequate.

Tilting the watch up made the display come on! I wasn't expecting that, to be honest.

The jog-dial button works. Good for scrolling and clicking.

Swiping on the screen to navigate works with pretty good accuracy.

Vibration notifications were strong enough to be noticeable.

There were a bunch of simple games and apps on there - including 2048 - which all ran fine.

The built in torch (!) was bright and useful.

And, yes, it charged via USB-C!

Charging Speed and Battery Life

It claims a 0-100 in 90 minutes which seemed broadly accurate.

It came with a short USB-C to C lead which was charge-only, no data. I plugged it until fully charged, then wore it continuously. After 24 hours of use, even with all my fiddling, that battery was at 80%.

After four days, it still had 40% left - I'd been using it for exercise, sleep tracking, a couple of phone calls, and using the torch at night. After 5 days, I finally got the "low battery" warning when I hit 20%. I reckon, with moderate usage, you'd squeeze a week out of it. Sticking the brightness up, keeping the screen on longer, and playing music through its tiny speaker are also going to drag the battery life down.

My USB-C Power Meter said it charged at 5V .16A, that's around 0.8W. Slow, but it only has a small 280mAh battery. Bluetooth Low Energy is, unsurprisingly, pretty energy efficient! Heart monitoring and motion detection is also a low-power activity. There's no power-guzzling GPS or cellular connection - so the power requirements are pretty modest.

The rubber flap keeps the port safe, although does feel a little flimsy. If you have a chunky cable, it might interfere with the cover a little.

Update after 2 weeks of use: Over about 9 days, the battery went from 100% to 20% - that was using it for a few exercise sessions, getting notifications, and continual heart-rate monitoring. Once the battery got bellow 20%, it wouldn't let me start new exercise monitoring or other activities. So you should easily be able to get a week of useful use out of this.

Power Delivery

This does not work with PD chargers. If you plug this in to the same power-brick as your laptop, it will not charge. Based on the three that I tried, PD chargers will not negotiate down to 1W levels.

If you have a charging adapter with multiple outputs, the regular USB-C ones will charge this just fine. All the USB-A to C chargers worked fine.

Heart Monitoring

Much like my friend Neil and his smartring from the same manufacturer, I've not benchmarked the accuracy of the heart-rate monitoring. When I exercise, it goes up. When I relax, it goes down.

It pegged my resting heart rate at about 65BPM, which in line with other devices. While walking on my treadmill, it went up to 100.

My SpO₂ was measured as 99% which, again, was as expected. I held my breath for as long as possible and it dropped to 95%.

Within the app, you can set a "Heart Rate Warning" and various other detection settings.

Sleep Monitoring

I wore it at night. There's a "sleep mode" setting which stops the screen coming on, but you have to dive into a sub-menu to turn it on.

The watch showed this reasonably accurate screen:

The data are also sent to the app:

What's Annoying?

Given that this is a £16 watch, it hasn't exactly been "Designed by Apple in California". There are limitations and weird little niggles but, surprisingly, not too many.

First up, the brains of the watch is the JL7012 - which is a deliberately underpowered chip. It can do Bluetooth comms and drives the screen reasonably well. You're not going to be flinging billions of pixels around in 3D. The animation of all the interactions is a little jerky - obviously not 60FPS but just slow enough to be slightly annoying.

You can't tap the screen to turn it on; you have to click the side button or rotate your wrist. The raise to wake works, but takes a second or two to register. Weirdly, the scroll wheel works in most UI elements, but it doesn't for changing dates and times - so it is a bit of a slog to manually scroll through them on screen.

There no online manual available. All the other Colmi products have a manual available. Similarly, there's no firmware updates listed - although the app does claim to be able to update the firmware.

The USB-C port is for charging only - you can't get data off it via cable. You cannot use the watch while charging - once plugged in it will show a few messages about keeping the device clean. If you set it to use "nightstand" mode, plugging in will show the time and battery level - but you can't interact with any of the functions.

Directions - no maps, GPS, or even a basic compass. You cannot add any apps to this - what you get is what you get.

Connectivity - Bluetooth only. No WiFi and no cellular. This can't make emergency calls unless you're connected to Bluetooth.

Multiple alarms can be set - but you can't choose their ringtone.

You can add some "favourites" to the main screen, swipe across to get them. Sadly the options are pretty limited. For example, you can't put alarms or the calculator there. For those, you've got to dive into the main menu.

The screen brightness is manually controlled - no clever adaptive technology here. It can go bright enough to see in the blazing sunshine, although the dimmest setting is still a bit bright for night use.

There's no NFC - so you can't use this to pay for things. You can't even use it as an NFC business card - although you can send it QR codes to display, which is a handy alternative.

All that might sound bad but please remember that this is a sub £20 watch; it isn't competing with something costing ten times as much. The fact that it does all these things at all is pretty impressive!

Some of the functionality isn't available unless you pair it with the supplied app.

App

It is a given that all hardware apps are fundamentally a bit rubbish. The Colmi Fit app is basically fine. It isn't very polished but does everything it needs to do. You can get away without using the app completely for most things.

If you want updated weather, stocks, or prayer times - you'll need it to be paired to the app. Annoyingly, things like world clock also need a connection to be set up. Similarly, things like menstrual tracking need a connection (although, please note the privacy implications).

Annoyingly, despite it being basic Bluetooth functionality, music controls don't work without the app nor does the ability to show contact information.

Notifications other than calls also require the app. You'll need to give it permission to read all your notifications, but you can set it only to forward ones from specific apps. I didn't bother to set that up.

There are several built-in watch faces which can be changed by rolling the knob. Only one of the built-in faces is customisable:

What surprised me was just how many watch faces were available to download:

Sadly, I don't think it is possible to add your own designs, and none of them let you fiddle with what's displayed.

Many of the settings - like how long the screen should stay on for - are only available in the app. Even thought the app can get your location, you have to manually tell it what city you're in for an accurate weather forecast.

There were a few things I couldn't get working. The "AI Voice Assistant" is, I assume, just streaming audio back to your phone. As I don't have an assistant app, it didn't do anything. I'm not a Muslim, so I can't tell if the prayer times are accurate. The stress monitoring is a bit opaque - I don't know what precisely it measures. I don't have a menstrual cycle for it to track. I didn't investigate the SOS settings either:

Oh, and you can also tell it to remind you to drink water.

Finally, the app will show a notification showing your goals.

The app works well even if you deny it all the permissions it asks for but, obviously, some bits won't work unless they have access to your phone book, location, gallery, etc. You can always uninstall the app once done setting it up.

Exercise Mode

There are a bunch of different exercise modes on the watch - I'm not sporty enough to tell you what the difference is between all of them.

The app has some basic fitness stuff and will track your jogging locations.

Buried in the watch menu are your historic stats, but you'll need the app to export them.

Step detection is, like most watches, based on arm-swinging. So it wasn't terribly accurate when I was on my standing desk treadmill, but was acceptably accurate when going outside. It showed roughly the same amount of steps as the Pixel Watch 3.

You have to manually activate exercise mode if you want to quickly look up your heart-rate, steps, times, etc.

Instruction Manual

The leaflet in the box is the standard multi-lingual affair. Here's a quick scan of the English version. That'll show you some of what this watch is capable of.

Other Interesting Features

I got the cheapest strap possible - but it looks like it uses standard fittings if you want something more luxurious.

The 240x296 screen is bright and colourful - a basic screen protector is included in the box.

There's a built in LED which acts as a torch - which is only useful if you wear it on the left wrist.

The "Flappy Bird" clone is a bit crap, but 2048 and space invaders are reasonable time-wasters.

There's a camera shutter app if you want to use it as a remote control.

It claims to be IP67 waterproof, but warns not to immerse it in water or use it in steamy environments. It seemed to be splash resistant, but I didn't take it swimming or showering.

Security

There is none. There's no password lock on the screen and there's no Bluetooth PIN.

To be fair, there's nothing much you can do with the watch if you stole it. OK, you could make some phone calls if you were within range and get people's contact details. But there's no payment information stored. A thief might get your exercise and menstrual data, but it isn't a treasure trove of information.

Once it is paired to your device, it doesn't advertise itself via Bluetooth. If it is disconnected, it only broadcasts its availability when the screen is on. There's no pairing PIN.

OEM

The manufacturer appears to be Mo Young - they make the watch and the app.

They have some detail about the watch platform but not much.

Open Source and GadgetBridge

The device uses the MOYOUNG-V2 protocol. I was able to pair it with GadgetBridge by pretending it was a Colmi V79. Most of the functionality worked - I was able to see heart rate, steps, change some settings etc. I've requested GadgetBridge support which should make it possible to get notifications etc.

Update! GadgetBridge can now send notifications!The notifications can be read and deleted, they can't be replied to.

There are a few open source apps to create new watch faces and then upload watch faces to the device. But I wasn't able to get them working.

Disassembly

Update! There's a discussion on opening the device

smallsolar

@smallsolar@techhub.social

Like many people inspired by @Edent @blog I got a #colmiP80 but I'm not a watch person so for science I opened it up.

https://git.solarcene.community/smallsolar/Colmi_P80_Smart_Watch/src/branch/main/images

So - its not meant to be opened up, the back plate is glued in place, I heated it for a little while but then realised that its likely got a lipo sitting behind it so in the end just resorted to brute prying open. While initially I was able to partially open the lid any more and the small ribbon cables started to tear.

The good news is despite the heart beat sensor, the roller wheel and some other sensor now being fully detached the device does still turn on (sort of).

What I can see though are some interesting IC (well one) and also lots of nice test pads.

I can also see as predicted that the usb-c port is just 5v and GND.

In a bit I'll solder in the test points and see what I can find...

If you are interested there are some discussions on my IRC server (88.202.151.14 port 6668)

2025-08-22, 08:50 0 boosts 1 favorites

There are also some great photos of inside the watch.

What's Next?

My last smartwatch was the fairly crappy eInk Watchy which recharged with micro-USB, I only used it for a few weeks before getting bored of it. The last time I seriously tried to use a smart watch was a decade ago and I hated it.

Perhaps I'm just not a watch person? This is a cheap and useful way to get started. After a few days of use, I'm beginning to get used to it. It'll be more useful once I configure the notifications I get, I suspect.

Should I Buy One?

That's up to you, champ. I'm not your real dad and I'm not trying to take his place. But I'm here for you if you need me.

Anyway, as discussed in a previous post, this little device shows that it is possible to make a smartwatch that uses USB-C. It isn't the most powerful or customisable watch. It can't compete with a £200+ Apple or Android watch - but it is surprisingly capable.

The original Pixel Watch used one type of wireless charging. Then the Pixel Watch 2 & 3 removed wireless charging and swapped to a different charging mechanism. And now the 4 has changed again.

So three different charging cables in under three years. Progress!

While it would be lovely if watches could support Qi charging, they are just too small to make it work effectively - which is why Apple has a proprietary wireless charging system.

So, why not use everyone's favourite mandated charging standard - USB-C?

The Verge says:

These devices are too dang small, and the technology isn’t there yet. Most standard connectors, like USB-C, are too large to fit within a smartwatch or on devices that are meant to mold to your body. The smaller the device, the more difficult this becomes.

To which I say:

Bullshit!

Watches are small, but the USB-C connector isn't massive.

Here's a modern smartwatch which uses USB-C for charging and data:

But having a USB-C connector means water ingress, right? Wrong!

Does this USB-C connector affect the waterproof rating? No, it doesn’t as the USB-C connector on the watch is IPX8 rated, meaning the internals of the watch are completely sealed from the outside of the connector.

OK, the port itself might get water and dirt in it - but a lug will seal it.

Still, that watch is over £200. Not bad for a pretty high-tech gadget with a limited supply. Are there others?

Here's the Colmi P80

It's a pretty basic watch - although it claims to do heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring. It may be crap for all I know - but it only costs £16!

In the middle of that price-range is this £80 smartwatch which is actually an entire Android device!

Again, with USB-C built right in.

And, yes, it might be rubbish as both a watch, Android device, and masc-coded jewellery - but it shows that USB-C is viable for devices of this class.

Why USB-C?

I don't want to have to buy new accessories every time my hardware changes.

I already have hundreds of USB-C cables.

I only want to take one cable with me on holiday to charge my various gadgets.

I don't want to be restricted to only buying products from one company.

I want something which isn't going to be knocked off its charging pad by a particularly strong fart.

So I've bought the £16 AliExpress special and will review it shortly!

Enter the catchily-named Treedix TRX5-0816-AC.

It will test just about any sort of USB cable and tell you what it does - and doesn't - support. It will also show you which pins are connected, how fast it can transmit data, and what the eMarker shows. Nice!

Let's put it through its paces.

Inputs and outputs

On one side are your output ports - you have a choice of USB-C or USB-A 3.0.

At the bottom you have this range of ports to choose from:

So you can go A-C, C-micro, C-lightning etc.

Finally, on the other side you have a button, a switch, and input power:

The power switch toggles between the internal AAA battery (included) and a 5V supply from a USB-C cable (not included). Pressing the white button moves between the different diagnostic screens.

Power Only

I tried with a short USB-C power-only cable designed for charging low-power devices. I plugged in the USB-A end and the USB-C end.

It correctly identified that it couldn't do data transmission.

With a power-only USB-C cable, it had much the same display. Pressing the button on the side of the Treedix told me what it knew about the eMarker.

Perfect!

Passive USB-C

What about a data and power USB-C cable? This is the ChubbyCable I reviewed a few years ago.

USB 3.2 Gen2 and power of up to 100W. It has also correctly guessed the likely length of the cable by measuring the latency.

Interestingly, when looking at the basic functions, it says it can only do USB 2.0 speeds and correctly identifies that it doesn't do PowerDelivery 3.1 (which goes up to 240W).

Finally, which pins are connected?

That looks about right!

ThunderBolt 4 or 3?

Let's compare two high-performance cables. The one I usually have plugged into my Framework Laptop and USB-C hub

Thunderbolt 4 capable of 100W of Power and 40 Gbps of data. As expected, no PD3.1:

Let's test a different high-quality cable I bought recently. The labelling claims 20Gbps and 240W of power. We can see that it does have PD3.1:

But! Looking at the eMarker, it reports that is only a ThunderBolt 3 device capable of 10Gbps!

I asked the cable manufacturer if that's a problem with the cable or the eMarker or the diagnostic machine. They said:

eMarker tester can only show single channel transmission rate 10Gbps, devices supporting dual channel can show 20Gbps. our products have 18 months warranty, if there is any problem, please feel free to contact me, I will provide you with satisfactory after-sales service.

I contacted Treedix to see if they could shed light on this. They replied quickly:

Yes, we sincerely apologize - this tester currently does not support dual-channel detection at this time.

Which is a bit annoying.

Of course, my laptop only supports 10Gbps, so it is a bit moot!

Firmware

Update!

I emailed Treedix about possible firmware updates - they said:

Our devices with firmware version V2.3 and above can be updated. Currently the latest version is V2.3. you can see your version number. The way to view it is the boot page will show the version number. In addition, our test boards cannot be updated to test dual channels at this time. Because this is the information written inside the EMARKER, we can only read the information inside. We are currently working on the data inside the information we read to see if we can read the number of channels.

Mine shows a firmware of 2.3.04 - which does appear to be the latest. If a new firmware appears, I'll update this post again.

Weird Cables

As well as your standard USB-C, it will also do the ugliest plug known the mankind - the USB Micro-B SuperSpeed.

It'll also do Lightning cables - as long as they also have a USB-A or C end.

Downsides

Other than having to replace all your duff cables, there are a few annoying little niggles.

• The battery compartment is really stiff. I had to unscrew the back of the device to get it open.
• The power switch feels a little flimsy.
• The function button is a little small and fiddly.
• Screen brightness can't be changed (but it is pretty bright).
• No USB-B (the chunky one often used for printers).
• Lack of dual-channel detection.
• No firmware updates.

Those are all minor complaints.

The biggest complaint is that USB-C terminology is hard. Which is better, 40Gbps but only 100W or 10Gbps but 240W? How does ThunderBolt relate to USB? What is EPR and why does it matter? Where does DP Alt Mode fit in?!

Verdict

It powers up and detects all features instantly. It goes to sleep after a few minutes of not being used. It will even show you the electrical resistance of the cable if you think that's useful.

Total cost? £40 at the moment from Amazon. I reckon that's a bargain. It is an indispensable piece of kit - especially if you have a big box of ancient USB cables. This will allow you to quickly and easily see which ones are broken, which are mislabelled, and which deserve pride of place in your collection.

If you're running a hackspace, this is a no-brainer. If you've ever wasted time trying to diagnose a USB problem, this should be your first port of call.

It is dinky!

Here's what you get for your tenner

• USB-C PowerDelivery
• HDMI
• USB-A

Frankly, I'm impressed that they managed to fit that much in!

If you'll excuse my lacklustre photo-editing skills, here are the two output ports:

This is what it looks like plugged into a laptop:

The spec says it will use about 10 Watts for the hub and pass the rest through. I used my Plugable Power Meter to measure throughput - my 65W charger supplied about 45W to the laptop. Perhaps a bit less than they claim, but certainly good enough.

It delivered 4K video flawlessly - my Linux laptop was able to play 60Hz videos without issue. And, of course, the USB-A port worked as expected.

But that's not the real challenge here, is it? USB-C is the future - how well does it work on a variety of devices?

Plugging in to my Pixel 8 Pro, the PowerDelivery hit 20W - which is decent. DP Alt-Mode is still experimental in Android, but GrapheneOS was able to drive video and audio to my TV. And, again, the USB port worked with a keyboard, thumb-drive, and other accessories.

Let's go for a bigger challenge. How does this thing cope with the Nintendo Switch?

Brilliant! Sound, video, and power all worked!

The only real downside is that it doesn't do data passthrough on the power-in port. So you will lose a USB-C data-socket when using it. It is 48mm wide - so you may need an extension cable if your existing ports are very close together.

But, for a tenner, this is an absolute steal. It even comes with a tiny lanyard and keyring so you can keep it with you at all times.

It's a cute little box, with a built-in USB-C cable.

The cable has one of those weird adapters which lets you convert it back to USB-A. Personally, I think we should force everyone to USB-C and not pander to the laggards who refuse to embrace the future. The box is "tool free" - which means you can slide the top off with ease.

Inside is the standard SATA plug, waiting for your disk. The unit also comes with some extra foam padding - so you can ensure nothing rattles around in there.

I couldn't find my SSD, but I had an old 320GB HDD laying around, so shoved that in there.

As was to be expected, it is plug-and-play technology. For Linux nerds, this shows up as 152d:0583 JMicron Technology Corp. / JMicron USA Technology Corp. JMS583Gen 2 to PCIe Gen3x2 Bridge.

You can read the JMicron datasheed for the chip.

For a laugh, I plugged it into my Android phone:

USB-C has reached the sort of maturity where you can be reasonably sure that plugging in random gadgets will just work.

I did a quick drive benchmark and it seemed to top out at 60MB/s for reading and writing. To be fair, that may just be the age of my piece of spinning rust.

For less than a tenner, this is a great gadget to have in your bag. It's quick and simple to open, you don't need to faff around with screws. The cable is a little short - but you probably don't want it trailing all over your desk.

Oh, and it has a blue LED to let you know it is working. Thankfully, it isn't overly bright so doesn't cause a distraction.

But - alas! - laptops don't have Ethernet ports these days. And mobile phones tend to shun them as well. Who can save us from the tyranny of multi-GigaHertz radiowaves?!

The good folk at Benfei have sent me their latest gadget and, somehow, I need to make 300 words out of "plug into device, plug in Ethernet cable, data go fast". Let's see how that goes!

My hands trembling, I plugged in the svelte USB-C plug into my waiting laptop. With a satisfying "clunk", the Ethernet cable docked into the waiting receptacle. An instant later, subtle LEDs began to flicker as the data pulsed through the CAT6 and into my computer.

For Linux nerds, this is a 0bda:8153 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTL8153 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter. Plugging it in just worked - although there are drivers for Linux, Mac, and Windows if you need them.

Just for a laugh, I plugged it into my Android phone and - amazingly - it also just worked. I was free from the shackles of poor 5G coverage. Well, I could only go as far as my Ethernet cable stretched, but the speeds were fantastic.

This claims to be good up to 1Gbps. Sadly, I downgraded my Gigabit broadband, but let's see just how fast it can go. Here's a speed test run from my Android phone:

Fair play! That totally maxed out my home broadband.

Verdict

It's a cute little unit. For about a tenner - depending on how The Algorithm feels - this can't be beat. The short cable is nicely braided, the silver design is inoffensive, and you get the standard Ethernet blinkenlights to tell you it's working.

Please click the affiliate links so my family doesn't starve.

What do you get for your £35?

• USB-C power input - capable of taking 100W of PowerDelivery.
• A built-in USB-C cable to connect to your laptop.
• HDMI port which supports 4k @ 60Hz.
• Four USB-A ports.

And that's it! There isn't any DisplayPort, no Ethernet, no sound, no extra USB-C ports. It is, I have to say, a little bare-bones.

The smarts are powered by a Bridgesil USB 3.2 chip. For Linux nerds, it shows up as 35d6:3510 Bridgesil USB3.2 Hub and 35d6:2510 Bridgesil USB2.1 Hub.

Putting it through its paces

The 4K HDMI worked flawlessly. As you'd expect from HDMI, the picture clarity was perfectly reproduced. My 60Hz videos played without tearing or juddering.

Similarly, it's hard to go wrong with basic USB ports. Everything I plugged into them worked. USB disk speeds seemed fine. Read speeds were around 40MB/s and write speeds about the same. Pretty much what you'd expect - although I suspect this is more geared towards keyboard, mice, printers, and other office devices.

Power was OK. I took measurements with my Plugable power meter. I used a 65W charger, but the maximum I could get it to deliver to the hub was 50W (19.77v, 2.53A). Output to the laptop stuck at around 48W. There's usually a little drop off between the two as the hub itself requires some power. How much juice does your laptop need while you're doom-scrolling?

Verdict

As a laptop stand, it is brilliant. Easily adjustable, good range of movement, and some hefty rubber cushions to prevent slipping.

The USB features on it work - charging is fast enough, HDMI is crisp, and the USB-A ports are decent - but I just wish it had a bit more. Personally, I didn't like the USB ports being at the front - it meant that the cables kept getting in my way. I didn't need an extra HDMI port - but some extra USB-C ports would have been useful, as would Ethernet and sound.

If you're happy with a single HDMI and four A ports, this is fine. But if your needs are more complex or you require more power, you might want to buy a more fully-featured dock.

So the good people at Flexispot have sent me a chair with a USB-C port. Fair play!

This is the Lotus XR6 Recliner Chair - the electric variant of the XC6.

Here's what it looks like when assembled:

And once fully reclined:

Not completely flat, but good enough for a quick snooze!

Tech Specs

There's both a USB-C and a USB-A port.

I measured the power output using an in-line meter. I wasn't expecting Power Delivery - but both gave out a respectable 7.11W (4.87V 1.46A). You're probably not quickly recharging your laptop from that - but it is more than adequate for a phone or eReader.

The transformer is a little weird. It is a fairly chunky 29V 2A unit to handle the recliner motor. It has a standard figure of eight connector for power-in, but this odd connector to connect to the chair:

This seems to be the standard for reclining sofas - replacement transformers and extensions are easily available from 3rd parties.

User Interface

OK, a bit weird to talk about a UI on a chair! There are two rocker buttons.

Except… the rocking function is irrelevant! Push either side of the back button and the chair reclines - first the foot rest, then the back rest. Push either side of the front button and it reverts to the upright position.

There's no way to recline the back but keep the footrest down.

The chair can't be connected to Wi-Fi, there's no BlueTooth, and the USB port doesn't allow control. So you can't bark "ALEXA! RECLINE CHAIR FIVE DEGREES!"

Pity!

Comfort

Yeah! Pretty good. The cushions come vacuum-packed, so you'll need to wait a little while for them to fully puff out. All the pillows are removable, so you can supplement them with anything you like.

The chair rocks back and forth by a short amount - which is very relaxing. The rocker is manual - not electric.

There's 270° of rotation. Because of the power cable you can't loop all the way around. But that's plenty for a corner chair.

Oh, and there's what they call a "hidden" pocket on the left side. Big enough for some magazines and books.

Assembling and cleaning

As with any chair, it'll eventually hold enough sandwich crumbs to make it worth hoovering. All the cushions come off. Some have zips. They're all tacked on with Velcro, so pretty easy to keep clean.

Verdict

It might have been nice to have higher-power USB, or ZigBee control, or a heated massage pad, or any of a hundred other features - but this is practically perfect as a chair. The recline speed is decent, the USB sockets are useful, and the rocking is delightful.

The chair is currently on sale for £450 - with various discounts on the site. That's fairly reasonable for a chair of this size and sturdiness.

The FlexiSpot Black Friday sale is on now with up to 90% off.

Many thanks to Flexispot for the review unit. I'm off to sit in it while reading a good book.

Forget that noise! I have a passive-aggressive death-wish and want to hand out free headphones to people annoying me on public transport.

Time for our-lord-and-saviour USB-C⁰! With Apple finally succumbing to the inevitable¹ it should be possible to have a modern pair of headphones which works on every device. Progress!

I bought the cheapest USB-C headphones I could find from AliExpress. Total cost was about £2 after tax - I also bought some other bobbins to get free shipping.

Here they are:

No, these aren't the weird USB-C headphones which somehow require Bluetooth - they're plain USB-C.

They worked in every Android phone I tried. From the Pixel 8 Pro to whatever cheap devices I had laying around.

Now, I know what you're thinking, the Sainted iPhone would never allow itself to be sullied by such a cheap and nasty 3rd party device. Right?

Steve Jobs must be rolling in his grave! Sound played perfectly though them - thanks Apple Corps!

(And thank you Pabs for lending me your iPhone.)

Sound quality

Good enough for listening to shitty music on a bus. Look, for two quid you aren't getting audiophile aural perfection. Bass was thumpy, stereo separation was fine, no background hiss. They didn't completely block out any outside sound and were a little bit leaky. But still a hell of a lot better than playing tunes out loud from your phone.

There's even a little control box with clicky buttons for changing the volume and play/pause. And, yes, they even worked on the iPhone. I could raise and lower the volume. Spotify worked with the play/pause button. It even hung up the phone when I pressed the button.

Wait... phone?

Microphone

Oh! And there's also a microphone in the control box. Here's the voice quality:

Basically fine for a phone call.

Linux Compatibility

I plugged them in to a Linux laptop and they were instantly detected as: 001f:0b21 Generic AB13X USB Audio

Playback worked. Microphone worked. Volume and play buttons worked. Nice²!

Verdict

For £2? Perfect. I'd love it if these came in little branded envelopes with a suitably snarky message on them. Sell them as "Shush your noise" brand, charge a fiver, watch them fly off the shelves to enraged commuters.

Hey, they were on special - £30 for a pair!

After a few days of use, I've come to the conclusion that they're… basically fine? My main reason for buying them was that they did USB-C recharging (we live in the future now). They didn't come with charging cables or an electrical plug, which is good from an e-Waste perspective. In fact, the whole package is pretty bare-bones. You get the handsets, a belt clip for them, and an instruction leaflet. That's it.

Interface

Pretty crappy! But it works. A cheap LCD screen backlit by two LEDs. No OLED panels or multi-pixel screens - just a bunch of black and white icons.

The interface for changing channels is a bit weird. Lots of stabbing rubbery buttons and trying to remember which one accepts the selection. But it is the sort of thing you'll do once and then leave. Turning the unit on and off is as simple as twisting the knob at the top.

Press the "Call" button and the other handset rings (you can choose between 10 different bloopy ringtones). Press the PTT button and your voice is transmitted. There's also a "VOX" mode which transmits whenever it hears your voice.

Oh, there's also a fairly crappy "torch" which is a weak-ish white LED.

When you release the talk button there is an (optional) beep - so the other party knows you have finished talking.

Range

The PMR446 band is open for anyone to use. So you don't pay anything to make or receive calls. But you don't get much range either. The product description says:

TCXO (temperature compensated crystal oscillator ) technology, ensures the stability and effectiveness of transmission. The walkie talkies for adults long range can reach 5km in open areas with no sight obstruction. If in cities or towns,you could talk and hear clearly without noise within 1.5km.

Is that true? Liz and I conducted a couple of experiments in an urban environment to see how well they coped.

• 1Km - at best we each heard a burst of static
• 500m - enough signal for the call alert, but no voice
• 430m - crackly voice, just about good enough to hear
• 250m - clear voice, perfect reception

Even with me sat at the top of the house near a window, that was about the best we could do.

Of course, there's not much point using these in a city where there's good mobile phone reception. How do they fare in the wide open space of a park?

We went down to our local woods and wandered away from each other.

• 1Km - enough signal for the call alert, but no voice
• 700m - crackly voice, just about good enough to hear
• 500m - clear voice, a little static
• 275m - clear voice, perfect reception

As expected, better when far away from metal structures and lots of stray signals. Perhaps if we were both on top of hills, with nothing between us, we'd get 1.5Km - but I doubt it.

Disadvantages

Other than the range and the UI, the main disadvantage of PMR446 is that it is analogue. Voice quality is adequate, but nothing stellar. There's a fair amount of hiss and crackle depending on the environment.

Although the Digital Coded Squelch allows for hundreds of different channels without interference, they're all unencrypted. So don't say anything you want to keep private.

There's a fairly stiff belt clip on the back, with a small hole if you want to hook it to something.

It takes the weird double earpiece / mic connector so beloved of these devices. No standard 3.5mm and certainly no Bluetooth.

Should you get some?

Are you often in a field far away from mobile signal? Do you enjoy saying "over" a lot? Are you preparing for the collapse of civilisation which still, somehow, has USB-C cables?

If so, these are for you!

Useful to have in a go-bag, and probably handy if you're on holiday somewhere without great phone coverage. And, of course, lots of fun pretending to be on the A-Team or something.

I want to add an NFC reader to it.

So, step one was to find an NFC circuit board which worked with the hardware and was relatively small.

Enter the ACM1252U-Z2. It works perfectly with Linux. It has a USB-Micro socket - but a USB-C OTG cable allowed it to work with the Framework.

It is about as small as they come - but will it fit?

Thanks to Alexey for sending me some 3D printed samples of the Framework expansion plugs, I was able to make a bit of progress.

The board is slim enough in height and width to fit into to the casing:

But it will stick out rather alarmingly:

It's useful to have the antenna that far out - but I'm worried about bumping it.

What about under the casing of the main laptop? There are two spacer units which can be removed, and there is access to the internal USB connectors under the numpad.

Will it fit? The answer, again, is… oooh! Just about!

If the trackpad was moved left, there'd be plenty of room horizontally.

It will still need something sturdy covering it - and that will need to be transparent to RF.

So here are my next thoughts:

1. Can I (or someone else) desolder the USB-Micro plug and solder on a USB-C OTG plug?
2. Is having a protruding expansion going to be annoying or dangerous?
3. How hard would it be to replace the spacer and wire directly into the vacant USB pins under the numpad?

If you have answers to these questions - please drop a comment in the box.

Let's get this unboxed and working!

Demo

Photos

The photos are stored as JPGs which can be read by any normal graphics program. They also contain the thermal metadata which you can extract with specialist tools.

Here's the full photo taken with the camera. It shows the interior of an office with some computer equipment on a shelf.

You aren't going to get high-resolution photos out of this - 256x192 is what the thermal sensor provides. That's overlayed on a graphic.

It includes different filters so you can see just the thermals, the real image, or a mix of the two.

Because the optical camera is quite some distance from the thermal camera, it doesn't cope well with close ups - as you can see. Luckily, this can be adjusted in the UI by pressing the up and down keys.

Videos

As well as static shots, it will take video - 240x320 resolution and 25fps - well, ish. It looks a bit jerkier than that to me. But it is good enough to see what's going on.

In this video, I've recorded a bath filling up. Towards the end, I've changed the settings so it shows more of the real-colour video with the heat overlayed.

Filesize is about 1.5MB per minute - I've recompressed it for upload. I couldn't see any specific thermal metadata in the video.

Linux

Amusingly, it shows up as 1f3a:1000 Allwinner Technology Prestigio PER3464B ebook reader (Mass storage mode). Nevertheless, the 30GB volume was mountable and had an IMGS/ directory full of JPGs.

There is a Windows app, which I was able to run in PlayOnLinux. It offers a few features, such as being able to change the colour scheme of the photo, and pick out specific temperature points.

What's Great

The integrated lens-cap is is a thoughtful touch. As is the hand-strap and included padded case.

The trigger action feels great and is instantly responsive. There are a bunch of menu options if you like to fiddle with things.

Oh, and it is USB-C! So it will take the same charging and data transfer cable as all your other gadgets.

Overall, a nice package.

Downsides

The button layout is a little odd. The buttons feel nice and are responsive. But I would have expected the "Enter" button to be in the centre of the directional buttons.

It is a little slow booting up - but then, this isn't designed for quick action shots.

After taking a photo or a video, it asks if you want to save it every time. That's a little annoying. There's 30GB of storage and photos are only about 300KB - so it should be good for about 100,000 photos.

The videos are recorded without sound. A cheap microphone would make it easy to narrate what's going on in a shot.

Weirdly, the bundled app doesn't work on videos.

There's no expandable storage - the 30GB is plenty, but sometimes it is easier to shove an SD card into a computer.

Finally, there's no mounting point. Other cameras I've tried have a connector so they can be attached to a tripod. This is strictly hand-held only.

Verdict

This costs £200 - £250 depending on whether the algorithm likes you. Astonishingly, that's cheap for a thermal camera of this quality!

If you're into DIY, or you want to check the thermal efficiency of your home, or you just want to see how hot things are - this is a useful bit of kit. It's sturdy and well built. Dragging images and videos off it is a breeze - even if you don't use the official app.

The interface isn't the greatest thing in the world. But all you need to do is point and click. It's the sort of thing that's unexpectedly handy around the house with all sorts of tasks - from checking if the radiators are balanced, to seeing if a hidden plug is spewing heat.

£200ish isn't cheap cheap. But it is cheap enough that most geeks should have something like this. Also worth buying for community groups who want to check for heat leaks in their properties.

If you are happy with the slight user-interface oddities, and don't need a tripod mount, this is an excellent gadget.

Readers of this blog can use coupon code TEB15 for an exclusive 15% discount.

If you're American and would prefer to buy from Amazon.com, get 10% off with code E5W6NW8V until 2024-06-30 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CB7Q6J79

For example, Framework sells an official HDMI card and Ethernet card:

But the community have built their own SD card expansion pack as well as 3D printed snack drawers:

Brilliant!

I have an NFC-only authentication token which I want to use when I log in with my laptop. I currently have a USB-C NFC reader which I could use, but it is a bit big and bulky.

Is it possible to fit an U2F capable NFC reader into a FrameWork expansion slot?

Size of expansion cards

This was a bit tricky to find. Based on this GitHub page, I think the maximum internal dimensions of a circuit board are about 26mm x 29.7mm. Tight!

According to this video from Framework about the cards shows the maximum size of the physical cards.

All the cards use a USB-C connector which sits proud of the card itself.

Potential Hardware

First up is this tiny NFC reader. It is designed for phones, and costs about a fiver. The dimensions look like it would might fit if the plastic shell were removed. But the description says:

Output 4/7 bytes of chip serial number, UID only

So no good for doing U2F. But it does at least show that reading an NFC card ought to be possible in a small form factor.

There are component USB-C readers

That one would easily fit - but the description says it is for reading only. So I don't think it can send the cryptographic challenges necessary.

Then there's the ACM1252U-Z2 - Small NFC Reader Module which costs about £60.

It is a much more capable reader. It uses micro-USB rather than USB-C, which isn't insurmountable using a flexible male-male cable. What about the dimensions?

Certainly thin enough! But about twice as long as we need. Could we chop off the end? What's on the other side of that empty space?

Ah! A honking great antenna. If it could be bent at 90°, it would "only" stick up 2.5cm. Which would be ugly, but not disastrous.

Then there is the ACR122T which is in thumb-drive format.

That might work. The antenna is probably in the bulbous end. The official schematics don't give much clue.

But if we look in the FCC Database there are some internal photos!

Ignoring the USB jack, the board is about 50mm long. That would leave about 2cm sticking out of the side of the laptop. Which isn't too bad. The width is within what we need. There's even an updated version with a slightly different spec.

I could buy an A-to-C converter which would add unwanted extra length. I wonder how hard it is to unsolder the connector and mount a USB-C one?

This video makes it look relatively simple.

But, given the weirdness with resistors, it might be easier to use an OTG Shim.

I could rip that apart and solder it on to the board. Or perhaps just solder on a USB-C OTG board. Maybe?

I guess it is time to buy some components and try not to break them! If you have any advice or suggestions, please let me know!

It's a cheap and light plastic box with a short USB cord. When you plug it in, there's a flashing light which can't be disabled. When it is powered up, or it detects and NFC chip, it makes this weird and scratchy beep:

On Linux, it shows up as: 072f:223b Advanced Card Systems, Ltd ACR1252 Dual Reader

To get it working, install PCSC Tools and the PCSC Daemon:

sudo apt install pcsc-tools pcscd

To start the daemon:

service pcscd start

Running pcsc_scan detected the reader as two readers - PICC and SAM

Using reader plug'n play mechanism
Scanning present readers...
0: ACS ACR1252 1S CL Reader [ACR1252 Dual Reader PICC] 00 00
1: ACS ACR1252 1S CL Reader [ACR1252 Dual Reader SAM] 01 00

Putting tokens on and off the reader showed them being detected and removed.

Despite my best efforts, I was unable to get this working with libnfc.

nfc-list uses libnfc 1.8.0
No NFC device found.

For reading and writing basic NDEF tags, I used Wakdev's NFC tools, I was also able to use various Python scripts like PCSC NDEF

It also worked with a FIDO2 / HID Bridge so I could use an MFA token.

There's lots of documentation about the reader and its API as well as some official ACS Linux tools. In theory it supports firmware update - although none have been released.

It's a cheap and cheerful device. It would be nice if there were a way to stop the flashing LED and crappy buzzer.

This one is positively festooned with extra ports. Let's take a look.

USB-C

Plug your power adapter into the hub, and then the hub into your laptop. With most hubs, that's it; you've lost a C port. This has an extra USB-C port - so you don't lose anything. Personally, I'd prefer more USB-C ports.

Instead, you get 3x USB-A 3.0 ports, and 2x USB-A 2.0 ports. That's a lot of room for peripherals. They're all well spaced out, so you should be able to cram everything in.

Storage

All these sorts of hubs tend to have an SD slot and a microSD slot. Read and write speeds hit the limit of the cards I had - but you may be better off using the USB 3 ports if you really need speed. Speaking of which...

Speed

Obviously, if you have a hundred gadgets plugged in - and only one USB-C cable - there's a limit to the total throughput. That said, the Ethernet port topped out my 650Mbps broadband - and I don't have anything much faster than that!

Video

There are two HDMI ports and a legacy VGA port. I'll be honest, I can't remember the last time I needed to plug my laptop into an analogue video cable. But I guess if you go to lots of crappy conference venues it might be useful?

My old laptop was able to drive two monitors at the same time, which was pretty useful. You're limited to one at 4k@60Hz - if you're using two HDMI, you'll only get 30Hz. But if you're happy with 1080p, you'll get 60Hz on both.

Apparently MacOS doesn't support triple display.

Power

USB's Power Delivery mode is a still a bit confusing. I used a 100W Dell charger and, USB-C PD tester saw that about 80% of the power was making it to the laptop.

With the power unplugged, the hub drew electricity from the laptop in order to charge all the gadgets.

Sound

Weirdly, the analogue sound out didn't show up for me in Linux. I'm not heartbroken by that - either my laptop has a speaker out or the HDMI device does. But it is a bit weird that it didn't show.

Linux info

As with all modern devices, it is plug-and-play. All my gadgets worked fine with it. This is what Linux sees:

ID 0bda:8153 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTL8153 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter
ID 2109:0817 VIA Labs, Inc. USB3.0 Hub             
ID 2109:0817 VIA Labs, Inc. USB3.0 Hub 
ID 1a40:0801 Terminus Technology Inc. USB 2.0 Hub
2109:8817 VIA Labs, Inc. USB Billboard Device   
ID 2109:2817 VIA Labs, Inc. USB2.0 Hub             
ID 2109:2817 VIA Labs, Inc. USB2.0 Hub  

Verdict

There's a lot packed into a fairly small box. Depending on which way the wind is blowing, you'll pay about £60 on Amazon for it.

It's a neat little halfway house between a small adapter with a couple of ports and a massive docking station. But if you don't need all those ports, there's probably something cheaper.

I guess this is aimed at people plugging in to all sorts of weird screens on their travels. I think a DisplayPort would have been a better choice than double HDMI.

So a bit of a mixed bag. If you need these options, it is close to perfect. But it may be excessive for some.

Discount

Readers of this blog can get 25% off at https://mokinglobal.com/ using code TERENCE25. Offer expires 2024-03-31