There are green, orange and even purple USB ports. The color rule that indicates your generation is extinct

There was a time when everything was easier. If the USB port was white, it was slow; if it was black, it was standard; and if it was blue, it was the fastest. That rule that helped us Easily identify USB-A generations It’s gone. The arrival of new standards, charging functions and brand marketing has meant that today we find a wide range of green, orange and purple ports that no longer mean much. Image: StorageReview The original color code. The current chaos, as we explain in our guide to the USB standardit was not planned. The USB-IF organization tried to standardize it: white corresponds to USB 1.x, black for USB 2.0 (480 Mbps), and blue (or turquoise) for fast USB 3.0 (5 Gbps). First confusion. That is a product of the charging ports: the first problem came when colors began to be used to indicate power functions, not just data transmission. This is how the yellow, orange or red ports arrived. These usually indicate an “Always on” or “Sleep & Charge” function, which means that the port continues to provide power even when the computer is turned off or in sleep. More speed, more colors. To differentiate USB 3.1 (10 Gbps) and 3.2 (20 Gbps), the standard suggested the color turquoise blue, or failing that, red. Here the system began to leak. And the final blow came from marketing. A purple USB cable for a Huawei device indicates that it supports SuperCharge, its fast charging technology. Image: Reddit The rule became extinct completely when the brands decided use colors as corporate identity. The most famous case is that of Razer, which dyes its ports a characteristic lime green. Likewise, if you see a purple port, it’s probably from Huawei. The Chinese manufacturer uses them to identify its devices compatible with SuperCharge (its fast charging system), although technically it is still a USB 3.1 port. Chaos also in names. If there is already a mess with the colors, there is also a mess with the names: USB-IF itself has contributed by renaming the standards. USB 3.0 was renamed “USB 3.1 Gen 1” and is now “USB 3.2 Gen 1.” In parallel, USB 3.1 is now “USB 3.2 Gen 2”. This makes it almost impossible for a user to know what they are buying without looking at the fine print, a mess that the Wi-Fi Alliance solved much more elegantly. with standards such as Wi-Fi 5, 6 or the most recent Wi-Fi 7. The real culprit: USB-C. The final nail in the color coding coffin is the USB-C connector. It’s just a reversible connector, but what’s inside is chaos: the same USB-C port can be a slow USB 2.0, a USB 3.2 or a very fast Thunderbolt 4. The only way to differentiate them is to look for the lightning bolt logo that characterized Apple. Or read the device’s spec sheet because color, unfortunately, no longer means anything. Image | Xataka In Xataka | How to prepare a USB to use it on your mobile phone, tablet or Smart TV and expand its memory

Mobile phone manufacturers first stopped including the charger with every purchase. Your next threat is clear: the USB cable

There was a (wonderful) time when when you bought an iPhone, Apple not only included the cable and charger, but also included EarPods headphones. In 2020 the iPhone 12 arrived and They broke that tradition: that box It included the phone and the charging cable, but nothing else. All manufacturers released following that trail with the same speech from Apple: at that point, users they used to tell with their own headphones and some charger, so what they were doing was protect the environment although that argument was not particularly convincing. Of course, they did something else: first They saved money by not including those elementsand then they earned it when you bought them official headphones and adapters if you ended up needing them. Of course one could resort to third-party accessories, although Lumafield CT scans have been demonstrating for some time that cables, chargers and headphones from companies like Apple are expensive because they are small works of art of engineering. In fact, those same images reveal that the same you shouldn’t trust of “strange” cables, lest they be tools to hack your computers. The truth is that Apple’s decision – which other companies such as Fairphone had previously made – made a deep impact on the industryand nowadays it is very rare to find a mobile phone whose box includes a charger, much less headphones. But the thing is can go further. USB charging cables may also be about to disappear from those boxes. Do we really need the USB cable to be included with our devices? A Reddit user revealed recently how when buying his Sony Xperia 10 VII he had found a surprise: in the box There was no charger, but there was no charging cable either.. In the photo included in the post it was clearly seen how this absence was made evident on the back of the box. The Sony Xperia 10 VII does not include a charger or charging cable. It is true that Sony is no longer a major player in the field of mobility, but these types of decisions are what can begin to establish an important precedent that other manufacturers end up adopting as well. At Xataka we have contacted those responsible for Sony to try to find out the reasons behind that decision. In the absence of confirmation, it seems clear that the environmental protection and the reduction of electronic waste may once again be the clear argument, although obviously the savings for Sony may also be relevant. The European Union precisely wanted mitigate the problem of electronic waste years ago. He did it at set the USB-C connector as the standard connector to charge mobile devices, something that for example forced Apple to ditch your Lightning connector. In these years it seems clear that users We have ended up accumulating a good number of USB-C cables to charge our devices. It is something similar to what happened with chargers: a priori we all have one at home, so the need to include them in the box, as is now the case with cables, is debatable. Of course, it also happens that over time mobile phones tend to allow charging at higher power or transferring data at higher speeds, and this makes it necessary to use chargers and cables specially prepared to take advantage of these options. But even in those cases, including the charger or cable doesn’t seem to make much sense. Especially because Those accessories that manufacturers include are the “basic” models that allow you to upload or transfer data, but not at maximum speed. The usual thing here for years is that manufacturers offer that option on the mobile, but we have to buy the specific charger and cable separately, which imposes an extra cost. Will we therefore see fewer and fewer USB cables included in mobile phone boxes? It seems quite possible. Now all that’s left is for the manufacturers of those USB-C cables to solve their big problem: label them well so that we know which one to use at all times. Image | Zana Latif In Xataka | The USB-C standard promised to solve the connector chaos. The situation is worse than ever

The best uses and tricks for the USB of the Chromecast beyond connecting it to the current

Let’s tell you The best uses for chromecast USB with Google TVbeyond its main function of connecting it to the current. He Chromecast with Google TV It was the culmination of this type of devices, with a great unusual functions What can you do with him beyond the classics Chromecast functions and tricks. But if all this was not enough, the USB-C port that the chromecast has to connect it to the current It also has other uses To squeeze it even more. Although to make them you will need some types of extensions, we go with four ideas that may interest you. The good news is that they are things that are going to improve quite key aspects such as internal storage or connectivity. The bad is that In all cases you will need an extra devicea hub to connect to Chromecast. And it is true that Google no longer manufactures chromecastbut if you have one at home this can serve you Look external storage content One of the main functions is to be able to use this USB-C for connect an external storage unit and see its content. Whether it is a hard drive or an SD memory, you will only need a file manager to be able to navigate the device folders and units connected to it. Thus, you can put content in these units using a PC, and then connect them to the device. Here, the negative part is that you will need the unit that you connect to the current to the chromecast. That’s why, You need to use a special huba device that connects to the current and has slots to connect external storage, and that at the same time can connect to chromecast. Increase your internal space Chromecast with Google TV have little internal storage, just 8 GB. This means that as soon as you install some apps you will be left with nothing. Fortunately, you can link a USB memory or SD card to turn them into internal storage. To do this, you will first need to use a hub like the one we have mentioned in the previous point to connect a storage unit to Chromecast. Then enter the settings, click on System and then in Storage. Here inside, click on the option Delete and format as storage of the device. This will format the unit as internal storage, and then you will have to click on Migrate data to this storage To be used as the main hard drive. CONCELLED TO THE INTERNET BY CABLE Connecting a cable internet device means that you will have a better connection, since you are not going to depend on the Wi -Fi, but that everything comes directly from the Ethernet cable. Therefore, if you want to see 4K content and you need greater connection stability, you are interested in knowing that you can connect your cable chromect. Of course, you will need an adapter or that you can connect to Chromecast and have an Ethernet input that you can connect to the router or the take at home. You don’t need a plug if you have a TV A last additional trick is that in many teles you will be able feed the chromecast from the TV connecting the USB port in some free of them. You cannot do it on all the teles, but in those where you can do it, it will be an incentive for when there are no free plugs nearby. To do this, You need TV to have a USB 3.0 or a higher version of this standard. In addition, you need to activate USB purification in chromecast developers. To access these options, see the adjustments, enter into System and then in Informationand press five times in Android SO compilation. In Xataka Basics | The 19 best recommended app for chromecast with Google TV

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.