Why can’t all my chargers just charge all my stuff?

Re:Why can’t all my chargers just charge all my stuff? by neverminder on Sunday April 16, 2017 @05:52PM (#14127744)

All my chargers do charge all my stuff. But then of course my stuff consists of Google's Nexus 6P and 2015 Pixel LS - both of them bought in 2015, both have USB Type-C chargers and both chargers can charge both devices. Google has pioneered USB Type-C charging for over 2 years now, too bad that other brands have done little to follow it's example. I do not like Apple at all and I hear the new macbook is a bit of a joke, but one thing I approve of is all USB Type-C ports. It's time to switch and ditch the old Type-A. Most of the people who bitch that they need to carry a bunch of dongles around for a period of time are the same people who change their phones every couple of years of so spending more money than all of their old USB devices combined would cost. How about not carrying around several different proprietary charging bricks instead?

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Re:Why can’t all my chargers just charge all my stuff? by manyxcxi on Monday April 17, 2017 @07:12AM (#14130242)

I work with and know plenty of people who groan at the idea of an all USB-C primary MBP for getting work done that swap phones and other hardware quite frequently. Also, it's not just about being totally USB-C w/ the MBP:

- Loss of HDMI port. Big for me because I often need to plug in to a projector.

- Loss of SD card slot. I use this a few times a week for the 3D printer at least. Photographer friends live off the thing.

- Micro electronics work: You already have to run USB 3 through a USB 2 only hub to smooth things out with certain devices. USB C will be at best, equal to that.

- Not a lot of docking station/monitor support for USB-C yet. Between my two monitors it's a two wire connection for my laptop to connect to all my peripherals, none of which are USB-C.

I need four things to charge every device I have, all of which fit in my laptop bag and provide no confusion (unlike the myriad USB-C cables that look exactly the same but don't do what you expect): Lightning cable, micro-USB cable, USB-A charging block, laptop power brick. If I was desperate for space I could drop the small USB charging block and just plug in to the laptop to charge.

Now, I'm not arguing AGAINST USB-C, there's just not enough of an ecosystem to make the transition as easy as what I have today. I don't want new technology and to spend money on something that at best, breaks even. These are the tools of my craft, they should make it easier to do my job, solve an acute problem that I have, or just generally make the experience better in some way. So in 18-36 months when there's a monitor with the 4K (or better) resolution of mine and a USB-C hub built in that is cheap enough for me to buy two or three, then I'll be making the switch.

Additionally, if you look at the recent entrants to USB-C, if you've got a half decent laptop, they're not screaming for you to upgrade to them. For example, there's no reason for me to upgrade my 2015 MBP to a 2016 touch bar when they've got practically the same internals. The same goes for all the other brands out there, if your laptop is less than 18 months old, you're getting about the same hardware you already had PLUS an ecosystem challenge with USB-C.

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Re:Why can’t all my chargers just charge all my stuff? by pwython on Monday April 17, 2017 @11:11AM (#14131436)

Have you seen this hub? A must for the new MBP. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01K7C53K2/

Power delivery, HDMI, SD card reader, 3 USB 3.0 ports. I have one at home and one at my office, they work great.

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Re:Why can’t all my chargers just charge all my stuff? by Arizhel on Monday April 17, 2017 @01:21PM (#14132694)

Only has 1 HDMI port. One monitor is a no-go. My 5-year-old Dell Latitude has 2 monitors connected to its docking station.

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Re:Why can’t all my chargers just charge all my stuff? by Wofiel on Monday April 17, 2017 @09:13AM (#14130643)

What happens if you use a USB-C->USB-C cable to connect your Nexus and Pixel? Does one charge the other? Does nothing happen? What about charging a Bluetooth keyboard that's USB-C? Is that possible with either of them? (I'm not being snarky, these are genuine questions, but the answer probably depends on the devices, keyboard, and cables used.)

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Re:Why can’t all my chargers just charge all my stuff? by phil21 on Monday April 17, 2017 @11:11AM (#14131443)

In general most (all?) USB-C phones support USB power delivery. This means when you plug in two phones to each other, they will prompt you on-screen asking if you want to charge the connected device.

I'm not sure what you mean about charging a USB-C Bluetooth keyboard? If you mean can your phone charge a random USB-C peripheral the answer is generally yes.

You can even use your phone to charge your laptop if you like, although I don't know why you'd do that :)

One awesome thing with USB-C I've found is I can simply use my phone charger for trickle charging. I rarely take my power brick out of my laptop bag these days, since that's more than plenty for most uses.

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