Steve Litchfield

(Originally published by me on AAM , I'm including it here for wider interest and in case the All About servers go down.) Many have bemoaned the death of Continuum circa 2016, with Samsung's DeX taking up a lot of the slack, albeit in the Android world. And then we have the Microsoft Surface Duo pair of devices, ostensibly without a desktop interface but I hope to prove in the video below that the very nature of USB 3.1 (here over Type C), along with a landscape-first device like the Duo and a capable standard lapdock, means that 90% of the functionality you'd expect from a 'desktop' interface is in fact taken care of automatically. See what you think. The video is captured zoomed in a little, for framing reasons, plus it's almost impossible to get everything in focus all the time at such close range, so do forgive production quality - you'll easily get the gist: Watching this back a year later, it occurs to me that I didn't demo all the things you can p

You'll have seen my previous review of the rather wonderful 140W GaN charger from VOLTME ? This is from the same people but rather than mains-driven, this is a totally mobile, and wireless-focussed solution for iPhones (and Android phones that are, perhaps with case help, MagSafe-compatible). The idea of a MagSafe power bank isn't new, of course. I also have the Apple version, pictured below with the MagPak 5K - the Apple one is very slightly smaller and lighter, but has significantly less capacity (2920mAh at 3.8V compared with 5000mAh, etc.) and features.  Now, this VOLTME accessory doesn't have the Apple magic in terms of inserting its charge status into your iPhone widgets, but aside from this, there's no reason not to consider this a direct replacement for the Apple version.  It's finished in a lovely soft touch plastic, in a variety of colours (I was sent purple because it was the first one off the production line, apparently!) The styling matches the MagSafe

The specifications war in the charging world never ceases to amaze me. And this is the next step, for 2023.  Freed from the shackles of users charging via whatever came in their phone or laptop's box (since they often don't have anything), third party power solutions have prospered in recent years. I hadn't heard of VOLTME before but I'm impressed by this, the highest rated mains charger I've ever owned. Especially with the (bulky) UK three pin plug variant here, this isn't the smallest charger on the block, but given the capability I think some bulk can be excused. It's a shame, mind you, that the mains pins aren't a bolt on for international travelling, i.e. have UK or USA or EU mains pins on adapters which can be snapped on - as this would qualify as a perfect travel companion. Oh well. So we're essentially talking a 'home office' or perhaps domestic travel gadget, one accessory that can charge up to three things at once and with substanti