Smart home accessory company Wasserstein bowed three Made for Google products for the second-generation Nest Doorbell, it said Tuesday. Accessories include a five-tone doorbell chime with an illuminated LED that notifies users that someone is at the door, an adjustable mount and a wall plate to cover holes or marks left by the previous doorbell, it said.
Amazon began preorders Thursday for the Belkin three-outlet Power Cube with three USB-A ports. The $25 accessory, with a 5-foot power cord and overload protection, can charge up to six devices at once. It comes with a two-year warranty. Shipping is 1-2 weeks, Amazon said.
Anker bowed a line of gallium nitride portable chargers Monday that it said are smaller and use 7% less energy than silicone-based chargers. Anker’s PowerIQ 4.0 technology detects the power needs of each connected device, automatically adjusting power distribution to reduce overall charging by up to an hour, and its ActiveShield 2.0 monitors temperature and adjusts power output to prevent overheating, it said. The six products in the GaNPrime line range from the 735 charger ($59, available) with two USB-C ports, 1 USB-A, to the 747 ($109), with 3 USB-C ports, 1 USB-A (preorders available for late Q3 delivery).
Kovol, fast-charger supplier to Anker and other electronics makers, announced Friday a 140-watt dual-port wall adapter that can fast-charge two devices simultaneously. The 140W PD 3.1 ($89) uses gallium-nitride (GaN) technology, said to achieve high power levels from a design that's 5% smaller than a single-port USB-C charger. It can charge a 16-inch laptop PC to 100% in 70 minutes, and it can “top up” a laptop and phone together via a 120-watt USB-C port and 18-watt USB-A port, it said.
Gadget Guard introduced an iPhone screen protector that's Food and Drug Administration-registered, the company said Thursday. The $49 Anti Blue Light screen guards have Ocushield technology that’s designed to protect iPhone users from headache, fatigue, eye strain and sleep disruption caused by blue light exposure, the company said.
Targus added expandable backpacks to its EcoSmart collection of bags that are made from recycled water bottles, it said Thursday. The 15-inch TBB612GL pack ($129), made from 37 water bottles, has two compartments, grab handles and a padded mesh back. The 15-inch TBR040GL ($149), made from 35 water bottles, transitions from a backpack to a roller, it said.
Cable Matters introduced USB-C video adapters with 8K support as “work and play” devices for hybrid or remote workers. The USB-C to 8K HDMI and DisplayPort adapter ($49.99) supports up to 8K resolution over HDMI or DisplayPort, said the company Tuesday. Cable Matters also bowed a USB-C to dual HDMI adapter ($54.99), supporting 8K resolution on one port or dual 4K 60 Hz monitors if two video ports are used simultaneously, said the company.
Zigen is shipping Zig-Phased, an HDMI 2.0 splitter that divides the signal from an HDMI source and outputs audio and video to independent HDMI sinks. The Dolby Vision-certified device is geared toward mixed-resolution environments, where it can automatically optimize video resolutions depending on the capabilities of the connected displays, said the company. It also has an extended display identification data emulator, clock generator and test pattern generator.
Mobile device accessories sales had a robust Q1, reported NPD Wednesday: Double-digit revenue losses across the board in 2020 were replaced by 18% Q1 sales increases of mobile phone cases, while screen protector sales grew 9% and mobile power accessories 38%. “Declines we saw in screen protectors and cases were in part driven by store closures and other shifts in consumer behavior as a result of the pandemic,” said analyst Jill Aldort. “We expect to see sales of these products grow in 2021.”
Belkin’s new Soundform Connect audio adapter makes a powered stereo speaker Apple AirPlay 2-enabled, said the company Thursday. The $99 adapter allows users to stream audio without having to pair devices. It connects to a speaker or sound system with an optical or 3.5mm input and is Siri-compatible, Belkin said.