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There's a tiny-but-terrific change coming to phoneland. It's
one of those things that gadgetheads geek out over that's seemingly
insignificant to 99 percent of the population*, but we should talk about
it right now anyway because one day you'll look at your phone and
think, "Hey, what's this thing?"
It's called USB Type-C, or USB-C, and you can learn a lot more about it here. That's right, that's the little port at the bottom of the phone that you mostly use for plugging in your charger. The bottom line is that the USB protocol for phones and for a whole lot of other devices, like tablets and computers, is changing -- for the better.
(P.S. The shape of the plug that your non-iPhone phone has now is called USB-B and the one your computer has is called USB-A. Apple's is called the Lightning port and it's totally different and proprietary and it won't work with USB-C.)
In addition to that, USB-C (which describes the plug's shape) supports the USB 3.1 standard, which describes some stuff you can do besides simply charging your own phone. For example, you'll be able to quickly transfer data and videos through the cable. The standard can also help your phone (or tablet or laptop) power other gadgets in a pinch.
Finally, the fact that device-makers along the entire electronics spectrum are also implementing USB-C means that your handset can potentially share charging cords with other devices, too -- always a bonus.
In order to bask in USB-C's full USB 3.1 effect, the operating system really does make a difference because the software has to be coded to work with all those extra features other than plain-old charging. This Chinese company called Letv whose three phones run on Android 5.0 Lollipop right now? Sure, they can use the USB-C charger as a charger, but Google says they won't be able to share power with other devices until Android M, its next-gen operating system, arrives.
That's because Google developers still have to write that code into Android. The good news is that Google did get up on stage at its flashy big annual I/O developer conference in May and say that it'll support for USB-C connections (specifically, those USB 3.1 goodies), so we know that's coming pretty soon.
According to Google, it'll work like this: their software will present a menu when you plug in the cable to let you choose the kind of connection you're making (for example, charging) and if you want to use the cord to power another device.
(Microsoft says "While we don't comment on future products, Microsoft is an active participant and contributor in the development of the Type-C specification through the USB 3.0 Promoter group," and BlackBerry says "We use USB 2.0 on current BlackBerry 10 smartphones and we can't comment on future products.")
There's also that awkward period of 6 to 18 months where your gadgets could all use different cables, which is a pain to mentally sort out, and which can be a real hassle if suddenly you need to buy a bunch of $20 cables to make sure you can keep using all your stuff together. For example, you might need to pick up a separate USB-C-to-USB-A cable to make sure your new phone still plugs into your old laptop.
source
It's called USB Type-C, or USB-C, and you can learn a lot more about it here. That's right, that's the little port at the bottom of the phone that you mostly use for plugging in your charger. The bottom line is that the USB protocol for phones and for a whole lot of other devices, like tablets and computers, is changing -- for the better.
(P.S. The shape of the plug that your non-iPhone phone has now is called USB-B and the one your computer has is called USB-A. Apple's is called the Lightning port and it's totally different and proprietary and it won't work with USB-C.)
The promise
USB-C is cool for a bunch of reasons. First, it's reversible, which means that unlike the Micro-USB plug you use now, you can stick in a USB-C cable any which way and it doesn't matter because either side is "up." No more fumbling and swearing under your breath when you can't get the connector in just-so.In addition to that, USB-C (which describes the plug's shape) supports the USB 3.1 standard, which describes some stuff you can do besides simply charging your own phone. For example, you'll be able to quickly transfer data and videos through the cable. The standard can also help your phone (or tablet or laptop) power other gadgets in a pinch.
Finally, the fact that device-makers along the entire electronics spectrum are also implementing USB-C means that your handset can potentially share charging cords with other devices, too -- always a bonus.
But wait, there's more
So, before we go on, just nod if you understand that a phone can have the USB-C port for charging, but it still might not immediately support the nifty features with USB 3.1. That'll all happen eventually, because these things always do as part of industry growth, and if your phone has the USB-C plug, you'll be prepared to take full advantage when it does.In order to bask in USB-C's full USB 3.1 effect, the operating system really does make a difference because the software has to be coded to work with all those extra features other than plain-old charging. This Chinese company called Letv whose three phones run on Android 5.0 Lollipop right now? Sure, they can use the USB-C charger as a charger, but Google says they won't be able to share power with other devices until Android M, its next-gen operating system, arrives.
That's because Google developers still have to write that code into Android. The good news is that Google did get up on stage at its flashy big annual I/O developer conference in May and say that it'll support for USB-C connections (specifically, those USB 3.1 goodies), so we know that's coming pretty soon.
According to Google, it'll work like this: their software will present a menu when you plug in the cable to let you choose the kind of connection you're making (for example, charging) and if you want to use the cord to power another device.
(Microsoft says "While we don't comment on future products, Microsoft is an active participant and contributor in the development of the Type-C specification through the USB 3.0 Promoter group," and BlackBerry says "We use USB 2.0 on current BlackBerry 10 smartphones and we can't comment on future products.")
Mo' cables, mo' problems
So until then, if your phone has USB-C without all the extra good stuff, you now have to change cables for pretty much no reason or advantage. And while the smallness of the thing is great and space-saving for laptops, that Micro-USB port your phone already has is pretty small anyway, so that particular change isn't really a big deal.There's also that awkward period of 6 to 18 months where your gadgets could all use different cables, which is a pain to mentally sort out, and which can be a real hassle if suddenly you need to buy a bunch of $20 cables to make sure you can keep using all your stuff together. For example, you might need to pick up a separate USB-C-to-USB-A cable to make sure your new phone still plugs into your old laptop.
Coming to flagships first
Still, overall, this is a Good Thing to happen to the electronics industry, and USB-C is already on a handful of devices, including a MacBook (that's right, Apple computers will use Type-C, but the phones don't), a Chromebook, the Nokia N1 tablet and those three phones in the Letv Le Superphone family. The OnePlus 2 will probably have it, too, we think (but don't yet know) that the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 could have it, and so on, out into pretty much all future flagship phones (except Apple, of course).source
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