Moshi today launched the latest addition to its award-winning series of powerful, compact USB-C hubs. Joining the Symbus and Symbus Q desktop hubs, Symbus Mini brings powerful portable connectivity to the collection.

With modern laptops thinner than they've ever been, a key factor in reducing device thickness has been the implementation of USB-C ports to replace everything from video output to wired networking and charging. Although laptops less than an inch thick are undoubtedly better for portability, the lack of desktop-like connectivity could leave you hunched over your laptop for extended periods with limited connectivity and charging, which is good for neither productivity nor well-being.

HP Inc. announced five new Chromebooks to help teachers and students stay connected, productive, focused, and secure whether at home, in the classroom, or a blend of both. The PC has never been more essential in education. There has been a 46% increase in device shipments for teachers and students over the past year and 66% of teachers expect blended learning to continue after the pandemic. With nearly 70% of teachers and students feeling less connected to each other during the pandemic,4 HP's technology solutions foster collaboration and community during this time of unprecedented change, ensuring teachers can find new ways to connect with students, and students can be seen and heard regardless of their location.

"HP is committed to enabling better learning outcomes for 100 million people by 2025. With education no longer confined to the four walls of the classroom, HP is creating technology that helps teachers, students, as well as parents, thrive in blended learning environments," said Bill Avey, General Manager and Global Head of Education, Personal Systems, HP Inc. "HP's innovative Chromebook lineup gives educators and students access to flexible, engaging, and personalized devices that are critical to ensuring a quality education."

D-Link Corporation today announced their new DUB-E250 USB-C to 2.5G Ethernet Adapter and DMS-106XT Multi Gigabit Unmanaged Switch at the 2021 Consumer Electronics Show. The emergence of Wi-Fi 6 and increase of network traffic has driven wired networks to require higher bandwidth. Single Gigabit Ethernet is no longer sufficient. 2.5G Ethernet is one of the latest technology trends driving innovation in networking and changing the consumer experience. D-Link's new 2.5G Ethernet solutions upgrade networks by providing a more reliable, stable, seamless network and easily multiplying the network speed by 2.5 times.

D-Link's DUB-E250 is the smallest USB-C 2.5G Ethernet Adapter on the market that breaks network bottlenecks by enabling 2.5 times the bandwidth of a Gigabit ethernet connection and makes feasible many more high-performance online activities. Fully backward compatible with existing network equipment, the DUB-E250 allows for affordable, fast, worry-free transition to high-performance experiences. The DUB-E250 has also been recognized as this year's CES Innovation Award Honoree.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the all-new Razer Blade 15 and Razer Blade Pro 17 gaming laptops powered by NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series Laptop GPUs. To take advantage of the powerful new GPUs, the laptops are now available with new display options at higher refresh rates and higher resolutions. The new Blade 15 and Blade Pro 17 gaming laptops form the most powerful and diverse lineup of gaming laptops from Razer ever - and with new configurations starting at only $1,699, now anyone can experience a Razer Blade.

"The new Razer Blade line is the best place for gamers to play the next generation of games," said Brad Wildes, Senior Vice President & General Manager of Razer Systems business unit. "Our new line features the latest graphics technology, giving gamers the most immersive experience available. With the fastest displays on the market and one of our smallest chassis ever, gamers can enjoy ultra-smooth gameplay anywhere and everywhere. Simply put: The Razer Blades are the ultimate way to play."

Cleer Audio, industry-leading headphone and smart speaker manufacturer introduces two new True Wireless Headphones with noise cancellation, the Ally Plus II (two) and Roam NC models for early 2021 that are certain to shake the competition with new technologies, features and lower True Wireless pricing.

The new ALLY Plus II noise cancelling true wireless headphone delivers industry leading hybrid noise cancellation, and battery life for up to 11 hrs. of playback. Its strong wireless connectivity, enhanced call quality with dual-microphones and Qualcomm cVc 8th generation noise reduction technology makes these a perfect companion for on-the-go lifestyles. Complemented by the new Cleer+ app, users can customize both the noise cancelling and sound performance of the Ally Plus II. Its small jewel box style charging case offers both USB-C and Qi wireless charging options for an additional 22 hrs. of playback, ¾33 hrs. of total playback. The wireless charging case showcases the earbuds with its see-through window helping confirm that the earbuds are charging when stored.

Display specialist AOC announces that according to the latest market figures by Context for the third quarter of 2020, the company again holds first place in market share of gaming monitors (120Hz and above) in Europe, with a 27% market share, continuing at its leading position for a year from Q3-2019.

Additionally, according to the IDC Quarterly Gaming Tracker Q2 2020, AOC also has the largest market share (20%) in gaming monitors all around the world. Gaming monitors are defined as monitors with a 100 Hz refresh rate and above, which are necessary for competitive gamers to have the fastest and smoothest experience and beat their opponents.

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, today announces the Workflow Station and accompanying Readers. Aptly named, the dock enhances content creators' post-production workflow.

Kingston's Workflow Station and Readers give users the freedom to create and customize a file offload setup that fits their needs allowing them to transfer video, photos, and audio from multiple sources at once1. Whether on a 4K/8K multi-cam shoot with portable audio recorders or filming B-Roll with drones and GoPros, with the customizable Workflow Station Dock you can simultaneously connect the USB miniHub, SD or microSD readers that the shoot requires to transfer footage quickly. Workflow Readers can also be used standalone by connecting to a laptop via the included USB-C cable giving users the flexibility to have their workflow on-the-go. Whether shooting on location or working back at your desk, Kingston Is With You.

The PC has never been more essential, so this year at CES 2021, HP Inc. is launching computing innovations essential to how and where people experience work and life. HP today unveiled new devices and solutions designed to power hybrid work environments and growing personal creative studios.

With half of the global workforce still working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, new use cases for the PC are emerging for both consumers and employees remaining at home. Since COVID, there has been a seven hour increase in time spent on personal PCs. In some cases, this has resulted in an increase in everyday creativity - with photography, writing stories or articles, and live streaming being the top three activities among consumers. But working and staying at home isn't always simple, with only 30% of people having a space where they can shut the door. Yet 72% of knowledge workers want a hybrid remote-office model moving forward and 48% of Gen Z are considering an expansion of their freelance business in the future, requiring solutions with enhanced collaboration and micro-mobility features.

Sonnet Technologies today announced the launch of the eGPU Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 5500 XT and eGPU Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 5700, the newest members of the company's popular family of portable all-in-one Thunderbolt 3 external graphics processing (eGPU) systems. Replacing the now discontinued eGFX Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 560 and Radeon RX 570 eGPUs, the new models retain the same form factor but in many cases deliver more than 300% performance improvement over the previous-generation models. The new models now include two USB ports for connecting peripheral devices and a second Thunderbolt port for fully supporting a Thunderbolt/USB-C display, including the 6K Apple Pro Display XDR.

eGPU systems boost a computer's graphics performance by connecting a more powerful graphics processor via a Thunderbolt 3 connection and bypassing the computer's onboard GPU to deliver graphics performance not otherwise possible. Sonnet's eGPU Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 5500 XT and Radeon RX 5700 systems are designed for professionals who need to run graphics-intensive applications on their Intel -based MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, or iMac with Thunderbolt 3 ports, with the focus on high performance, portability, and flexible external display connectivity plus quiet, reliable operation. eGPU Breakaway Pucks accelerate a computer's graphics performance on its built-in display (if equipped) and on up to four externally connected displays.

ASUS unveiled the ProArt PA278CV, a 27-inch professional monitor for creative work at native 1440p resolution (no dpi upscaling). Its planar IPS panel packs some serious chops for creators—100% sRGB and Rec. 709 coverage, Calman Verified for ΔE <2 color accuracy factory-calibration. Designed for the latest generation of display connectivity, the PA278CV supports USB-C (DisplayPort passthrough) with 65 W power-delivery, so you can use a single cable for both power and display I/O.

In addition, you get an HDMI 1.4 and two DisplayPort 1.2 ports that support daisy-chaining. Other key display specs include 178° viewing angles, 75 Hz refresh rate with VESA Adaptive Sync support, 5 ms (GTG) response time, 350 cd/m² brightness, and 1000:1 static contrast ratio. The display is TÜV Rhineland-certified for flicker-free brightness adjustment, and low blue-light. The company didn't reveal pricing.

SilverStone today introduced the MS12, an external SSD enclosure designed for M.2-2280 SSDs with PCIe/NVMe interface. The enclosure features a PCI-Express 3.0 x4 interface, which it converts to USB 3.2x2 (20 Gbps), put out from a USB-C connector, with a single handling both power and host-connectivity. The enclosure features an aluminium body which doubles up as a heatsink for the enclosed SSD. An ASMedia ASM23364 bridge chip is in-charge of things under the hood, and is capable of transfer speeds of up to 2,000 MB/s. The enclosure measures 106.5 mm x 33.3 mm x 15.3 mm (WxDxH), weighing about 53 g. A 30 cm USB-C cable, and thermal pad comes included. The company didn't mention pricing.

MSI today introduced the Optix MAG301 CR2, a 30-inch ultra-widescreen curved monitor with 1500R curvature, WFHD (2560 x 1080 pixels) resolution; and a list of gaming chops. Built with a VA panel, it offers 200 Hz refresh-rate, 1 ms (MPRT) response time, AMD FreeSync Premium support, 178° viewing angles, and 3000:1 static contrast ratio. Among its connectivity options are USB-C (including DP passthrough), DisplayPort 1.2a, and two HDMI 2.0 inputs. Specs aside, the Optix MAG offers the full suite of MSI Gaming innovations, including OSD Gaming (gaming overlays), and presets suited to specific gaming genres. The company didn't reveal pricing.

ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of display solutions, introduces the launch of the ViewBoard Pen Display and the ViewBoard Notepad. These new portable and interactive solutions can be used as supplementary devices in the classroom or home for distance/hybrid and digitalized learning.

The ID1330 ViewBoard Pen Display is an ultra thin 13.3-inch pen display that features a battery-free pen to create, manage and share digital content. It can be connected with any PC or laptop as a secondary touch device to share content. The ID0730 ViewBoard Notepad is a user-friendly device that allows users to take digitalized notes in real-time. Both the ViewBoard Pen Display and ViewBoard Notepad work seamlessly with the ViewSonic myViewBoard software.

[Editor's note: This press release is from the Philips US division, regional applicability may vary. Street pricing is already down to $149.]

Envision Peripherals, Inc. (EPI) today debuts a new pair of premium, true wireless ear buds, the Philips In-Ear True Wireless Headphones TAT8505BKs. The True Wireless version of the popular Philips Wireless Over-ear Noise Cancelling Headphone TAPH805BK earbuds feature classic minimalist design and boast Hybrid Active Noise Canceling and Awareness Mode for control over what is heard, letting users sink into rich, detailed sound or tune into the world around them. The Philips TAT8505BKs are available on Amazon, for $199.99 USD, starting December 15, 2020 at 12:01 AM PST.

Love What You Hear
The perfectly tuned 13mm neodymium drivers ensure a detailed, expansive sound with rich, powerful bass and thrilling clarity for every track. When an earbud is taken out, the music pauses. Put the earbud back in, and the music starts up again. The Philips TAT8505BKs have a refined geometric design creating a comfortable in-ear fit. The circular earbud housing is tactilely pleasing and is designed to subtly catch the light, creating an elegant, understated look.

OWC, the premier zero-emissions Mac and PC technology company, and a respected provider of Memory, External Drives, SSDs, Mac & PC docking solutions, and performance upgrade kits, announced Mac compatibility and certification of its new OWC Thunderbolt Hub. Previously certified for Thunderbolt 4 PCs, the OWC Thunderbolt Hub is now available for new M1 Macs and all Thunderbolt 3 equipped Macs once upgraded to the new Apple MacOS 11 "Big Sur". The OWC Thunderbolt Hub will give both Mac and PC users the additional Thunderbolt ports they've always wanted.

The OWC Thunderbolt Hub offers the new Thunderbolt hubbing technology. You can now have four Thunderbolt ports, plus one USB port on your new Apple M1 Mac, Apple "Intel" Mac with Thunderbolt 3, or any Thunderbolt 4 PC with this compact hub. You can connect and charge any device with a USB-C or USB-A connector. Support up to two 4K displays or a single 5K/6K/8K display. Add high-performance storage, including NVMe solutions, and generally make your workflow work for you by adding A/V mixers, phone or tablet, even desktop accessories like a keyboard or mouse—all through a single Thunderbolt port. Accessories with past, present, or future USB or Thunderbolt interfaces connect to the OWC Thunderbolt Hub.

RHA has introduced new cutting-edge true wireless earbuds to their award-winning lineup - the ergonomically stylish TrueControl ANC.
The TrueControl ANC combines a quality Qualcomm AptX sound signature with advanced active - and adjustable - noise cancellation, a sleek ergonomic design, advanced connectivity, and a 20-hour battery life. In addition, users can use the new RHA Connect App to customise their listening experience.

TAKE CONTROL
Whether it's the traffic outside your home office, the keyboards of your colleagues, or the thrum of the airplane engine, RHA's active noise cancellation turns the outside world off - so you can concentrate on whatever you're working on and whatever you're listening to. (Or just escape!) The TrueControl uses a passive noise cancelling design and ANC technology to eliminate outside noise. External microphones record the world around you, then target these noises with anti-sound.

ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of display solutions, upgrades its ColorPro professional monitors with the addition of the VP2468a and VP2768a color-accurate monitors. These two monitors are PANTONE-validated, meeting the requirements of the PANTONE full range of colors. Both monitors offer out-of-the-box color accuracy, color blindness modes and USB-C connectivity. The ColorPro series of monitors deliver true-to-life image quality for creatives in photography, content creation, design, and video editing, among others.

The VP68a series has been verified and factory-tuned with a series of in-house color tests, and both monitors have been evaluated by PANTONE, meeting the validation requirements by passing the full range simulations test of the PANTONE Formula Guide. With its color accuracy and enhanced connectivity, including USB-C and Ethernet RJ45, the VP2468a and VP2768a deliver color-accurate picture quality with industry color standards including sRGB, Rec709, calibration and uniformity.

GIGABYTE launched the BRIX S line of desktop mini PCs powered by AMD Ryzen 4000U "Renoir" 15 W mobile processors. These mini-PCs are almost NUC-sized, measuring 46.8 mm x 119.5 mm x 119.5 mm (HxWxD), and pack a 2.5-inch SATA drive-bay in addition to an M.2-2280 slot with both PCI-Express 3.0 x4 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring. Connectivity is highlighted by four display outputs—one each of HDMI 2.0a, DisplayPort, and two USB-C with DP passthroughs. Networking connectivity includes 2.5 GbE and 802.11ax + Bluetooth 5.1 WLAN.

As for the specific models, the GB-BRR7H-4700 is powered by a Ryzen 7 4700U, the GB-BRR5H-4500 by a Ryzen 5 4500U, and the GB-BRR3H-4300 by the Ryzen 3 4300U. All three feature two DDR4 SO-DIMM slots, and a vacant M.2-2280 slot, so you're expected to drop in your own memory and storage. All three include VESA mounting brackets, so you can tuck them behind your monitor, if it has VESA wall-mounts. The power bricks included with all three can put out 135 W of power. The company didn't reveal pricing.

GIGABYTE is planning to update its BRIX line of min-PCs with new models powered by AMD's Ryzen 4000 series "Renoir" 8-core/16-thread processors, according to a ComputerBase.de article. It remains to be seen whether these mini-PCs use the 15 W "Renoir-U," 45 W "Renoir-H," or the more recent Ryzen Embedded V2000 chips. The company is readying two main variants based on body size—slim and tall, with the "tall" version featuring a 2.5-inch SATA drive bay in addition to M.2 slots, while the slim version makes do with just M.2 NVMe/SATA slots for internal storage. These BRIX boxes come with the latest networking connectivity, including 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6, and 2.5 GbE wired Ethernet. There could be as many as four display outputs, with GIGABYTE advertising support for up to four 4K displays. One of these could be USB-C. There's no word yet on pricing or availability.

Seasonic over the weekend began its foray into the premium PC case market with the SYNCRO Q704 + Connect case. The case has been extensively designed around the company's Connect line of modular PSUs that feature a pop-out modular cabling spine, with shorter last-mile cabling, letting you minimize your cable clutter. The case itself includes one of two variants of the Seasonic Connect line of PSUs—650 W or 750 W. The ATX mid-tower case has an upside-down motherboard tray which essentially makes it a BTX tower. The case uses SECC steel along its main frame, aluminium along its front panel, and tempered glass along its right side panel. The case measures 537 mm (D) x 234 mm (W) x 493 mm (H)

The Seasonic Connect module aligns along the left side panel, with strategically located connectors to reach your motherboard's ATX and EPS inputs, graphics cards' PCIe power inputs, and drives' SATA power inputs using the shortest possible cabling. These are industry-standard modular connectors, and should be cable-modder-friendly. The motherboard compartment gives you room for graphics cards up to 34.5 cm in length, and CPU coolers up to 18.5 cm in height. Storage options include two 3.5-inch/2.5-inch drive bays, and three 2.5-inch mounts behind the motherboard tray. Ventilation includes three each of 140 mm/120 mm fan mounts along the front- and top-panels; and a 120 mm vent each along the bottom and rear. Front panel I/O includes a USB-C, two USB 3.x type-A, and HDA jacks. The case costs about $150 on its own, and $309 including a 650 W Connect PSU. The 650 W, 750 W, and 850 W PSUs for this case can be separately purchased for $120, $140, and $190, respectively.

Read the TechPowerUp Review of the Seasonic SYNCRO Q704 + Connect.

Here are the first pictures of the ASRock Radeon RX 6800 XT Taichi graphics card, the company's flagship custom-design offering based on the RX 6800 XT. Much like its predecessor, the RX 5700 XT Taichi, ASRock's latest design features a central illuminated fan that's flanked by a pair of larger fans. To cope with the much higher 300 W typical board power, ASRock is using a much meatier heatsink that's triple-slot, and over an inch taller than what constitutes as full height. The card appears to be pulling power from three PCIe power connectors—the first we've seen from a custom-design RX 6800 XT card. Display outputs include two DisplayPorts, an HDMI, and a USB-C. The card's metal back-plate features an illuminated ASRock Taichi logo ornament. There also appear to be buttons on the card to toggle the LED lighting, and to switch between its two BIOS ROMs. This card could feature the highest state of factory overclock from the ASRock camp for the RX 6800 XT.

TerraMaster, a professional brand that specializes in providing innovative storage products including network-attached storage (NAS) devices, launches the D2 Clone 2-slot drive cloning and enclosure. The TerraMaster D2 Clone is ideal for professional content creators, businesses, and users that handle large amounts of storage, offering an easy and fast way to clone data for backup and safekeeping. The D2 Clone can clone hours of video editing file, backups of media files, entire music libraries, surveillance video footage, business data, and more.

The D2 Clone features multi-drive compatibility, supporting a wide range of brands and models of 2.5" HDDs and SSDs and 3.5" HDDs, supports drives of up to 18 TB capacity per disk slot. The D2 Clone has status LED indicators for easy progress monitoring and mis-operation protection to prevent accidental cloning. The sturdy and classy aluminium chassis with smart fan keeps installed drives cool at all times. It works as a Direct Attached Storage (DAS) when connected to a computer. It uses a widely compatible USB-C connectivity and supports Windows, Mac, and Linux devices.

[Editor's note: This press release is specific to a US product announcement, and it may have been released in other regions before.]

Display specialist AOC announces the AOC 16T2, a new portable touchscreen monitor with USB-C connectivity. The 39.6 cm (15.6") IPS display 16T2 comes with Full HD resolution and can be connected to a laptop, desktop/server or a smartphone through its two USB-C ports (utilizing DisplayPort alternate mode) or its Micro HDMI port. Thanks to the built-in 8000 mAh battery, the 16T2 can be used on-the-go without requiring a power outlet and can even act as a power bank and charge a smartphone. Less than a centimeter in thickness, a featured smart, foldable cover for portrait and landscape orientations and VESA wall mount option make this monitor a great tool for mobile business users as well as mobile gamers, students, IT administrators, small businesses, DIYers, and more. The AOC 16T2 is available on Amazon starting November 9, 2020, for $249.99.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the all-new Razer Book 13, a new high-performing productivity laptop built for the go-getters, side-hustlers, and spirited entrepreneurs of today's mobile world. With its ultra-mobile design, the world's thinnest 13.4" display bezels, powerful 11th Gen Intel Core processor with Intel Iris Xe graphics, and robust connectivity, the 13-inch ultraportable enables users to do more, faster.

"Since the launch of the first Razer Blade in 2011, Razer has built a legacy on delivering the highest performing gaming laptops to the delight of our fans worldwide. Today we are excited to announce Razer is breaking into the productivity space the same way we broke into laptop gaming: With a bang," said Brad Wildes, Senior Vice President & General Manager of Razer' Systems business unit. "The new Razer Book 13 is the culmination of a decade's worth of experience in developing and crafting high-end gaming machines. Sleek, powerful, and compact, the Razer Book 13 breaks out from the boring crowd and delivers prosumers an experience not yet realized in a work laptop."

iiyama have recently announced the ProLite XUB2492HSN-B1 24" IPS monitor featuring an integrated USB-C dock. The IPS panel features a resolution of 1920x1080 with a typical contrast ratio of 1000:1 and 250cd/m² brightness along with a 4 ms response time. The inputs include HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C dock with 65 W Power delivery, DisplayPort-out, LAN, and x2 USB 3.0. The included stand allows for tilt (22° up - 5° down), swivel (90° left/right), and height (130 mm) adjustments. The ProLite XUB2492HSN is the first monitor from the iiyama 92N series with a USB-C dock. A 27" FHD (XUB2792HSN) and QHD (XUB2792QSN) version will be introduced in March 2021.