Connectivity & Cloud

Most people have multiple devices that require everyday charging, between smartphones, laptops, smartwatches, and headphones, it's hard to keep track of what is charged and when it needs to be on charge.

For people in a hurry who don't have the time to make sure all of their devices are charged for the next day, portable chargers or power banks can be a lifesaver because instead of having to remember to charge multiple devices you just need to remember to have that power bank charged, as that can provide multiple full charges for various devices to get you through the day.

However, not every power bank can charge all your portable devices, which is why ALOGIC has set out to provide that very solution with the Roam 6-in-1 power bank, which is designed to charge multiple devices simultaneously in one compact device. ALOGIC's Roam has been sent to the lab for inspection and I can say this device is quite impressive, and since I'm an Apple user that owns an iPhone, Apple Watch, and MacBook, I can take full advantage of the various charging capabilities.

PCI-SIG has just announced PCIe 7.0 specification v0.9 has hit the final draft, now available for members to review, before being floated out into the market in the future.

PCIe 7.0 will target data-intensive markets like hyperscale data centers, high-performance computing (HPC), military/aerospace industries, emerging applications like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), 800G Ethernet, cloud computing, and more. PCI-SIG says the new PCIe 7.0 standard is being developed with the following goals:

PCI-SIG explains in a blog on its official website: "I am excited to share that PCI-SIG® has released the PCI Express® (PCIe®) 7.0 specification, version 0.9 for member review. Version 0.9 is the final draft of the specification wherein members perform internal reviews of the technology for their essential patents. No additional functional changes are expected during this time, and we are on track to publish the full specification later this year. With this update, PCI-SIG is proud to continue our frequency of doubling the data rate every three years - from 64 GT/s of PCIe 6.0 specification to 128 GT/s raw bit rate".

Google has shared an update on the ongoing situation with its Chromecast (2nd gen) and Chromecast Audio devices that suddenly stopped working on March 9.

Google acknowledged that affected devices around the world were no longer responding in a Google Nest update on March 11, saying the company was aware of the outage and that it was working on a fix. Additionally, Google requested owners of affected devices not to factory reset their devices as a means of troubleshooting, but as you can probably imagine, by the time the post was live, many users had already attempted a factory reset.

Now, Google has put out a new update informing users that the disruption has been fixed. For users who factory reset their devices, the following will need to be done to get the device working again.

If you have tried to cast to your Chromecast and it's not working, it's not your fault, it's Google's as the company has recently acknowledge a widespread outage.

The company has confirmed the widespread outage is a software-related issue and not an intentional phase-out of the devices. For those who aren't affected by the outage, reports indicate it's mostly affecting older Chromecast models, such as the 2nd-gen Chromecast released in 2015 and Chromecast Audio. Currently, Google hasn't revealed the cause of the outage but has warned users not to factory reset their devices as a means of troubleshooting, as it could permanently lock them out of the system.

Reports are now surfacing citing software engineers that have dug into the problem, with The Register speaking to Tom Hebb, a former Meta software engineer and Chromecast hacker, who published a detailed analysis about the outage. According to Hebb, the fix could take more than a month to be rolled out, and the problem stems directly from an expired device authentication certificate.

Want to take your connectivity to the next level? And in style as well? Well, here's the Adonis cable, a USB-C cable with USB4 2.0 support that enables both intense speeds and ultra fast charging.

The Adonis cable comes with bi-directional 80 Gbps and unidirectional 120 Gbps transfer rates, which is ideal for content creators that are transferring large 4K video files from one device to another. Moreover, the Adonis Cable comes with PD 3.1 (Power Delivery), which means users are able to take advantage of 240W of ultra-fast charging capabilities. Future writes that using an Adonis Cable users are able to charge a MacBook Pro up to 56% in just 30 minutes.

Not only are content creators able to transfer large files in blazing fast speeds, but the Adonis Cable also comes with dual 8K at 60Hz display support, or 4K at 240Hz. The features don't stop there as AOHi has equipped the Adonis Cable with Thunderbolt 5 compatability and support for next-gen AI/AR/VR connectivity. What's under the hood that's powering all this juicy performance? A 16-core coaxial design with an E-Marker smart chip.

Qualcomm and MediaTek have decided to start focusing on next-gen 6G technology, announced during Mobile World Congress 2025 this week.

The US-based chip maker has said it's working with Nokia Bell Labs and Rhode & Schwarz to develop and evolve its 6G cellular technology, which has a huge focus on AI (of course). Qualcomm expects future cellular networks to learn and adapt over time, so AI-native protocols can allow future 6G networks to dynamically adjust its parameters based on real-time conditions.

Qualcomm predicts that 2025 will be the start of 6G standardization, and MediaTek agrees with that. We can expect multiple breakthrough technologies driven for 6G, including hybrid computing, a live low Earth orbit (LEO) broadband NR-NTN trial, sub-band full duplex (SBFD), and the new M90 5G Advanced modem.

Qualcomm has unveiled its new X85 5G Modem-RF for Android, with some crazy-high download speeds of up to 12.5Gbps and upload speeds of up to 3.7Gbps.

In comparison, the current-gen Qualcomm X80 5G modem is capable of up to 10Gbps download and 3.5Gbps upload, so those download speeds have increased significantly, by another 25%. The new X85 modem is Qualcomm's eighth-generation 5G modem-to-antenna solution, and fourth-generation AI-powered 5G connectivity platform with support for 5G mmWave, sub-6GHz, and Satellite technologies.

Qualcomm's new X85 5G modem has a 5G AI processor with a dedicated Tensor accelerator, which provides 30% faster AI inference, providing lower latency, wider coverage, and improved power efficiency that pave the way for a responsible, reliable 5G experience in multiple different conditions.

Meta has just announced its most ambitious subsea internet cable project in history: Project Waterworth, and once it's complete it will reach 5 major continents -- the United States, India, Brazil, South Africa, and Australia.

Subsea cable infrastructure including Project Waterworth are the backbone of global digital infrastructure, which accounts for over 95% of intercontinental traffic across the world's oceans to provide digital communication, video and streaming services, online gaming, online transactions, and more.

Project Waterworth will be a multi-billion dollar, multi-year investment in order to "strengthen the scale and reliability of the world's digital highways by opening three new oceanic corridors with the abundant, high speed connectivity needed to drive AI innovation around the world" explains Meta on its website.

Dockcase, known for its over-the-top connectivity solutions that combine functionality with style, has yet another project underway, the Smart USB-C Hub 7-in-1 that comes with an M.2 SSD.

The new device is designed for creators on the go or anyone who needs extra USB ports on their laptop. But a user that would get the most out of this device is someone in need of a single device capable of transferring videos/images from an SD card but also needs extensive connectivity options and a place to back up data via the in-built replaceable SSD. The idea behind the upcoming device is to provide users with the perfect balance of portability and storage, as users will be able to replace the provided SSD with any 2230 and 2242 SSDs.

Additionally, the smart hub has a touchscreen that users can navigate through the UI which has features such as SSD health monitoring, a Read-Only Mode, and much more. Additionally, the smart hub comes with an in-built fan that can be adjusted via the touchscreen options. The idea behind the fan is to implement a cooling system for users who are taking advantage of the smart hub's capabilities over longer periods of time. Users are also able to take advantage of the 4K @ 120Hz support support, along with the 100W power delivery charging.

Creators who travel regularly but want to keep on top of their creative duties are likely in need of a power source to keep their laptop, phone, monitor, etc -- running for as long as possible.

Alogic has set out to provide a solution to this problem by unveiling the Ark Pro, a new power bank designed for high-performance users on the go. The Ark Pro is aimed at users wanting to combine style with a monstrous battery capacity, as the Ark Pro features a whopping 27,600mAh capacity that's coupled with 140W USB-C charging support. With this level of charging, users can rest assured the Ark Pro will easily charge any Thunderbolt or USB-C laptop, and for those wondering if it can be brought on flights, Alogic states the Ark Pro is IATA-compliant, meaning it is certified for plane travel.

As for specifics, the Ark Pro features two USB-C ports, with an additional 22.5W USB-A charging port. Moreover, users can plug in multiple devices at once for simultaneous charging. For those power users who want to see what their power bank is outputting, Alogic has equipped the Ark Pro with a smart display that showcases real-time charging data, including the charging rate, estimated time to recharge, battery health, and internal temperature.