Todd Bernhard

I've already reviewed the Symbus USB-C dock from Moshi and it earned a place on my desk until now, when I got to try the successor, the Symbus Q ($164.95). It has all of the good stuff from the earlier model, namely Ethernet, HDMI, and two USB-A ports, but the Q model adds Qi wireless charging.

I am always on the lookout for the perfect USB-C dock. Clearly, USB-C is the future, with support from Apple's MacBooks and the most recent iPad Pro. So I was happy to try the USB-C Mini Docking Station ($179.99) when Plugable sent me one. I plugged it in to my MacBook Pro and it just worked. There was nothing to install and it looks sleek, with rounded edges, almost like an Apple TV.

The folks at Mophie basically invented the battery pack case. Mophie sent me its new Juice Pack Access ($99.95) for my iPhone XR and it's clear that the company is reinventing the battery case, leveraging the Qi-based wireless charging capabilities of the newer iPhones. As with its original line of cases, you essentially double the battery life of your iPhone, but this version does not interfere with your Lightning port. It charges your phone using the phone's built-in Qi wireless charging capability. You can still use the Lightning port to charge or use accessories like Apple's headphone and HDMI adapters. Ironically, if Apple had focused on making phones with larger batteries, even if they were thicker, the tech giant might have been able to leave the headphone jack in, and we might not need battery cases. But Apple's focus on thinness has hurt battery life, and led to the loss of the headphone jack, so Mophie has an answer.

If the Apple Watch is too geeky and a typical fitness tracker doesn't do enough for your overall health and well-being, the GoBe 2 ($169) from Healbe may be of interest. They sent me their "Smart Life Band" which is something inbetween a smartwatch and a fitness tracker. The GoBe 2 measures (or recommends) calorie intake, energy balance, sleep quality, emotional states, water balance, burned calories, heart rate, stress level, steps, and distance. In short, it addresses all or most of the health benefits of a smartwatch, and perhaps more, but without the excess capabilities many fitness users wouldn't bother with.