I’ve been on the road now since 10/21, with a brief pit stop at home, and this I can tell you: hotels need to charge up.
Through stays in Santa Fe, Taos, Flagstaff, Palm Desert, San Francisco and the California Gold Country hamlets of Murphy, Plymouth, Placerville and now, as I write this, Chico, we’ve seen cardless entrances to the room via a text message code, we’ve been welcomed with a personal greeting on the big screen TV, been e-mailed after our stay with online survey requests, but none of these are Guest First issues. What needs to be seriously addressed: charging contemporary devices.
Figure the average traveler has at least two phones to contend with, a Watch or two, a laptop and maybe an iPad, and you see the problem. I happen to be a techhead who travels with extension cords, power strips and every conceivable cable you can dream of to charge multiple phones, microphones, GoPros, Insta360 cameras and two laptops (@ruthtalksfood is along for the ride, as always) but I know I’m an outlier.
Still, we all start with the same issue: where to find available outlets for charging up. (Even with extension cords, you have to find a place to plug in!)
That’s always a challenge in an older B&B, but understandable. These places weren’t built in a time when people like us traveled for overnight stays and power outlets were hidden behind giant poster beds and built-in bookshelves.
Many lodging facilities have tried to upgrade their charging options, thankfully, with devices like the CubieMini which worked great in 2020. Many of the hotels and even the B&Bs have even installed lamps and radio with have built-in USB-A ports, to make it easier for us. And that’s great.
But the times, they have changed!
Who uses USB-A anymore?
Very few of us. All these hotel improvements are actually a good five years behind the times. Now it’s all about USB-C, as the industry has settled on one universal connecting cable for seemingly everything.
If I’m talking geektalk, know this: the old USB-A cable was the one with the thick silver tip and pin connectors on the bottom side. USB-C is the more streamlined, thinner cable, and both sides fit into your device port. Pretty much every device sold today uses USB-C for charging.
I use USB-C to connect my iPhone 16, Samsung Galaxy S23, GoPro Hero 12, Insta360 X4, Rode Wireless Go microphones, iPad, AirPods, DJI Mini 4 Pro drone and Samsung T7 solid state drives. When I livestream, I plug a USB-C cable into my Sony EV-Z10 camera and then directly into one of my MacBook Pro slots (I have 3.) I also connect an iPhone, via USB-C to the Mac, so I can show the iPhone screen during the show.
So in other words, hotels aren’t helping us with all those USB-A slots. They’re irrelevant.
May I suggest some simple room upgrades:
Companies like Anker, Belkin and Neewer make multiple charging solutions for consumers. Why not think Guest First and install one of these devices in each room? The $39.99 Anker Charging Station has four available USB-C slots, plus, if you’ve got an old iPhone, there are 2 USB-A slots as well, plus 3 AC outlets.
I know many hotels, but not all, like to have alarm clocks in the room, and I’ve scoured Amazon looking for one with multiple USB-C ports. I’ve only found devices with one. Not much help. But it’s a start! (This Sharp radio has both a USB-C and A port.)
How about wireless charging solutions? Many products use the Qi wireless system to power up, and Apple has the MagSafe solution. A plugged in MagSafe adapter would be fantastic.
If you have an old iPhone like the X or 11, you have a cable with a USB-A on one side, and the old Lightning on the other side. Apple stopped selling iPhones with Lightning with 2023’s 15 series, while many older iPads, AirPods and Watches still have it.
Meanwhile, with holiday travel coming up, it’s doubtful all the hotel chains will have read this edition and decidedto quickly upgrade. So here’s my tips on what not to leave home without.
—If you have an old iPhone, buy one of these $10 USB-A to Lightning cables and throw it in your suitcase.
—If you have a modern iPhone, Galaxy or any other device, pick up a USB-A to USB-C cable. This is the one that will fit in the hotel chargers. Anker sells a two-pack for $9.
—For the utmost in versatility,, how about a multi-use cable, which plugs into the hotel USB-A port, but has extensions for both Lightning and USB-C. I found one on Amazon for just $6.
Or, just buy a few USB-C to A adapters to put over your existing cables. They sell for under $10.
As noted, I have a seperate cable bag that I bring along on road trips. For plane rides, I have a few dedicated cables that live in my suitcase, and they plug into multiple outlet chargers like this one from Anker which sells for $17.
Have I missed your favorite cable solution? Let me hear from you in the comments.
In other news:
Freevee no more
First it was IMDB TV, Amazon’s home for ad-supported TV and movies. Then, the company decided a name change was in order, and altered it to the silly sounding Freevee in April 2022. Now, Freevee is history. The programming will be woven into the existing Amazon Prime Video offerings, Amazon says, although I’m skeptical that the huge library of old stuff will make it in. The reason for the change: Amazon started putting adds in its Prime offerings, so there was no need to have two ad-supported channels.
New Final Cut Pro 11
In 2011, Apple introduced Final Cut Pro X, a new imagining of video editing software that looked like iMovie, but was way more full-featured. Many editors complained that it was dumbed down, but I loved it. It changed my life, offering a faster, easier to use program that I have used every day since. (And I’m not kidding.)
All these years later, Apple now has an update, with Final Cut Pro 11. The key features include the ability to add captions to your project automatically, and use AI masking to remove backgrounds from the video and isolate the person, like we can do on the iPhone.
The cost is $299, but existing users get the upgrade for free.
You Never Know Who You’ll Meet in Placerville
There is a fabulous restaurant on Main Street in Placerville, right next to the Hangman’s Tree, (not kidding) named Franny’s Farm Table. Erica Cookson is the owner, and as I uttered one word to her, she recognized my voice, even though we had never met. It’s a fun story, and she tells it in the video below, which is directed to our friend Mark Thompson, who hosts a popular show on YouTube.
I’ll have more to show and tell you about the Gold Rush Country of California in the coming weeks with a new full-length Photowalks episode. So stay tuned!
Thanks as always for reading, watching and listening.
Jeff
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