Why don't smart watches use USB-C to recharge?

https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2025/08/why-dont-smart-watches-use-usb-c-to-recharge/

It looks like the new Google's Pixel 4 watch comes with yet another incompatible change in charging technology. This is a ridiculous situation.

The original Pixel Watch used one type of wireless charging. Then the Pixel Watch 2 & 3 removed wireless charging and swapped to a different charging mechanism. And now the 4 has changed again.

So three different charging cables in under three years. Progress!

While it would be lovely if watches could support Qi charging, they are just too small to make it work effectively - which is why Apple has a proprietary wireless charging system.

So, why not use everyone's favourite mandated charging standard - USB-C?

The Verge says:

These devices are too dang small, and the technology isn’t there yet. Most standard connectors, like USB-C, are too large to fit within a smartwatch or on devices that are meant to mold to your body. The smaller the device, the more difficult this becomes.

To which I say:

Bullshit!

Watches are small, but the USB-C connector isn't massive.

Here's a modern smartwatch which uses USB-C for charging and data:

But having a USB-C connector means water ingress, right? Wrong!

Does this USB-C connector affect the waterproof rating? No, it doesn’t as the USB-C connector on the watch is IPX8 rated, meaning the internals of the watch are completely sealed from the outside of the connector.

OK, the port itself might get water and dirt in it - but a lug will seal it.

Still, that watch is over £200. Not bad for a pretty high-tech gadget with a limited supply. Are there others?

Here's the Colmi P80

It's a pretty basic watch - although it claims to do heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring. It may be crap for all I know - but it only costs £16!

In the middle of that price-range is this £80 smartwatch which is actually an entire Android device!

Again, with USB-C built right in.

And, yes, it might be rubbish as both a watch, Android device, and masc-coded jewellery - but it shows that USB-C is viable for devices of this class.

Why USB-C?

I don't want to have to buy new accessories every time my hardware changes.

I already have hundreds of USB-C cables.

I only want to take one cable with me on holiday to charge my various gadgets.

I don't want to be restricted to only buying products from one company.

I want something which isn't going to be knocked off its charging pad by a particularly strong fart.

So I've bought the £16 AliExpress special and will review it shortly!

Gadget Review: Thermal Imaging Camera - Topdon TC004 Mini

https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2025/07/gadget-review-thermal-imaging-camera-topdon-tc004-mini/

I've reviewed several thermal imaging products over the years. They range from tiny USB-C add-ons to professional quality hulking great handhelds.

Topdon have sent me a mid-point model to review. It's relatively cheap for a thermal imaging product - only £140 on Amazon. I think the sensor is made by Raytrontek. But is it any good?

While it has a bunch of useful features, there's no video recording and it doesn't work with Linux. Other than that, it's fine.

The Good Points

It seems broadly accurate. Point it at a bunch of things and you can see their temperature. Here's my beautiful face:

That's the actual size of the file. Their marketing bumph says:

TISR (Thermal Image Super Resolution) uses AI algorithms to add simulated pixels between existing ones, enhancing low-resolution thermal images into clearer, high-resolution visuals.

Let's be honest, there's no AI in a device this cheap. There are various complex rules about Infrared cameras and their resolution. These images are fairly low quality - but more than good enough to help you spot a leak or work out if something is too hot.

Quick start up is great. It is ready to go a few seconds after pushing the power button.

The trigger grip is comfortable and responsive - it makes the whole device very "point-and-shoot".

There's a standard tripod screw fitting at the bottom.

The camera is at a slight angle from the grip, so you'll need a tripod with a tiltable mount. You also get an lanyard in the box, which is easily secured to the device.

There's a file-browser built in - which also lets you delete photos.

USB-C for charging and data transfer. Same as all your other gadgets, I hope!

But…

Resolution is low. That's normal for these sorts of cameras, but because the output is only 240x320 it means the on-screen text is cramped and looks pretty poor.

The interface is basic. It doesn't look brilliant, but it is usable.

Setting the time, for example, is a bit of a pain:

Once you've gone in to set the time and other basic settings, you'll probably never go back to it.

Storage space is low - only 480MB. To be fair, images are under 100KB, so you could store several thousand before you hit a problem.

There's no video recording. That's a bit of an arse if you want to see how something heats over time.

You can't extract temperature information from the images. There's no EXIF, no standard metadata, just whatever is printed over the photo. Again, good enough for a quick check but, given the small viewable size of the images, it would have been nice to print the information separately. You can remove some of the on-screen elements from the image. Here's my air-conditioning unit:

The rubber flap protecting the charging port makes it difficult to insert the cable.

Because the port is on the top of the device, it's sensible to protect it from debris, but it is a bit fiddly to use.

Linux Information

This shows up as 3474:0020 Raysentek Co.,Ltd Raysentek MTP. In theory, it should just show up as a device in your file explorer. But it doesn't work.

I couldn't detect anything with mtp-device - it didn't show up. dmesg showed the dreaded device not accepting address 53, error -71 which, I think, indicates a power problem.

lsusb -v shows it claims to support Picture Transfer Protocol.

I reset the device, formatted its memory, used different cables and ports, restarted everything, I even tried it on my Android phone. Nothing.

Which rather puts a damp squib on things. If you can't get the images off the device, you're stuck peering at them on a tiny screen with no way to share them with others.

It will work with Windows. I tried it in VirtualBox and it showed up - albeit with the name "Cobra".

Verdict

Fora quick and dirty inspection, this is a perfectly fine little device. Point it at a thing and see how hot it is. Squeeze the trigger and capture the image for later viewing.

The tripod attachment is handy and there are enough settings hidden away for you to set it up for your own personal needs.

The buttons feel a bit crap and flap gets in the way of the USB-C charging port.

It doesn't work with Linux or Android - I wasn't able to test it on a Mac - so make sure you have Windows available for getting the images off it.

This is one of the cheapest stand-alone thermal cameras you can buy. Necessarily, there are compromises involved with things at this price-point. The camera works (albeit not with Linux) and is a great way to get started with Infrared photography and monitoring.