The Raspberry Pi is a fun little computer, but I have a habit of collecting accessories that turn out to be more useful than the device they were designed for. Some of them stay connected to the Pi, while others find their way onto my desk and become part of my regular setup. The official Raspberry Pi USB 3 Hub is one such accessory.

Most people only ever plug a charger into the USB-C port on their iPhone, but the interface is compatible with so many more devices. These can help you work or play, circumvent limitations, and get more done when you’re away from a “proper” computer.

Although USB-A's color-coded cables and ports may be a nuisance to navigate, there's no replacing this tech, old as it may be. While USB-C is endlessly more convenient, convenience isn't everything, even in 2026.

I'm no stranger to finding weird things for my USB drives to do, such as repurposing them as "rescue drives." But this year, with the RAM shortage spilling over to every area of the PC market, I've found new ways to make good use of just about every piece of tech that I own. From a tiny file server to a retro gaming console, here's what I used my USB flash drives for in 2026.

HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C are the most popular ports today, but they're not the only ports in use. In fact, if you take a look at the most popular ports today across all electronics, you'll find that a surprising number of them have been around for a very long time.