Best business accessories of 2020: Tech tools to help you be more productive
Send your office efficiency into overdrive with these top workplace tech tools.
by Mike MoorePage 1 of 5:
Newest releases
- Newest releases
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- Adaptors, Batteries & Wires
Welcome to our pick of the best business accessories of 2020. These are the latest gadgets and tools that can help transform any modern office to become more productive and better connected.
The best business accessories you'll find in this guide have novel approaches to improving productivity and efficiency, and would fit right in amongst office staples like printers, servers and routers. These are the products that will give you that extra boost?
We've rounded up some of these clever extras, from an ultra-secure USB drives, through a tiny docking station, to one of the weirdest gadgets ever to land on TechRadar Pro, courtesy of a Kickstarter campaign.
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RAVPower GaN Wall Chargers: 65W and 90W
Rapid charging for high-capacity devices
+ Fast charge for later batteries
+ Compatible with USB-A and USB-C
+ Dual device charging
- Sometimes obscures adjacent power sockets
Gallium nitride (GaN) wall chargers are able to refuel devices at a much faster pace than their silicon counterparts - and they’re also more petite and energy-efficient.
So, if you’re looking for a way to charge your high-capacity devices quickly - including laptops, power banks and more - look no further than these two GaN wall chargers from RAVPower.
The 65W RAVPower PD 2-Port model can push a 15-inch MacBook Pro from totally depleted to fully charged in two hours (instead of four). Thanks to its two ports, it can also charge multiple devices simultaneously, which is perfect if you’re caught short with both your laptop and phone out of power.
Its footprint is also 30% smaller than equivalent products (as well as most OEM chargers) and this compact design means the adapter fits easily into a pocket or backpack.
Then there’s the even more powerful 90W PD Pioneer 2-Port adapter, a heavy-duty GaN charger for devices with massive battery capacities. If you find your current high-wattage charger is excruciatingly slow, this might be the perfect piece of kit for you.
With this 90W adapter, you can expect a 7.5x improvement in charging times in comparison to the 30W chargers that come bundled with many electronics. For context, it charges a 15-inch MacBook Pro even faster than the 65W model in just 1.8 hours.
Unlike silicon chargers, the PD Pioneer doesn’t overheat or short-circuit, allowing you to charge your devices for as long as you need. RAVPower has also worked hard to ensure the adapter is as power-efficient as possible, achieving a charging efficiency of over 93%.
It’s slightly larger than the 65W model at 64 x 64 x 32mm, compared to 55 x 55 x 31.5mm. We also presume it’s therefore marginally heavier than its 125g cousin, but its official weight isn’t listed on the RAVPower website.
We haven’t managed to drop USB-A for USB-C just yet, so we were pleased to see these RAVPower wall chargers are compatible with both old and new USB connectors.
We were a little disappointed to see the adapters sometimes obscure multiple power sockets, especially if attached to an extension lead, so just bear that in mind if you’re thinking about making a purchase.
As you’d expect, the more powerful 90W adapter is slightly more expensive at $54.99 (roughly £45/AU$85), while the 65W model will run you $39.99 (roughly £33/AU$60), but neither are outrageously priced compared to alternatives on the market.
Eggtronic Sirius 65W Universal Laptop Charger
The ‘smallest 65W USB-C laptop power adapter in the world’
+ Exceptionally small
+ Intelligent voltage detection
+ Energy efficient
- A little expensive
- Non-US versions not available
Gone are the days of packing tens of different device chargers for every trip. This attractive little piece of kit from Eggtronic allows you to charge any USB-C device - from laptops to smartphones, tablets, cameras and more.
Eggtronic describes the Sirius as the ‘smallest 65W USB-C laptop power adapter in the world’ - and we can certainly vouch for its miniature proportions. At less than 0.1kg and with dimensions of 69 x 50.5 x 19.5 mm, it’s smaller and lighter than a pack of cards.
Designed in Italy and available in black or white, the Sirius sports a sleek and minimalistic aesthetic, so it wouldn’t look out of place connected up to, say, a MacBook Pro.
It's also finished with an anti-fingerprint coating that repels both oil and water, which means your charger should retain its clean matte finish long after its initial few outings.
The charger uses a nifty automatic voltage and current detection system to ensure it’s compatible with all USB-C devices (up to 20 volts and 3.25 amperes) and is safe to use in all scenarios.
Many similar products use GaN power transistors to shrink charger size and cut costs. Eggtronic, however, uses EcoVoltas technology for an efficiency gain of 3% over other GaN chargers on the market. All in all, 93% of energy drawn from the mains is converted into device charge, which isn’t bad going at all.
The same technology ensures gadgets connected up to the Sirius remain cool while on charge, extending their lifespan to the greatest degree possible.
In terms of quality of life features, collapsible prongs mean the Sirius won’t snag on any items of clothing in your luggage as you’re travelling from A to B. The USB-C cable that comes bundled - which is an impressive 1.8m long - is also made of durable material, so you don’t have to worry about it fraying or snapping with re-use.
It's also worth noting that cable tips for not USB-C devices are available on the Eggtronic website, if you've fallen in love with the Sirius but own a handful of non-compatible devices.
Our only major gripe with the product is the price point, which sits a little above rival products at $68.99 (roughly £55/AU$105). If you’re willing to forfeit the sleek design and tiny footprint, you might want to consider a cheaper alternative.
Unfortunately, it also appears the adapter is only compatible with US wall sockets. The need for EU and UK-based customers to employ an additional converter does detract somewhat from the sleekness of the Sirius.
BenQ InstaShow S WDC20
Flexible, no fuss presentation system for conference rooms
+ 4K resolution
+ Plug-and-play; no software required
+ Platform and OS agnostic
- No USB-C connector (yet)
There’s nothing worse than tech trouble at the start of a big presentation. BenQ's latest device does away with software and the need for a connection, allowing presenters to hit the ground running.
It’s as simple as plugging an InstaShow Button into the presenting device via USB and HDMI, or casting via AirPlay for iOS, Miracast for Android or the InstaShow mobile app.
The InstaShow S WDC20, designed for large conference rooms, can connect to almost any device. It’s platform and OS agnostic, so notebooks using Windows, Mac and Chrome are all compatible.
It also supports 4K resolution, which is ideal for projectors and flat panel displays. Video is transmitted at a very healthy 60fps (up to 1080p) with low latency, which means no jarring screen tear or lag.
BenQ’s device can mirror the screens of up to four sources at once, so multiple presenters can contribute simultaneously. Presenters using an interactive flat panel touch screen can also annotate their presentations at the front of the room, without input into the source device.
IT departments especially will appreciate the WDC20’s commitment to security. The product operates independently of the network, minimising corporate network attack profile. It also establishes a 128-bit encrypted link before transmitting any content.
The WDC20 sports a slate grey and black colour scheme, with blue lighting around the perimeter of the buttons, making for a sleek and professional aesthetic. Provided the InstaShow Host kit is concealed effectively (e.g. under the conference table), it’s no eye sore.
On the downside, the InstaShow Buttons don’t feature a USB-C connector, which means two cables (USB 3.0 and HDMI) run into the presenter’s device. On the rare occasion HDMI and USB ports are not on the same side of the laptop, this could pose a serious issue. BenQ says USB-C will be introduced to the transmitters later this year.
The pack contains two InstaShow Buttons for connecting to devices, one cradle to hold the buttons when not in use, and an InstaShow Host which receives the signal transmitted by the buttons. It comes in at $1,499 at the time of writing.
Skyroam Solis 4G LTE Hotspot
A well-built hotspot in a very crowded market
+ No need to change SIM
+ Very well built
+ Relatively affordable
- Cost of data can be prohibitive
- Solis X may be a better option for data-hungry users
The Skyroam Solis is a palm sized, SIM-free Wi-Fi hotspot that is easy to set-up and use. There are no contracts involved, with four pay-as-you-go plans available and up to five devices can connect to a single Skyroam at once.
This means that your cost per GB remains the same wherever you go, (with a 1GB package costing $9, with options going up to 20GB ($180)) but that you don’t get any discounts for taking bigger packages. The device uses its own patented virtual SIM technology to connect to WiFi and has over 300 partnerships with network carriers around the world.
It’s especially useful outside of Europe as it saves you from having to use unsafe and unreliable public WiFi connections and running the risk of incurring huge data bills. We tested the service outside of London and got 7Mbps upload and surprisingly, 17Mbps download speeds. In comparison, our smartphone - on Three - hit 12Mbps download speeds and 2.3Mbps upload - hardly 4G speeds but good enough for most tasks.
The Solis itself resembles an orange puck and contains two batteries totalling 6Ah that can power it for up to 16 hours, as well as charging other devices thanks to a clever adaptor. Getting it up and running was easy although we would recommend you do it at home (or where you have connectivity) to avoid any data roaming shocks.
The free Skyroam app has a “smart button’” option that allows you to send an emergency SMS or an email with your current location to your friends, keep track of your location on Google sheets, tweet current location, get daily news & weather reports, locate lost gadgets and use Amazon Alexa to activate a Skyroam plan
Although there is a rental option available for $8.99 per day (it can be found at all major American airports), you can buy it outright from $150. An upgraded option is the Solis X, which boosts the number of devices you can connect (from five to 10) while adding a remote camera, smart assistant, a speaker, Bluetooth connectivity and a microphone for $30 extra.
ZeroLemon Extreme Charge Station
A versatile charging station with plenty of juice
+ Affordable price
+ Solidly built
- Short on USB connectors
An affordable charger that can power all your devices at once and more, either wired or wirelessly, the ZeroLemon can deliver up to 135W of power through four USB physical ports - 87W Type-C, 20W Type-C, two 15W Type-A - and two wireless contact points (10W Qi charger, 3W Apple Watch charger).
A 87W charging point means that it can fully charge a 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro laptop in two hours and doesn’t require an external power supply unit.
Engineers have included temperature control management, overvoltage, overcurrent, overcharge and short circuit protection. All the ports are located at the front and other than a power button and a charge voltage indicator, the unit remains blissfully clutter-free, with plenty of holes to allow air to circulate.
The device is also surprisingly compact at 140 x 100 x 33mm, bearing in mind that it includes the power supply unit which competitors often leave out. You only need to choose to attach a power cable and off you go.
We would have loved to see a few more Type-A connectors and perhaps data capabilities, at least on one port, although this may have pushed up its price - which currently stands at a mere $59 if you back it on Kickstarter.
As always remember that all Kickstarter projects comes with a degree of risk and challenge and that you are backing rather than buying something. That said, given that we have a working product inhouse, the chances of this particular campaign not working out should be greatly reduced.
OWC USB-C travel dock
A must-have for travellers and Mac users alike
+ Great value for money
+ Eye-catching design
+ Smart cable management
- Hard to obtain
Travel docks have become more popular as laptop manufacturers continue to reduce the number of ports on their devices. There’s a lot of competition from established players (like HP or Lenovo) and new challengers (like Pluggable or Anker), but then there is this new entry from Other World Computing (AKA OWC).
The company has introduced a new “high performance workflow solution” travel dock (OWCTCDK5P2SG) which is one of the smallest we’ve seen recently, and one that comes with the all important Power Delivery pass-through feature.
This allows up to 100W of power to be delivered to a laptop or anything else that has a Type-C plug, and is an upgrade to the existing tradel dock from OWC that can only do 60W.
There’s a single Type-C connector, two USB 3.1 ports, an SD card reader and a HDMI 2.0 port. At 80 x 80 x 23mm, it is small enough to be carried in your back jeans pocket and includes a captive 15cm cable which has a groove to allow you to pull it out (and put it back) easily.
Now, you should in theory be able to connect your phone to a monitor for example although we couldn’t get it done on our Google Pixel 2XL.
Other than the two year warranty and the deliberately subdued design, the travel dock carries a price tag of $54.99 (from Macsales) and is available in space gray only. The cheaper, smaller 60W version retails for $43.88 and comes in gold, rose gold and silver as well.
Alogic USB-C dock plus
A unique product that comes some impressive features
+ Can drive two external monitors
+ Double card readers
+ 100W power delivery
- Cable management could be better
It may not be as compact as some of the competition, but the Alogic USB-C dock plus packs a big bunch with an affordable price tag. The ULDPLS-SGR, to give it its official name, retails for only $70 at Amazon and yet packs some features we haven’t found anywhere else (at least not on a travel dock).
Built from aluminum and ABS plastic, the docking station is portable enough to be shoved in your shirt’s pocket. It comes with a two year warranty and has built in technology to shield it from surrounding magnetic interference.
The Alogic USB-C dock uses the latest Power Delivery (PD 3.0) specifications to provide up to 100W of power to compatible devices which is impressive enough compared to some of its competitors. But there’s more; two card readers (although you can’t use both simultaneously), two graphics ports (HDMI and DisplayPort) which can be used at the same time albeit at a reduced full HD resolution. There’s also a Gigabit Ethernet port and two USB Type-A inputs plus a Type-C connector.
On the downside, the cable management could be better with a dedicated storage slot. We’d also love more USB Type-C connectors but other than that the dock itself is pretty much as mature as it gets. Note that a cheaper and simpler version exists, one which eschews the LAN and display port, offering a near 50 percent discount.
Omars AC Power Bank
An absolute monster of a battery pack
+ Huge capacity
+ Excellent price
+ Compact size
- No power delivery option
- Few connection ports
Imagine this; you are preparing to go on a weekend trip with a lot of gear that require an AC outlet. The problem is that there’s no power ports where you’re going. What’s the solution? A generator would be too big and probably too expensive - but aA battery pack like the Omars AC power bank might be the answer.
With a staggering 40.2Ah capacity, it is one of the biggest power banks we’ve seen to date, one that can power virtually every single laptop on the planet (including this Eurocom workstation).
On sale for as little as $119.95, it is actually within the limit set by the TSA for batteries on flights. External batteries can have a maximum capacity of 160Whr. The Omars AC Power Bank stands at 146Whr; note that you cannot check it in, you will have to bring it in your hand luggage.
It is about the size of a chunky bedside book and weighs just under 500g. As expected, it is jam-packed with technology to prevent it from breaking down: under voltage and over voltage protection, short circuit protection, over-current protection, AC out short circuit protection, AC out over-current protection and over temperature protection.
The electronics and a dozen of LG-built 18650 batteries are encased in a solidly built chassis and has two USB Type-A ports (sadly no Type-C)and a 2-pin power outlet (US version) or a 3-pin one (UK version), the latter of which can deliver up to 90W of usable power. Note that the device doesn’t come with any USB cables and none of the USB ports are fast-charging ones.
Timekettle WT2 Plus AI translator
The real Babelfish has finally landed
+ Works very well
+ Reasonably priced
+ Allow real hands-free communication
- Installation could be clearer
- One out of every 20 words is misunderstood
- Doesn't offer in chat copy
- No integration with third parties
When Time Kettle approached us for a hands-on with the WT2 Plus, we didn’t have much faith in it despite it raking in more than $275,000 on Kickstarter. Billed as the first AI-powered, single-app earphone translator and capable of translating 36 languages and 84 accents in near real time (complete with written translation), it sounded (pun intended) too good to be true, especially for $239.
You get a pair of earphones (one per person) that come in an AirPod-like charger box that splits into two, with each half magnetically attached to one another. You will need the accompanying app (available on iOS as well) and internet connectivity to get it working and you get two pairs of extra ear buds and a microUSB cable for charging the case.
The earphones are relatively comfortable to wear; just bear in mind that the one with the dash on top of the indicator is for your guest. Three translation modes are available: simul mode which is essentially a normal conversation between two people speaking different languages. Touch Mode, which is akin to a walkie-talkie mode and a more traditional app based translation, great for situations where you don’t want to use the app. Note that you can't copy the translated text into another app. A shame as the WT2 Plus doesn't also integrate into any other environment.
During our brief test, the WT2 Plus performed admirably well, both in app and using the earphones. Ideally you will have a good internet connection and not a lot of background noise. Keep the phrases short as well where possible to minimize mistakes and there is a slight delay as one would expect.
However, these are minimal and, thanks to WT2 Plus’s built in adaptive noise cancellation technology, you can make full use of non verbal forms of communications (hands, facial expression and body language). We liked the fact that it integrates auto voice detection and pick up for seamless conversation.
Time Kettle says that the earphones will last five hours on a single charge with the charging case extending that to 15 hours.
The app allows you to access historical conversations and you can’t choose voice pairs and most are females for the in-app translation. We don’t know how support will be in the long run but the WT2 Plus received a firmware update during our brief testing period.
There’s no need to pass your smartphone (or translation device) back and forth (risky when the person is a complete stranger) or to ask the other person to download an app. All you need to do is put on the earpiece and speak normally. You can buy the WT2 Plus directly from Amazon. Bear in mind that you are responsible for any taxes (import duty and VAT).
Logitech Zone Wireless Bluetooth Headset
Active noise cancellation with Qi-charging but watch out the price tag
+ Well design
+ Comfortable
+ QI charging
- Expensive
- No audio port
- Battery life could be better
Logitech’s new wireless headphones, Zone Wireless, is aimed squarely at the office end user with a pull out microphone boom, active noise cancellation and the ability to move seamlessly between a smartphone and a computer.
At 181g, it is light enough to be carried around; Logitech provides with a soft plastic pouch; we’d have preferred something a bit sturdier given its premium price (£200). Other accessories include a USB-A dongle, a long (1.3m) charging USB cable. You cannot switch to wired connectivity should the battery run flat.
Speaking of battery life, Logitech promises up to 14 hours of talk time with active noise cancellation (ANC) on and 15 without. Listening time varies between 14 hours (ANC on) and 16 hours (ANC off). We didn’t reach those numbers. With ANC on, we topped eight hours at 70% charge (or under 11 hours 30 minutes).
Logitech also claims up to 30m wireless range (line of sight); that number depends partly on the receiving unit as well so your mileage will vary.
Controls on this premium on-ear wireless headset are kept to a strict minimum: all the controls are located on its right hand side. A white status LED shows when the Zone Wireless is connected or connecting to a device. It provides with a simple interface to adjust volume, play and pause music, start and end calls, activate/mute the microphone, plus button controls for power, active noise cancellation, and wireless Bluetooth pairing.
The headset also supports wireless Qi charging (or via a microUSB port) and comes with a handy mobile companion app (Logitech Tune) that allows you to control headset functions like mute, ANC and EQ presets as well as the side tone, which lets you hear your own voice during a conversation.
The Zone Wireless is more expensive than most of the competition but there’s a good reason; it comes with a two-year warranty and its built quality is better than cheaper models: silicone-padded headband and soft leatherette will improve your comfort over long sessions and allow your skin to breath and reduce sweating in hot environment.
ANC worked reasonably well and the audio performance of the set was subjectively good with plenty of details in the mid-frequencies but lacking when it comes to lower ones.
Not a surprise there given the nature of the product. Call quality is equally good thanks to a dual MEMS microphone array in a proper microphone boom that also uses a proprietary algorithm to filter out ambient background noise during conversations.
Dell U3219Q 32-inch 4K monitor
A pin-sharp yet bulk display that could be a great addition to your office
+ Sharp 4K display
+ Excellent connectivity
+ Adjustable for greater flexibility
- Bulky build
- Quite pricey
Having a great display is becoming increasingly important in many home offices, especially as more of us move to a multi-screen environment. Dell's newest 32-inch 4K monitor, the Dell U3219Q. offers a bright and vibrant Ultra HD display that is perfect not just for video or gaming, but for workplace applications such as video-conferencing and data modelling.
The unit is fairly bulky once unpacked, but when set up can be adjusted to fit a number of different space allowances, and thanks to an moveable height option, should mean it's not a strain on the eyes or neck.
The U3219Q features an incredibly useful collection of connectivity options, sporting not just HDMI, USB and DP ports, but USB-C as well, meaning it'll easily slip alongside your existing laptop or PC. The unit even ships with a USB-C and HDMI cable, meaning set-up is quick and easy - just what you need to smarten up your office.