Kanex is not a well known consumer brand to date, but it may end up more loved by you than you will ever know. The company makes a simple adapter to change the micro-USB charging port into an HDMI port, basically double purposing the same interface. One less hardware port on the device means a cheaper device with fewer failable parts. The dongle actually requires a MHL-enabled USB connector, which is currently found in just 8 handsets and tablets (e.g. Samsung Galaxy SII, Samsung GALAXY Note, HTC Flyer, HTC EVO View 4G). It's also surprisingly very future-proof with capability to support up to 1080p at 60fps with 192kHz 7.1 surround sound.
Kanex's MHL adapter currently sells for a measly $29 which is less than most mini-HDMI to HDMI adapters available. While most portable processors are quite capable of pushing 720p video to their internal displays, adding the extra boost to send video off-device is not quite ready for prime time. However, the next generation of mobile processors should be very capable of accomplishing this feat. Having this ability would make your mobile phone (or Tablet) a mobile presentation device, as well as being able to be the only thing you have to pack on a trip to keep the family entertained on the road. This is provided you have an HDMI ready AV system in your car (and who doesn't?). Kanex's port sharing system should be a price reducing option for device makers and we wouldn't be surprised if their adapters started shipping with newer devices for free.
20-pin USB 3.0 Adapter, Heaven Sent for Enthusiast and Professional PC Builders
By Paul McCollum on September 6th, 2011
