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Andy asked: “My wife just recently received a Lenovo Yoga 910 laptop. We liked it except for two things. The location of the right “shift” key and the display out. What kind of adapter do you need to hook the laptop up to the TV via HDMI, and what is that port called? Is this something we will see on every laptop going forward? Are there any other devices, other than laptops that use that same port. So if I buy an adapter, what else might I be able to use it on?”
Andy, your wife’s Yoga 910 has a USB Type-C ports, the adapter you’re looking for a is a USB C to HDMI adapter.
USB Type-C is something you are likely to see on more laptops going forward, which will probably lead to come confusion. The Type-C port refer to the type of connector. It looks a little like the typical USB plug you’re used to, but it’s a little smaller and rounder, however, the USB standard behind the plug isn’t “Type-C” it may be USB 2.0, or 3.0, or 3.1, or Thunderbolt, which means a lot of people are confused as to what their brand new port can do.
Your wife’s computer, for example, has a USB Type-C port that work as a display out, and an identical Type-C port that cannot.
USB Type-C is an interesting advancement
USB Type-C is an interesting advancement though, not only can it be used with all the normal USB devices you’re used to (if you buy an adapter), but it can also deliver power up to 100W. You probably know this already since your wife’s laptop uses it as a charging port, but more interestingly, it can deliver power both ways, so technically, they can be implemented in such a way that they allow, for example, a laptop to charge another one, or a laptop to power an external monitor, or hard drive, or printer.
Your wife’s laptop probably can’t do those things at this stage, but it’s something you may start seeing on future computers that come with this port.
USB-C also has mini versions that are already making it onto smartphones and other mobile devices, and it’s likely that in the future it’ll become the power port of a lot of electronics.