Batteries and Chargers – Page 11

Nimble 8-day fast portable charger review

REVIEW – The market for portable charges has come a long way. I remember when the best portable charger you could get would only charge your cellphone about half way. But hey, at least you had that! I have owned just about every configuration you could think of when it comes to size, capacity, number of ports, wireless vs wired, all forms of USB, etc. So it has to be hard to come up with something that makes you different, right? Until now. Maybe. Some guys at Mophie, one of the leaders in this space, decided to leave and start their own company and do things that no one else was doing. So let’s see if the $69.95 Nimble charger has enough to break into this crowded market.

What is it?

Nimble has multiple portable chargers in different configurations, from 10,000 mAh to 26,000. This one is their 20,000 mAh portable charger that allows you to charge any USB device using 2 standard USB ports (1 being a Quick Charge port) and 1 USB-C port.

Hardware specs:

Dimensions: 2.5″ x 7″ x 1″
Weight: 16.5 oz / 1.03 lbs
Capacity: 20,000 mAh (3.6V, 72Wh)
Input: USB-C: PD 3.0 (5V,2.5A / 9V,2.0A)
Output: USB-C: PD 3.0 (5V,3A / 9V,2.0A/ 12V,1.5A) USB-A 1: (5V,2.4A / 9V,2.0A / 12V,1.5A) USB-A 2: (5V,2.4A Max)
Compatible with: iPhone 6, iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone X, iPhone Xs/Xs Max/XR, Samsung Galaxy Note8/Note 9, Samsung Galaxy S7/S8/S9, Google Pixel, Other Android Smartphones, iPad, Other Tablets, Fitness Trackers, & USB-Powered Devices

What’s in the box?

The Nimble 20,000 mAh portable charger, a magnetic cable holder and strap that attaches to the bottom of the battery, a 1 ft USB-A to USB-C cable, and a small product manual. Also included in the box is a plastic sleeve that enables you to mail back for recycling any old tech products that fit in the bag.

Design and function

One of the big things that the guys at Nimble want to accomplish is to be a different kind of Tech Company. You can read much more about this on their website where they have posted some great video clips explaining their mission and goal with Nimble. To sum it up, (and I can’t really do it justice, so please visit www.nimble.com to hear what they have to say) they want to reduce the massive volume of e-waste in the world by designing a product and packaging that is made with things like 100% recycled aluminum, 100% recycled scrap paper, corn, sugarcane, mica, and they use no inks or dyes of any kind. So when it arrived at my house the box and packaging were decidedly non-descript and there was very little air in the box. They only ship directly to the consumer and avoid retail so they don’t need fancy packaging that uses materials that aren’t biodegradable or recyclable. They believe in those things so much that they even include a plastic sleeve in the box so that you can return for free an old tech product for recycling instead of dumping it in a landfill.

That is one of the ‘big rocks’ that Nimble wants to focus on. They believe that having this mission will not only be better for our planet but also attract consumers who will buy into their mission and use their products. I think they have something there, and I am willing to bet that others will think so too. But aside from their mission, which is a noble one, does the product also set itself apart from others in the market?

My answer is… yes and no.

First, let me talk about what is good about Nimble. The design and build feels premium to me. It feels solid and the speckled soft-touch outer shell is really nice. All the ports are on one end, as they should be. (I hate those chargers that try to get fancy and put a port on the side). There is a button to turn it on next to 6 indicator lights. The first light is green during normal speed charging and orange during fast charging, which is also as it should be. It has pass-through charging which is better than some chargers that don’t allow that.

The 20,000 mAh capacity means that for me I get about 5 charges on my cellphone (Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+) so it lasts for a long time before I have to charge it. The Quick Charge feature works with my Samsung which has Quick Charge, and it performs just as good as some of my other Quick Charge portable chargers, so no complaints there. The USB-C port in the middle of the 2 standard USB ports is used as an output to USB-C compatible devices, and doubles as the input for charging the Nimble. I can charge multiple devices at once, which is good because I constantly need to charge something.

And now let me share what I don’t like about the Nimble. I don’t care for the magnetic cable attachment and strap that attaches to the bottom of the Nimble. It is pitched as the way you keep the 1-foot USB-C cable with the battery. But the magnet isn’t strong enough to really do any good. I have yet to put the Nimble and magnetic attachment into a bag without the cable attachment falling off. (see pic below) Honestly, it is pretty much useless. Including a nice bag made of the same wonderful materials they use with their products would have been a better idea. I also am disappointed that the Nimble comes with a measly 1-foot USB-C cable. You can’t do much with a 1-foot cable. You can’t even really use your phone when charging it with this cable because it is so short. Even a 1.5 ft cable would have been better than this one. And it doesn’t come with a power brick either. The largest Nimble battery comes with a power brick, but this model did not, so I have to use other power bricks that I have. For a price of $69 I would expect a power brick.

Finally, I don’t have a deep knowledge of the trials and tribulations of the USB charging standards, but there are some things that I do know. In plain language, the Nimble’s 18W maximum output for USB-C PD (power delivery) doesn’t measure up to other USB-C PD batteries in the amount of juice it can output. The USB-C PD standard is going to become more prevalent over time I believe, as more and more devices come with USB-C interfaces. And when you look at similar products out there, the 18W maximum output for the Nimble’s USB-C PD port just isn’t that impressive. It should easily be at least 30W to compete in this space. So to keep it real, what does that mean in plain language? Well, if you are only going to use the Nimble with your cellphone and a few other small gadgets, you’ll be fine. This 18W maximum output for the USB-C port is all you need. But if you decide to use a laptop, for example, that has a USB-C power cord like some of the Macs out there, you won’t be happy. The USB-C port simply isn’t strong enough to pump out power to those type of larger devices.

What I like

Premium build and feel
20,000 mAh capacity is great for many days of use
Their corporate philosophy and vision for reducing e-waste is enviable and worth considering

What needs to be improved

18W USB-C PD output isn’t as robust as some competing products.
The magnetic strap holder is basically useless
No power brick
1-foot USB-C cable is frustratingly short

Final thoughts

I am a firm believer that you can’t have too many portable chargers. I have one everywhere. The Nimble products are well designed, and their corporate philosophy of product and package design that is environmentally sustainable should be adopted by the entire tech industry in my opinion. There are a few annoyances like the 1-ft cable, no power brick, and the magnetic cable holder that could be fixed by Nimble if they wanted to fix them. And the limiting 18W maximum output for the USB-C port won’t be useful to everyone. But I believe that the Nimble is useful to most folks. At least for now. I imagine that Nimble has already heard from consumers about this issue and will fix it in upcoming iterations of their products. But for now, the Nimble is worth considering if you are in the market for a portable charger.

Price: $69.95 (use GADGET20 to receive 20% off sitewide)
Where to buy: at Nimble.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Nimble.

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Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Batteries and Chargers

Nimble 8-day fast portable charger review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 23, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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Charge 5 devices at once with this car charger from RapidX

NEWS – I have a couple of double-outlet car chargers in my car, but I’ve never seen an “extension cord” charger for a car, much less one with five outlets! The RapidX X5 Car Charger has five USB ports, and you can use them all at once to charge everybody’s mobile devices on your car trip.

The RapidX X5 has five intelligent USB port that detects your device and deliver the fastest possible charge, up to 10.8 amps overall. Two of the ports use intelligent recognition, reading your device then charging as fast as possible from two to 2.4 amps. The remaining three charge ports power up with two amps. RapidX says the X5 charges up to twice the speed of most chargers. It works with 12v-24v vehicle outlets and cigarette lighters. The plug end has two USB ports for front seat users. Three more ports are at the end of a 5-ft extension cord for backseat users. The X5 is made of plastic and metal and is available in black with blue or green accents or in white with red or orange accents. The RapidX X5 Car Charger is normally $24.95, but it is only $19.95 at the time of writing. Order the RapidX X5 from The Grommet.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: Batteries and Chargers, Car Gear

Charge 5 devices at once with this car charger from RapidX originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 20, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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Adonit Auto-Clamping Wireless Car Charger review

REVIEW – Almost every state in the USA now has laws prohibiting the handheld use of cell phones while driving. As a result, the marketplace has been flooded with auto mounts of various designs that hold your cell phone within reach and many offer wired or wireless charging as a feature. The Adonit Auto-Clamping Wireless Car Charger is a part of this very crowded field. Let’s see if it stands out as better than the rest.

What is it?

The Adonit Auto-Clamping Wireless Car Charger is a dashboard/windshield/vent mount for your cell phone that offers easy access to your phone and charges your phone while it is in the mount.

What is in the box

1 x Adonit Auto-Clamping Wireless Car Charger
1 x Micro USB cable
1 x DC Car Adapter Power Plug
1 x Air Vent Adapter
1 x Dashboard/Windshield Mounting Arm
1 x Instruction Manual
1 x Warranty Card

Design and features

Specifications:
Input: DC 5V/2A or 9V/1.67A
Output: 5W, 7.5W, 10W fast charging supported
Charging Distance: ≤ 8mm
Conversion Efficiency: > 75%
Working Frequency: 110 – 205KHz
Product Weight: 245g
Product Dimension: 131x77x13mm
Materials: ABS + Silicon Rubber

On the back of the charging unit, there is a ball mount that allows you to mount either the Air Vent Clip or the Windshield/Dashboard mounting arm.

The dashboard/windshield mount includes the ball mount on an extension arm that allows you to move the charging base and therefore the phone closer or further away from you. At the base of the mount, there is the suction mount pad and the mechanism to depress or lift to secure or remove the suction mount to or from the surface in the car. There is also a knob at the side that allows you to raise or lower the extension arm.

At the bottom of the charging unit, there it the micro USB port that you plug the micro USB cable into to provide power to the unit and to the left of that port is a LED that shines green when the unit is receiving power and a phone is in the mount.

On the face of the charging unit/cell phone holder, there is the Qi wireless charging interface in the middle and an infrared sensor at the bottom that allows the unit to detect when a phone is near so that it opens and closes the securing arms.

On the lower left side of the charging unit, there is a silver touchpad that when touched triggers the arms to open so that you can remove the phone.

The DC power adapter plug has 2 ports, a quick charge 3.0 port, and a 3.1A port and a blue LED light around its surface.

Performance

The Adonit Auto-Clamping Wireless Car Charger performs as expected. As you can see in the pictures below, I use the mount on my dashboard. While I did quickly test the air vent mount and can confirm that it does clamp onto the vent louver as it is designed to do, I absolutely despise air vent mounts and chose to use the dashboard mount since I have other devices mounted to my windshield. The mount with the phone it is very stable even when driving on rough surfaces. So far, the phone has never dislodged from the base unit. The one issue that I have with it is that the infrared sensor in the base unit is very sensitive and even when I am sitting back in my seat, it will at times detect me or some movement and the arms will repeatedly open and close even though I am not attempting to mount a phone. The arms also make a very annoying squeaking sound when moving. In terms of charging my phone, I usually have varying amounts of charge remaining on my battery phone when I place it in the mount, and I have never tested the charging when my phone battery is completely drained. However, I am very impressed at how quickly this mount charges my iPhone 10 XS Max.

What I like

The build quality
The grip of the securing arms
The wireless charging feature’
The sturdy dashboard/windshield mount
The overall appearance

What can be improved

The sensitivity of the sensor that controls the gripping arms so that it does not activate so easily and from so far away
Possible the addition of a baseplate for the bottom of the phone to rest on

Final thoughts

This dash mount/windshield mount wireless charger works well and I have been using it continuously since the day I opened the box. I was concerned that with just 2 side arms/clamps and no baseplate to hold the phone, that it would fall when driving on bumpy roads or in the case of a sudden stop. So far, it has proven me wrong and has held strong. Only time will tell if continuous use reduces the clamping power and grip on the phone. Other than the overly sensitive sensor for the automatic arms that grip the phone, this charger is well made and a good buy.

Price: $48.74
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Adonit.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Batteries and Chargers, Car Gear

Adonit Auto-Clamping Wireless Car Charger review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 14, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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The Volt is the vampire of charging cables

NEWS – The Volt is a short cable that you can use to charge one device from another device. That’s right, this cable siphons juice from one battery and effectively turns that device into a portable battery that you can use to charge a second device.

The Volt Battery Share Cable will not work with iPhones, but the cable will work with most Android devices that have either a micro USB or USB-C port. The cable is available in two sizes: .25m and .75m (approximately 10 inches and 30 inches) and has a micro USB connector on each end with an adapter that will turn it into a USB-C connector. On one end there’s a USB-A connector so that you can plug the cable into a USB adapter.

Why would you need this cable? It’s less bulky than carrying a portable backup battery and you don’t have to depend on that battery being charged. The only thing you do have to depend on is having a device that can be used as the host while the other device with the low battery (the vampire) sucks the sweet sweet power elixir from the host.

The Volt Battery Share Cable Kickstarter campaign that started today and ends on January 10, 2019. Right now they have raised almost $2,000 towards their funding goal of $15,000. You can pre-order a Volt Battery Share Cable starting at $25. After the Volt Battery Share Cable campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in February 2019. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: Batteries and Chargers, cables, Crowdfunded

The Volt is the vampire of charging cables originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 11, 2018 at 4:25 pm.

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Forget bento lunchboxes! This BentoStack carries your Apple accessories and has a Qi charger, too!

NEWS – The nice thing about bento lunchboxes is that you can pack a lot of stuff in a small, organized container. That approach has been applied to the Function 101 BentoStack Charge Travel Case with Qi charger. This Apple accessories organizer has multiple layers that hold USA-type wall chargers, Apple Pencils, Watch bands, and other items.

The Charge model has two deep, divided compartments and two trays to hold items.

For example, in this stack you’ll see MacBook, iPad, and iPhone chargers, two cables, a Watch charging puck, and a set of AirPods in the deeper compartments. The two trays hold two Watch bands and the Apple Pencil. The lid is a 5000 mAh power bank and a certified Qi wireless charging pad that’s compatible with iPhone 8/8 Plus and iPhone X and newer, and there’s also a USB port for charging other devices that aren’t wirelessly chargeable.

The top tray can also be used as a phone stand when you aren’t storing your Pencil.

The BentoStack Charge is available in the gray seen in the top image at Amazon for $99.95; it is not eligible for free Prime shipping. If you want to order directly from Function 101, you can get the BentoStack Charge in space gray, silver, or rose gold to fit USA-style chargers for $99.95.

If you don’t need the wireless charging, you can get the Function 101 BentoStack Organizer in space gray, silver, or rose gold to fit USA-style chargers for $49.95 at Amazon or at Function 101.

If you use Euro wall plugs, Function 101 also has the BentoStack and the BentoStack Charge available. They also fit chargers used in Australia, New Zealand, Korea, and Latin America.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: Batteries and Chargers, Organization

Forget bento lunchboxes! This BentoStack carries your Apple accessories and has a Qi charger, too! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 7, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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