iFrogz Cocoon earbud charging case review

REVIEW – With the move from wired earbuds to wireless, there is one issue that we have to all deal with: How do you transport and charge these tiny wireless gadgets? Well, iFrogz is glad you asked. They have developed a rigid container that will hold most wireless earbuds on the market, as well as providing a battery to charge them during storage: the iFrogz Cocoon Earbud Charging Case. They sent me one in Grey and Red to test and report to you.

Note: Photos may be tapped or clicked for a larger image.

What is it?

As the name says, the Cocoon is a charging and storage case designed for wireless earbuds. The unit can be used to charge and store other electronics, as well as car keys, sim cards, mini tools, fitness trackers or anything else, but let’s consider it for the problem at hand first.


Available in Grey with Red or Blue silicone accents, the rigid, sealable box fits easily into pockets, packs, glove boxes, car consoles, or bike panniers. While no guaranteed IPx rating is stated, it seems to be reasonable to expect it to prevent dust and sand from getting in, but I’d shy away from taking it on a river cruise or to the beach. It’s a good place to store small items you want to prevent from getting lost in the bottom of a pack.

What’s in the box?

  • Cocoon
  • 4in micro USB cable.

Design and features

The iFrogz Cocoon is made from a rigid, yet smooth-surfaced plastic. The lid is 3.5” across, and the base is 2.375”. The entire outside is just under 2” tall. Inside, the lid curves up in a slight turtle shell and has a silicone net to hold a cable or other small item. The inside is almost 1.25” deep with a USB port under the hinge.

The difference between outside and inside dimension is the battery built into the base. There’s a battery gauge on the bottom with 4 LEDs to indicate how much juice is left. Given the small size of most wireless earbuds, the 580 mAh is supposed to recharge a pair 4-5 times. Your mileage will vary with the brand and charging pattern of your earbuds, I’m sure.

What I Like

  • Rigid case prevents tangling and crushing damage to earbuds.
  • Gives the user a place to store earbuds, rather than tossing them into a pocket.

What needs to be improved

  • Since it’s rigid, it takes up more room than just one or two sets of earbuds would.

Final thoughts

I have mixed feelings about this item. I like it for the charging ease, but the inside seems cramped for the amount of space the entire unit takes up. I previously had two earbuds in a semi-rigid zipper pouch, and it seemed to take up less space. but the Cocoon is much more protective and adds the charging capability. If you don’t have a current solution, I would consider this, but if you’re ok with where you store them now, I wouldn’t. Might make a good gift for someone you see always having issues storing their earbuds.

Price: $29.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by iFrogz, a division of Zagg.

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iFrogz Cocoon earbud charging case review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 7, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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Nomad Battery Cable review


If you depend on your smartphone as much as I do, then anything that adds convenience is worth at least a “second look”, and in many cases, is worth trying. When I saw the Nomad battery cable, its initial appearance seemed to be unique, so I decided to test it out.

What is it?

The Nomad Battery Cable is a cable designed for the iPhone that offers the ability to charge the phone and transfer date all in one cable, with a lightning adapter on one end, an inline battery, and a USB plug on the other end.

What’s in the box


In the box, you will find the Battery cable, and the instructions printed on the inside of the box.

Design and features

Specifications

1X iPhone charge
Apple MFi approved
Pass-through charging technology
Capacity: 2800mAh
Input: USB A 5V/1.5A
Output: Apple Lightning 5V/1.5A
Length: 1.5 meter

The Nomad Battery Cable is a rugged cable that according to the manufacturer is made from Ballistic Nylon. The inline battery is encased in an aluminum housing. This cable is compatible with the iPhone 5 through iPhone X, and it is not designed for iPad. When fully charged, the inline battery is capable of providing one full phone charge. During testing, my iPhone 8 Plus was charged at about 20% per hour.
The cable is 5 feet long, with a USB connector on one end and a lightning connector on the other. The inline battery starts at approximately 11 inches from the USB end of the cable and the length of the battery enclosure is approximately 5 inches long.


Nomad includes a silicone cable strap on the cable to conveniently keep the cable wrapped up neatly when not in use or when in use in close proximity.
Rather than include an instruction booklet, Nomad uses a minimalist style and prints the instructions on the inside of the box.

On the side of the battery enclosure, there is a button to test the battery charge status, and a LED that lights orange when the battery needs to be charged or is less than 30 % charged, and lights up white when it is fully charged or charged anywhere between 30% and 100%. If the battery charge is really low, the LED flashes orange.


What I like

I like that the cable is made extremely well, and seems very unlikely to easily suffer from the fraying damage that most cables do. I also like that the battery is built into the cable so that I can carry just this one cable for both data and charging purposes.

What can be improved

I find that the length of the cable can become an issue at times even with the silicone strap. I think that if the cable can be housed in some retractable way, then it would work better for my daily use.

Final thoughts

After using the Nomad Battery Cable for a while, I am still “on the fence” about whether or not it will become a part of my “go to” bag of accessories. While the concept is good, I can buy a USB battery pack with more capacity and a well-built lightning cable for much less than the cost of this item. While this cable offers the two options in one convenient package, its use is limited to specific phones and to only providing one charge before it needs to be recharged. It can definitely be very helpful in an emergency, but I am undecided about its practicality beyond that. Maybe I will post an update in a month or two if my opinion changes.

Price: $49.95
Where to buy: Nomad website and Amazon.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Nomad

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Nomad Battery Cable review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 5, 2018 at 12:00 pm.

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The ChargeWrite is a pen and stylus with a built-in backup battery


As a self-confessed gadget geek, I am always looking for the next gadget that provides convenience with some cool technology built in. I am also attracted to functional gadgets that combine things for everyday use in a practical form.

Today I was browsing the internet and came across a pen called the Chargewrite. In my opinion, this pen is really cool. It combines the functionality of an everyday need for the purposes of charging, data storage, and writing. It includes a built-in battery and a universal Smartphone tip that accommodates either a lightning port or a Micro USB port so that you have one charging tip for all of your devices and without the need for an adapter. It is also a ballpoint pen, a screen cleaner, and a stylus. In addition, there is an option for an included 16GB flash drive.

If you would like to purchase this cool Chargewrite pen, you can pick one up on the Shopbkey website for $29 for the version that has a 1000Mah battery but no built-in flash drive, or $39 for the model with a 650Mah battery and a 16GB flash drive.

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The ChargeWrite is a pen and stylus with a built-in backup battery originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 27, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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Wofalo Wireless Charger Power Bank Review

I have owned an endless stream of power banks over the years, from the very first models to the latest and greatest out right now.  I have seen just about every configuration of shapes and sizes, number of ports, capacities, wireless and wired, and everything in between.  I even had one that looked like Ironman.  (Yeah, you can find that one here.)  I think I finally found one that everyone in my family can use regardless of gadget type.  We have both Android and iPhone devices in my house, as well as wireless and non-wireless charging configurations.  Enter the Wofalo Wireless Charger Power Bank.

What is it?

A 10,000 mAh portable power bank that enables up to 3 devices at once to be charged (2 wired and 1 wireless).

Hardware Specs:

  1. Dimensions – 3 in X 6.2 in X .55 in
  2. Weight – 9.5 oz
  3. Qi Charger – Charging up to 1A for Qi-enable devices. Compatible devices include: iPhone X/8/8 Plus.  Samsung Galaxy Note5/S6/S6 Edge/S6 Edge+/S7/S7Edge/S8/S9/S9 Plus, Google Nexus 6, and other Qi-enabled devices
  4. Support Charge Up to 3 Devices Simultaneously – A built-in micro-USB cable, standard USB port, and Qi charger provides 2 wired and 1 wireless charging at the same time.
  5. 10,000 mAh High Capacity
  6. Quality & Satisfaction Guarantee – Certified Qi, FCC, CE and ROHS for quality and safety. Over-current protection, Over-temperature protection and over-voltage protection.

What’s in the box?

  • Wofalo wireless charger power bank
  • 1 Micro USB Charging Cable
  • 2 Lighting Adapters
  • 1 User Manual

Design and features

For a price of $29.99 the Wofalo Wireless Power Bank packs some great features.  For starters, I can use the wireless charging with my Galaxy S6 Edge+ or I can pull out the built-in micro-USB cable.  There is also a full-sized USB port hidden behind the built-in micro USB cable (pictures below).  The 10,000 mAh lithium polymer battery can fully charge my phone between 2 to 3 times, and the thin metal-look design actually makes it look at first glance like a smartphone.

The most unique feature of the power bank that I have never seen before is the lightning adapter for iPhones that is hidden behind the built-in micro-USB cable.  It is sitting inside a small pocket so it always goes with the power bank wherever you go.  That’s a pretty neat way to have a power bank that can be used with any device or phone you have.

Now let’s talk about the charging speed.  The wireless charging feature performs at the same wireless charging rate of all the wireless chargers I have right now, which is a little slower than a wired charge.  The built-in micro-USB cable charges just as fast as my other fast-charging power banks and even my fast-charging cable that came with my phone.  I am very happy with the performance.

Finally, on one side of the power bank is the power button, which must be pressed if you want the wireless charger to work.  Using the wired connections of the power bank will turn on the power bank when you plug something up, so you won’t need to press the power button.  On the other side of the power bank are the 4 indicator lights that show you how much juice is left in the power bank, and those lights side right beside the micro-USB port used to charge the power bank.



What I like

  • Beautiful, solid design
  • Wireless & wired charging
  • Good capacity
  • Very pocketable

What needs to be improved

  • Would like a higher capacity
  • Lightening adapter could be easily misplaced

Final thoughts

This may be the perfect combination of what a power bank should have… multiple ways to charge, thin and portable, and a good capacity.  I do wish it had a larger battery capacity but I do realize a larger battery would require a larger design, which would negate the pocketability.  But I can wish, can’t I?  And the lightening adapter could easily be lost if you aren’t careful, which I suppose is why they included an extra one in the box.  Overall, for this price and list of features, I highly recommend the Wofalo Wireless Charger Power Bank.

Price: $29.99
Where to buyAmazon or Wofalo
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Wofalo

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Wofalo Wireless Charger Power Bank Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 22, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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BESTEK 3 AC Outlets 2000W Power Inverter review

Electrical Power. It’s such an integral part of our everyday life that we don’t give it much thought until it’s not available. The BESTEK 3 AC Outlets 2000W Power Inverter is a great solution for just such a situation.

What is it?

The BESTEK 3 AC Outlets 2000W Power Inverter provides up to 2000 watts of 115v power from a 12v battery (or two). It coverts 12v DC power to 115v AC power.

Hardware specs

Rated Power: 2000W, Max Power: 2300W
Peak Power: 4600W
Input: DC 12V (12V Car or Boat but not 24V)
Output: AC 110V-120V
Outlets: 3 AC
Weight: 10lb
Fuses: 6 external 50amp fuses

What’s in the box?

  • BESTEK 3 AC Outlets 2000W Power Inverter
  • Two sets of cables to hook up to batteries
  • 12v cigar type plug for low power use (300w max)
  • Instruction sheet


Design and features

This review isn’t designed to be a primer on the ins-and-outs of power inverters, so you’ll want to do little research on your own for what you intend to run off the inverter. I don’t recommend just plugging things in just to see if they’ll work, a little research is best. I will say though that questions like “how long will it run” or “how much stuff can it run” will vary depending on how many and what kind of batteries you’re using, and the power requirements of the devices you’re connecting to it. Good Deep cycle marine rated batteries are a good source for things like this.


This is a modified wave inverter. Some motorized items such as water pumps may need a more expensive true sine wave inverter. This inverter should run just about anything that has a power plug that converts to DC such as a phone charger, laptop charger, clocks, etc. However, for those DC items that are less than 12 volts, you would be better off connecting them to a straight 12v source, as you’ll lose a lot of battery potential by converting the 12v to 115v just to then have its power cord convert back to 12v.


It can run most refrigerators, freezers, small kitchen appliances, microwaves, lights, and TV’s just to mention a few. Some items like some high end blenders might not work as they take quite a bit of current to get started. For example, something as simple as a toaster can draw up to 1600 watts!

The clamps are pretty good, I’ve seen heavier duty clamps but these seem like they will work and last just fine for the job they are intended to do. The wires are both crimped and soldered to the clamp, and the entire clamp is copper. The eyelet of the wiring is very good, it is also crimped and soldered very nicely – and I’ve got a military electronics background.

Although the instruction sheet doesn’t mention it, there is a warning label on the 12v cigar plug cord that states connections using that are limited to 300w. That’s perfectly normal because the wiring in a vehicle and its fuse won’t handle more than that.

The inverter also has circuitry to automatically shut down in the event of a short-circuit. The unit will also resume working automatically after these events are eliminated. This prevents damage to the unit.

I tried various items like my Surface tablet, phones, clock, and some lights. All worked just fine. Most importantly, the coffee maker worked!

What I like

  • Carry handle for portability
  • Beautiful anodized finish
  • Auto protection circuitry

What needs to be improved

  • Would be nice to have 12v plug outlet incorporated into the unit for charging phones and such.

Final thoughts

This unit is a nice thing to have around for emergency uses. If you’re planning on using an inverter for continuous or frequent use, or off-grid use where it’s really important you might want to find a unit that has more features.

Price: $139.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by BESTEK

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BESTEK 3 AC Outlets 2000W Power Inverter review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 21, 2018 at 11:34 am.

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