2017 – Page 210

Nomad Tile Integrated PowerPack Review

The Nomad Advanced Powerpack is a well-built, powerful, ruggedized external battery pack that is unique in that it has built-in Tile integration. Not only will it quickly charge your various devices, if it’s ever misplaced you’ll be able to find it easily using Bluetooth and the Tile app. The added features will cost you though.

The Nomad comes in very sturdy packaging that appears just about as rugged as the unit itself.

In the box:

Nomad Powerpack
USB-C to USB-A cable
User Manual

Inside the box, you’ll find the Nomad Powerpack, a USB-C to USB-A cord and a small manual.

The overall design and look of the Nomad Powerpack is quite impressive. The Nomad has a very militarized, stealth aesthetic. The pack feels hefty in your hand, more like a weapon than a battery pack. The large size and weight is one of the Nomad’s drawbacks. It has matte textured plastic bevels with the Nomad named imprinted in a groove down the top of the unit.

The unit is protected by a thick rubberized diamond plate-like texture. Furthering the military theme, the specifications say that has 1.2M Mil-spec drop protection. Basically, this means that it can be dropped from a height of 1.2M on to its edge without suffering damage.

The Nomad comes uncharged. A low charge is indicated by a single orange light.

The unit charges by using the included USB-C to USB-A cord. Plug the USB-C end into the IN USB-C port on the Nomad and plug the USB-A end into a powered USB port or a USB-A wall charger. Plugged into my Anker powered USB hub using the included cable, the Nomad went from empty to full charge in about two hours.

A full charge is indicated by three white lights. Interestingly enough, Nomad included an ambient light sensor on the powerpack right between the USB-A port and the Tile button. The unit will automatically dim the indicator lights in the dark preventing the bright lights from disturbing your sleep.

You power the unit on by pressing the small button under the charge indicator lights. I was able to charge my Android Nexus 5X from 10% to 100% in about two hours and thirty minutes using the USB-C to USB-A cable plugged into the USB-A out on the unit. I measured that charge at 5.08V / 1.05A / 5.334W; this was an average reading. Voltages always hovered around 5.00V. Amps averaged around 1.25A. Watts were anywhere from 5.25W all they way up to 8.75W.

The USB-A port is indicated as providing 2.4A out although my testing came in a bit lower.

To get the full benefit of the quick charge capability you will need a USB-C to USB-C cable for newer Android phones or a USB-C to Lightning cable for iPhones.

Setting the Nomad up to use the integrated Tile functionality is easy. Open the included user manual and scan the QR code to initiate the process and install the Tile app on your Android or iPhone. To find the Nomad using Tile simply select it in the Tile app and then select Find.

If your Nomad is within 100ft, it will start playing a little alarm tune repeatedly until you find it and press the Tile button. The alarm is a bit low so searching for the Nomad may take some time if it’s hidden someplace deep in your backpack or behind a couch for example. If the Nomad is out of Bluetooth range you still may be able to locate it using Tile’s community functions. If any other Tile user’s device is within Bluetooth range of the Nomad, you will receive an update with its location.

The Nomad Powerpack is a very powerful battery and the built-in Tile functionality is a great addition. It’s a good deal more expensive than most battery packs and it has fewer ports than a lot of more inexpensive ones. But, if a seriously rugged design and the option to track its location is important to you then it’s worth the higher price point.

Compatible Devices

iPhone 5 through 7/7Plus
iPad (4th Generation +)
iPad Mini (All generations)
iPod Touch
Android Type C and Micro USB phones and tablets
Most Micro USB Devices via USB-A port
PowerPack supports USB C, but it does not support USB PD (Power Delivery) so it will only trickle charge your 2016 Macbook.

Specifications

Capacity: 9,000mAh (29.6wh)
Input: USB C 5V/3.0A (cable included)
Output 1: USB A 5V/2.4A
Output 2: USB C 5V/3A – 12V/2A with Fast Charge technology
Panasonic lithium battery
5.31″ (13.5cm) x 2.9″ (7.5cm) x .78″ (2.5cm)
1.2M Mil-spec drop protection
Tile integration via Bluetooth

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Nomad. Please visit their website or Amazon to order.

Product Information

Price:	$99.95
Manufacturer:	Nomad
Retailer:	Amazon
Pros:	Very rugged Tile integration works well USB-C port Built-in ambient light sensor Very good battery life
Cons:	Expensive compared to similar chargers Big and bulky Only one USB-A port No Micro USB ports

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Backup Battery

Nomad Tile Integrated PowerPack Review originally appeared on on April 18, 2017 at 6:44 am.

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Archeer A320 Bluetooth speaker review

When you think furniture quality bamboo you probably don’t think Bluetooth speakers, but with the A320 Bluetooth speaker from Archeer that’s exactly what you get. The body of this speaker is actually made of bamboo, giving it a very unique and rich look. Add to that a skin – friendly rewind fabric material and you get one of the most beautiful looking Bluetooth speakers on the market. The Gadgeteer was fortunate to receive one for review. Is this a case of beauty only being skin deep or is there more to the A320 then just good looks? Time to find out if this Beauty really is a Beast.

In the Box:

1- ARCHEER A320 Home Speaker
1- Micro USB Charging Cable
1- 3.5mm Audio Cable
1- User Manual

This speaker really is a stunner. Its classic design with dual exposed 5W tweeters and 15W subwoofer all set into warm colored bamboo make it a perfect complement to any room. I really like the solid build of this speaker. It has some heft to it but still maintains its portability. The universally understood symbol control buttons for play, pause and volume up/volume down located on top of the speaker are raised and have a rubber like coating.

I also like the rewind fabric that wraps around the body of the speaker. Its gray color is in nice contrast with the warm color of the bamboo. Just another touch that adds to the unique design of the A320. My only concern about the fabric wrapping is that there could be some wear on the bottom of the speaker due to the fact that it comes in direct contact with any surface it’s placed on. I remedied that by adding four rubber bumpers that I purchased for a couple of bucks at the store. One downside to the unit being made of bamboo and having exposed speakers is that it’s not weather or water proof. So if it is used outside keep it out of the weather and away from pools or lakes. This may be a deal breaker for some. But it would make a nice addition to any deck or covered patio this summer.

On the back you’ll find the AUX Port, DC in via micro USB to standard USB, charge light and reset button. In addition, near the bottom of the back of the unit is the bass port.

The A320 uses 4.0 Bluetooth to connect to your device of choice, or you can connect your non – Bluetooth device with the provided 3.5mm audio cable. Pairing the speaker is easy, it’s done by holding down the power button until the power light (located between the volume up and play/pause buttons) flashes green. This means the A320 is in pairing mode, then simply select it from your device’s Bluetooth menu. When connected you will hear a tone and the power button will flash blue.

The unit is powered by a rechargeable 5200mAh lithium-Ion battery. Listening time on a full charge is about 11 hours at 50% volume. It does take about 6 hours to fully charge the A320, however, you can use the unit while it’s charging. Charging is done using the micro USB charging cable. Archeer doesn’t provide an adaptor but you can use any 5V DC adaptor (I used one that I had from one of the many Apple devices I own) or a PC. If you don’t have an adaptor you can purchase one on the Archeer website. While charging the charge indicator light on the back will glow red. Once fully charged the indicator light shuts off.

Archeer also provides a thick nylon carrying bag for the A320. It’s nothing special but will definitely provide some protection for the speaker while traveling.

Remember when I asked whether this Beauty really is a Beast? Well time to find out. I decided to use different genres of music to test the range of the A320’s sound quality. For my tests, I listened to rock, rap, classical and pop. The A320 handled every genre I threw at it very well. The bass was very prominent thanks to the 15W subwoofer, but not overwhelming. The highs and mid-range tones were very clean and clear. Lyrics were also very crisp and discernible. As you might guess rap benefited greatly from the added bass. The Beastie Boys ‘Licensed to Ill’ never sounded better. Even listening to orchestra music was a joy on this speaker. In fact, I was listening to the soundtrack from The Lord of the Rings as I was writing this review and it sounded fantastic. I also like to listen to podcasts from time to time so I tested out an episode of ‘The Nerdist’ podcast. The sound quality of the voice only content was great. And the A320 even replaced a ratty old boom box I was using to listen to sports talk radio with my morning coffee. So no matter what you like to listen to this Beauty truly is a Beast.

The other thing I like to use the A320 with is my Amazon Echo Dot. If you own or have seen the Dot you know that the built-in speaker doesn’t get very loud, but pairing it to the A320 (which is very easy by the way) gave me a whole new Alexa experience.

In Conclusion:

I flat out LOVE this speaker. The Archeer A320 Bluetooth speaker is everything one could want in a wireless speaker. Classic good looks with sound to match. There are more expensive speakers out there, but you would be hard pressed to find one that matches the sound quality and design of this speaker, especially at a more than reasonable price of $79.99. So if you want a Bluetooth speaker with excellent room filling sound that also doubles as a great conversation piece the Archeer A320 is a no brainer.

Warranty:

Archeer offers a 40-day money back guarantee along with a 18-month hassle-free warranty. From the date of purchase.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Archeer. Please visit their website or Amazon to purchase.

Product Information

Price:	$79.99
Manufacturer:	Archeer
Retailer:	Amazon
Pros:	Great looks Excellent room filling sound Easy to use Portable Reasonable price
Cons:	Long recharge time Not waterproof or resistant

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth speaker

Archeer A320 Bluetooth speaker review originally appeared on on April 17, 2017 at 3:50 pm.

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Don’t break your back carrying drywall or plywood, get a Gorilla Gripper instead

I saw this tool being advertised on Facebook this weekend and thought it looked really useful for DIYers and weekend home remodelers. It’s the Gorilla Gripper and it literally gives you a better grip on drywall and plywood panels.

The Gorilla Gripper is basically a clamp that grips the top edge of a sheet of plywood, drywall, steel, etc and provides a much easier and safer way to transport it with one hand instead of over your head carried between with two hands.

Gorilla Gripper sells a couple versions of this tool, from the heavy duty model shown above which retails for $50 – $70 on Amazon, to a glass-filled nylon polymer version that is priced at $29.95.

You can read more about the Gorilla Gripper by visiting gorillagripper.com and you can order one through their site and Amazon.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: Tools

Don’t break your back carrying drywall or plywood, get a Gorilla Gripper instead originally appeared on on April 17, 2017 at 10:54 am.

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This bedside table charges your phone wireless and wakes you up with pseudo sunlight

I have a TYLT VU wireless charger on my nightstand, but I’d trade the TYLT for the Curvilux Smart Nightstand in a heartbeat because it’s not an ordinary bedside table.

It might look like a grade school desk, but the Curvilux Smart Nightstand features a locking drawer that’s controlled with your smartphone, a wireless charging area on top for Qi compatible phones, and USB ports for devices that don’t have wireless charging built-in.

The Curvilux also has a built-in Bluetooth speaker and LEDs that slowly brighten to mimic a sunrise to help you wake up more naturally in the morning.

The table also senses when you get out of bed in the middle of the night and turns on a downward shining light to help you find your way back to bed in the dark.

The Smart Nightstand is available in black or white You can read more about and order the Curvilux Smart Nightstand for $299 by visiting curvilux.com

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: Computer furniture, Qi

This bedside table charges your phone wireless and wakes you up with pseudo sunlight originally appeared on on April 17, 2017 at 10:06 am.

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iClever Tri-Folding Wireless Keyboard review

Pairing a Bluetooth keyboard with your phone or a tablet turns it into a pseudo laptop for those times when an on-screen touch keyboard just won’t cut it. Add the ability to fold the keyboard into a smaller form factor and you have a perfect accessory to keep in your gear bag. What if I told you that there’s a folding Bluetooth keyboard that also has a built-in touchpad? Sounds like a match made in heaven right? Let’s see if the iClever Tri-Folding Wireless Keyboard earns a spot in my gear bag and my favorite gear page.

What is it?

The iClever Tri-Folding Wireless Keyboard is a portable Bluetooth keyboard with a built-in touchpad that folds for easy travel.

What’s in the box?

The iClever Tri-Folding Wireless Keyboard
Travel pouch
micro USB charging cable
User manual

Design and features

The iClever Tri-Folding Wireless Keyboard has a brushed gray aluminum alloy shell on the outside, and a black plastic keyboard on the inside.

The keyboard easily unfolds to reveal a full QWERTY-style key layout that includes a number row with function keys and media control keys along the top edge and the touchpad with left and right “mouse” buttons below it. You can click the image above to see a larger view of the keyboard layout.

Two small feet fold down on each end of the keyboard to allow it to remain flat and stable on a table when in use.

Unfolding the keyboard doubles as a power switch that turns it on and pairs with your device. Fold it back up, and it powers down.

Size compared to other small Bluetooth keyboards

When folded, the iClever Tri-Folding keyboard is about the same size as a large smartphone like my Nexus 6P shown next to iClever Tri-Folding keyboard in the image above.

In the image above, there’s an Apple wireless keyboard at the top, the iClever Tri-Folding Wireless Keyboard in the middle and the Jorno folding Bluetooth keyboard on the bottom which looks almost identical to the iClever minus the touchpad.

Using the iClever Tri-Folding keyboard

The iClever can pair with 3 devices simultaneously with easy switching between the devices by pressing the Fn key with the 1, 2, or 3 key above the touchpad.

I tested the iClever Tri-Folding keyboard with my 12 inch MacBook, an LG G6, and a Nexus 6P. Pairing and switching between these three devices was quick and easy.

The keys on the iClever are small, but I was able to touch type without too much effort. That said, I did notice a few issues while using this keyboard to type this review. I had no problem typing letters A through Z, or numbers 1 through 9 without having to look down at the keys. Most punctuation symbols were not a problem either except for ?, ‘, “, \, and /, which were located in non-standard locations and require a Fn key press to access them.

The single quote tripped me up the most because I have the muscle memory to press it with my pinky on my right hand. When I try that on the iClever, my pinky presses the enter key which means I’ll start typing on the next line… which just happened while typing this sentence. Grrrrr. Having to stop mid-sentence to press a Fn key combo to get an often used character is really frustrating when you’re a touch typist.

I also had a problem with the – character which I use a lot when typing the URL of The Gadgeteer. I would almost always press the = character instead.

Using the iClever Tri-Folding keyboard touchpad

Having a built-in touchpad means that there’s no need to add a mouse to your gear bag. The iClever’s touchpad works fine as long as you are using the keyboard with a Mac, Windows or Android. However, it will not work with iOS devices. Sorry about your luck iOS fans.

The touchpad not only moves the cursor around on the screen, but it is also capable of gestures like two finger scrolling up and down, pinch/zoom, two finger click for right mouse button and more.

The only problem I had with the touchpad was accidentally touching it when I didn’t mean to. If you find that this happens too often for your liking, you can turn off the touchpad by holding the Fn key and 3 key above the touchpad.

Final thoughts

The iClever Tri-Folding Wireless Keyboard with Touchpad has a lot going for it. It’s well made, pairs with 3 devices, and has a built-in touchpad.

I like the keyboard a lot except that it drives me nuts to use it due to the issues typing ?, ‘, “, -, /, and \ characters. I could deal with having to press a Fn key to access the -, /, and \ characters, but ?, ‘, and ” characters are a deal breaker for me.

If you’re not a touch-typist, this keyboard is great. But if you ARE a touch-typist, it will most likely frustrate you like it has for me.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by iClever. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order.

Product Information

Price:	$79.99
Manufacturer:	iClever
Retailer:	Amazon
Pros:	Has a built-in touchpad Can pair with up to 3 devices Built-in foot stands keep keyboard balance
Cons:	Have to use function key to access certain often used keys like ?/'"

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth keyboard

iClever Tri-Folding Wireless Keyboard review originally appeared on on April 17, 2017 at 6:47 am.

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