EasyAcc Quick Charge 3.0 20000mAh Power Bank review


In a world where mobile devices are proliferating, the need to keep them topped off and rapidly charged is a constant struggle. While battery life is slowly improving, so is the demand on our phone and tablet processors, making them easier to drain than ever.

Fortunately, there’s also a huge market for external battery packs. The EasyAcc Quick Charge Power Bank is another entry in a sea of similar devices, so what makes this one different from the others?

The Power Bank has a solid, unassuming design, and nice features.

EasyAcc’s entry into the mobile charger arena is exceptional. The aesthetics are clean and simple. I like the color scheme, mostly black with an orange strip running along the sides. It made it easy to find in a dark backpack pocket. I wouldn’t call it rugged, but it could survive some drops.

The Power Bank sports 4 USB charging ports, one of which is a Qualcomm® Quick Charge™ 3.0 output for use with devices that can utilize this. The other ports are “smart” in that they detect the maximum charge your device can receive and sends that amount of power through.

That green port at the top is your fastest charger.

It didn’t come with a wall adapter, so you’d have to either have one handy or charge it off of a USB outlet charger or some other powered USB source, like a desktop computer or laptop that is plugged in. I imagine most people would have some way of getting some energy to the power bank. It did come with two short micro USB cables, both of which can be used simultaneously on the pack’s two micro USB ports to bring the 20,000mAh battery to a full charge in just 5 hours.

Two, count ’em, two cables.

I suppose it’s worth noting that it didn’t come with a lightning cable, which I’ve seen other battery packs ship include, but I had some extras laying around.

Rated at 20,000mAh, the battery holds enough juice to charge an iPhone 7+ over five times, or an iPad mini twice.

Oh man, what a great feature.

That’s all well and good, but to me, aside from the double-barrel input charging, the standout feature has got to be the built-in flashlight. Seriously. When I opened the box and realized that this thing had a light built into it I thought to myself, “That’s genius.” Is this a relatively new thing? Probably not, I just don’t think I’ve noticed that as a normal inclusion on mobile USB chargers.

Their site states that the light should last about 100 hours and it’s pretty darn bright. The light is also in a good spot to handle the power bank like a proper flashlight. Making this part of my EDC kit, I could leave the other medium-sized flashlight in the car or somewhere else outside of my bag. Nice.

The one oddity I could find is when plugging in a device, sometimes it would start charging the device right away and other times I would have to turn on the battery pack first before it began charging. It seemed random. Perhaps my phone was registering as fully-charged since it was getting pretty close, and the pack was shutting off to preserve energy.

To be honest, this was the first battery back I’d ever used, but to me it’s quite a nice entry in a very saturated market.

The EasyAcc Quick Charge 3.0 Power Bank is available now on Amazon for $39.00. That’s a sale price, by the way, so I’m not sure how long it will stay that price, but what a great deal!

Source: The sample for this review was provided by EasyAcc. Please visit their site for more information or order directly from Amazon.

 

Product Information

Price: $69.99 MSRP
Manufacturer: EasyAcc
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • very rapid charging, both ways
  • generous number of ports
  • that flashlight… I love it
Cons:
  • lacks a wall plug/adapter

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EasyAcc Quick Charge 3.0 20000mAh Power Bank review originally appeared on on April 22, 2017 at 8:45 am.

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Tronsmart Element T2 Bluetooth speaker review


Outdoor party season is fast approaching, folks! At my house, that means it’s time to fire up the grill, dust off the patio furniture, put the drinks on ice, and fire up the tunes. To help in the music department I’m testing the Tronsmart Element T2, an outdoor water-resistant Bluetooth speaker, to see how its holds up under outdoor party conditions. Does it rock? Let’s find out!

Unboxing and Overview

First impressions are always important, and Tronsmart does a nice job with packaging on the Element T2. The unit comes in an attractive, durable box that opens book-style with a magnetic clip that will be great for storage. In addition to the speaker, you’ll also find all the accessories you’ll need for operation: a USB power cable, an audio connector cable, and two options for carrying (a lanyard and a carabiner). It’s got everything you need to get started.

The Element T2 is very portable. At 5.6″ by 2.75″ by 1.8″ and 14 ounces, the Element T2 is roughly the size & weight of a can of soda (or your favorite beverage). The lanyard or carabiner attaches to an integrated loop on the speaker, enabling you to either clip it to an attachment loop on your bag. This is especially handy if you are hauling your stuff to the beach or the campsite.

Rounding out the details, the Element T2 is encased in a rubberized housing that looks pretty durable. The control buttons are molded into the housing for water resistance. You’ll find the auxiliary jack, micro-USB charging port, and a micro-SD card slot hidden behind a sealed panel on the side of the speaker. There’s a pair of LED indicators on the top of the device, and rubber feet on the base to keep it from skidding off of slick surfaces. Generally speaking, the construction is tight and seamless.

Setup and Use

One of the first things I noticed on setting up the Element T2 Bluetooth speaker are the friendly controls. Each isthe 5 buttons are big with good tactile feedback, and have simple icons to indicate their purpose. The system also uses distinctive sound effect cues to indicate functions such as powering up, discovery mode, etc. This all makes for easy setup; I didn’t feel that I needed to go digging through the user guide to figure out how it all works.

Pairing and switching between devices is easy. When you power up the unit, a blinking Bluetooth LED indicated that the device is in discoverable mode. Once you connect it to your device, a tone indicates successful pairing. The device automatically connects to the last device it was paired with, but you can also press and hold the Bluetooth button for two seconds to put it in discoverable mode if you wish to switch devices. If using the auxiliary cable is your thing, you can push the Bluetooth button once to toggle between the aux cable and Bluetooth connection. Over the course of a few weeks, I have played the speakers all over my house and yard using multiple devices, and have yet to encounter an issue.

Once you’re connected, it’s all go-mode from there. Play your music through your favorite app, and you’re off and running. There’s a built-in “pause/play” button on the device that works just fine with every app I have tried in Bluetooth mode, but all the other controls come from your device. You can adjust the volume from either the speaker or your device, which comes in handy if you find yourself on a sudden phone call and the speaker is on the other side of the room.

The Element T2 uses Bluetooth 4.2 and sports a strong connection with a 50-foot range. I’ve tested the speaker & paired devices on different floors of the house as well as 50-60 foot distances with no loss of quality.

Power usage is excellent. Tronsmart claims a 12-hour life on the battery without a recharge, and I have found this to be pretty accurate in testing. You do need to keep the included power cable handy and have a USB-enabled port for charging, but this does give you options for charging from your computer or stealing your USB-enabled outlet or converter.

The Element T2 also supports Bluetooth calls. If your phone rings while paired to the unit, you can press the Bluetooth button to answer, and again to disconnect. It’s a nice bonus feature, which allows you to keep your phone stashed safely away from the elements (or in the house).

Does it bring the rock?

After extensive indoor and outdoor testing, I was pleasantly surprised at how much punch the Element T2 possesses for a compact, inexpensive speaker. The sound is crystal clear with a broad range thanks to enhanced bass and a 20 band equalizer adjustment capability. The bass is ridiculously good, especially if you’re listening to pop music (or old school funk and hip-hop, in my case). In the picture below, we were loading up the island themed tunes. 🙂

It’s important to note that this speaker is not designed to produce 360 degree sound. I found this out by trial and error, because it was not clear in any of the documentation. The reason for this is that the main speakers are designed to project from one side of the device, while the bass projects from the back. This means that you will want to position the speaker at the edge of the desired space, directing it towards the listening area. I found that this wasn’t a problem in use; I’d position the speaker open the far end of my kitchen or the deck to get the full sound. Tronsmart has designed this speaker so that you can pair two of the units together to provide full stereo sound; I did not test that feature here, but I would imagine that the quality would be excellent.

To take full advantage of the sound quality, You’ll really want to use the Tronsmart Element T2 Bluetooth speaker in more open spaces. I tested the unit in my home office (12’ by 14’), my kitchen (14’ by 25’), and outside in numerous locations. The bigger spaces really allow you to take full advantage of the speaker’s power and deep bass enhancements. It will do fine in a smaller office area, as volume is very manageable… but you really want to rock, right?

A quick note on the equalizer capability: not all music apps and devices support equalizer modes. My apple devices do, and it works great when switching from one style of music to another. There is no equalizer control on the speaker, however, so check your device and software if this feature is important to you.

One last note: we did do a test using the aux plug on our turntable, and sound quality was just as good playing vinyl with the old-school plug. We tracked through AC/DC’s “For Those About To Rock”… and we did rock. Well.

It gets the hose…

One of the benefits of being a device tester is that you really get to stress test stuff to see if it meets the claims of the manufacturer. For the Element T2, this meant the dirt & hose treatment.

The Tronsmart Element T2 has an IPX rating of 56, which effectively means that it is resistant to small particles (dirt, sand) and direct exposure to water. To validate this claim, we dragged the speaker around the yard all day while mowing the yard, planting the garden, etc. When finished, we gave it a bath with the garden hose while playing music. I think it was Bob Marley’s “Trenchtown Rock” that was on the playlist at the time this photo was taken.

The speaker endured the hose at full blast for about a minute and continued to play without missing a beat… even when the speaker bay was pooling with water from the continuous hose blast. There was some minor fuzz in the sound as it dried out from residual water on the speakers, which disappeared in about 5 minutes of drying in the sun. Considering that the speaker is not rated to withstand being submerged in water, that’s really impressive. I’m confident that it will survive sudden downpours, drink spills, or the stray water balloon with no issues whatsoever.

Conclusion and Pricing

The Tronsmart Element T2 is a portable, durable, compact, water-resistant Bluetooth speaker that brings excellent sound quality to the party with a couple extra bonus features like super-long battery life and Bluetooth-compatible phone pickup. What else is there left to talk about?

The price. As in under $25 on Amazon Prime right now. I was ready to give the Tronsmart Element T2 a full-fledged endorsement, but at this price, I think it’s a steal. You can even get two of them to take advantage of the paired stereo capability… just drop me a line and let me know how it works out for you!

Rock on!

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Tronsmart. For more info visit their site and order one from Amazon.


 

Product Information

Price: $49.99 MSRP
Manufacturer: Tronsmart
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • Amazing sound with broad range and deep bass.
  • Slim and portable.
  • Fully water resistant.
  • Easy to setup for bluetooth pairing with multiple devices.
Cons:
  • Directional speaker — should be pointed towards the listening area, not set up in the middle of it.

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Tronsmart Element T2 Bluetooth speaker review originally appeared on on April 21, 2017 at 8:00 am.

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Pearl RearVision wireless rearview camera review


We have reviewed numerous dash cams over the years, but I believe that this is the first backup cam that we’ve reviewed. If I’m wrong about that, then the Pearl RearVision rearview car camera is definitely the first wireless backup cam that we’ve ever reviewed on The Gadgeteer. Let’s put the car in reverse and check it out.

What is it?

The Pearl RearVision is a backup camera for your vehicle that doesn’t require you to route wires for power or to a display. It uses a solar charger to keep its battery charged and it uses WiFi and Bluetooth to transmit images to a smartphone.

What’s in the box?

Pearl RearVision license plate frame camera
License plate frame adapter
OBD adapter
Smartphone car mount
Installation tool

Design and features

The Pearl RearVision looks like a license plate frame, but the frame has two cameras along the top edge. The cameras have up to 180° field of view and a special coating that repels water. One of the cameras has infrared for night vision, and the other one is optimized for daytime.

The frame also has a built-in solar panel that charges the internal battery on bright sunny days, as well as cloudy days.

The frame is composed of two pieces that include the black metal frame that installs on the rear of your vehicle.


A special tool is included with the RearVision. This tool is used to detach the RearVision from the metal frame so that it can be installed on the vehicle.

Although the Pearl RearVision does not require any wiring to a power port inside your car since it can use solar power to charge its internal battery, you can also charge it with the built-in USB cable.


The USB cable is integrated into the frame with a rubber cover that protects the connector from moisture and weather.

Installation of the Pearl RearVision rearview camera

Although not required, the first thing I did before installing the Pearl RearVision was to charge it using the built-in USB cable.

I then took the RearVision, the special tool install tool, the included OBD adapter, and my Nexus 6P Android smartphone out to the garage.

First I removed my existing license plate which was attached to the back of my 2013 MINI Cooper with 4 Phillips screws. Note that the Pearl RearVision is compatible with cars 1996 and newer.

I then attached the RearVision frame to my license plate using the provided screws and then attached the frame and plate to my MINI using 2 of the original screws that were holding the license plate in place.

The RearVision hooks to the bottom of the frame and then snaps in place. The special install tool is used to tighten the theft-resistant set screw which holds the camera securely to the frame.

Looks great, although I was a little concerned that the frame covers and partially obscures some of the info on my license plate including the state and expiration info. I haven’t been pulled over by a cop yet, so I guess it’s not a problem.

The next step of the installation is to plug the OBD adapter into the OBD port in the MINI. This adapter communicates to your phone and the RearVision frame using Bluetooth and WiFi and has a built-in speaker for audio alerts.

The OBD port in my MINI is located under the dash on the driver’s side. The location of this port varies per car make and model.

Installing the adapter is easy but awkward because I had to do it mostly by feel.

I thought I was all set until I needed to get into my trunk and discovered that the top edge of the RearVision camera blocked access to the trunk latch. Whoops… Lucky for me, the folks at Pearl had included an adapter plate which I didn’t think I needed to use. Wrong!

I removed the RearVision, installed the adapter plate which lowers the frame to allow access to the trunk latch. The extra step was easy, but I felt foolish for not noticing the problem the first time around.

Ahhh, that’s much better.

Note that the frame adapter is not included with the RearVision. But if you find that you need it, they will send you one for free according to their installation troubleshooting page.

You can use the included magnetic car mount to locate your smartphone inside your vehicle for optimal viewing. I skipped this step because I already use the iOmount iOauto Pro mount in my MINI.

After the RearVision is installed on the outside of the car and the OBD adapter is installed inside the car, the last step is to install the mobile app which detects the OBD adapter and RearVision camera to complete the setup.


There is a setting in the Pearl app to automatically launch the app when you put the phone on the included magnetic mount, so the mount must have an NFC chip in it (I am just guessing and haven’t proven this theory). I have noticed that my Nexus 6P will sometimes (not always) automatically launch the app when I get in the car and turn on the screen even if the Pearl app wasn’t the last app that I had been using. This doesn’t happen every time though.

The app shows a live view with white guidelines to help you avoid obstacles. These guidelines can be calibrated through the app’s settings by doing a few easy measurements.

The image will show ripples, a red border will show along the edges of the screen and the OBD adapter will sound an audible alert if there’s an obstacle in the path of the car. I tested this by walking behind the car. The RearVision also picked up my cat Max as he walked behind the car.

The RearVision live view disappears after a minute and then shows the app launcher screen that you see above. You can modify the delay from 10 seconds to 2 minutes before the launcher appears.

The launcher can be customized to add apps from a list of music, navigation, and utilities. Unfortunately, you can’t add your own apps to the list.

You can change the view from landscape to portrait mode.




In portrait view, the backup camera shows a split screen that has a wide angle and zoomed views. You can swipe the top to zoom the edges.

I have been testing the Pearl RearVision rearview camera for several weeks. It works well 90% of the time and provides a clear view of what is behind my vehicle.


The view from the RearVision cameras works equally well in daylight and night.

If you try to access the cameras while you’re driving, you’ll see this message.

I’ve seen the message above on more than one occasion. I’ll usually have to close the app, toggle Bluetooth off and on, and relaunch the app to fix the issue. After a recent update to the system, I don’t believe I’ve seen the message, so it could have been a bug that has been fixed.

See it in action

I’ve been using the RearVision for several weeks now and it works well although it hasn’t alerted me of obstacles (yet).

Sorry for the jerky video. I was holding a phone in one hand to capture the video and trying to drive backwards with the other hand while just looking the display.

It has been tough making myself look at the screen since my brain is programmed to only use my rear view and side mirrors when I’m backing up. When you’ve been driving for 30+ years like I have, it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks 🙂

Something to consider before buying the Pearl RearVision

It’s important to realize that to use the Pearl RearVision camera, you have to have your phone with you. Without it, you will not be alerted of obstacles in your path. If someone borrows your car and doesn’t have the paired phone, it will not work.

Final thoughts

I like the Pearl RearVision rearview camera because it doesn’t require a complicated/expensive install or modification of your vehicle. The all wireless design including the solar charging frame makes this rearview camera system attractive to people who want a quick and easy setup. However, the price of this system is considerably higher than other DIY backup cameras systems with dedicated displays. Pair that with the fact that you MUST use your phone with it are issues to keep in mind before considering a purchase.

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

 

Product Information

Price: $499.99
Manufacturer: Pearl Auto
Retailer: Amazon
Requirements:
  • 1996 or newer vehicle
  • iOS or Android device
Pros:
  • Easy to install
  • Solar powered and wireless
  • Simple app
Cons:
  • Expensive
  • May need a frame adapter which is not included in the package
  • Only works if paired with an iOS or Android device
  • Can't record video or take snapshots

Filed in categories: Car Gear, Reviews

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Pearl RearVision wireless rearview camera review originally appeared on on April 20, 2017 at 8:08 am.

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Parrot Swing drone review


Remote controlled planes, helicopters, and drones can be a lot of fun if they are easy to fly and don’t shatter into a million pieces when you crash them, which you know will happen. The newest drone to fly the skies near my house is the Parrot Swing minidrone. Let’s see how fun it is to fly and if it can survive a crash.

What is it?

The Parrot Swing minidrone is a remote-controlled flying toy with a built in camera.

What’s in the box?

Parrot Swing drone
2 Batteries
Flypad remote control
4 replacement propellers
micro USB charging cable
Manuals for the Swing and Flypad

Design and features

The Parrot Swing drone is an X-shaped drone with lightweight foam wings.

The front of the Swing has 2 LEDs that give it a bug-eyed appearance, but they are really only there to provide status on the drone as far as battery life, connection to the Flypad, etc.

The rear of the Swing has a battery slot, micro USB charging port and a tiny camera which is located to the left of the micro USB connector. Before you get too excited, the camera will NOT capture video. It can only capture snapshots.

The Parrot Swing comes with 2 batteries. In the image above, one battery is installed in the drone. Charging is done with the included micro USB cable which can be connected to an existing USB power adapter or a port on your computer.

The power switch is located on the bottom/belly of the drone.

Also included with the drone is a very nice handheld controller called the Flypad. This controller pairs with an Android or iOS smartphone which attaches to the Flypad using the spring loaded holder.

The Flypad has joystick controls and shoulder buttons. It feels like a premium gaming controller.

In the image above, I have an LG G6 connected to the Flypad. The Flypad has built in rechargeable batteries which charge through a micro USB port in the center bottom edge of the controllers.

Let’s fly the Parrot Swing drone!

Before you can take the Parrot Swing on its first flight, you will need to charge it using the included micro USB cable. It takes about 30 minutes to charge the battery. My suggestion is to charge one battery, remove it, insert the second battery and charge it too. This way you can swap batteries for double the flight time. It’s too bad that Parrot doesn’t include an external charger that will charge both batteries at the same time.

The next step is to install the free FreeFlight Mini app on your iOS or Android device. You can use your phone as the controller, but it’s a lot more fun and easy to fly if you charge up the Flypad.

When the Swing’s battery is fully charged, the app is installed on your mobile device and the Flypad is charged, it’s time to head outdoors.

You press the power button on the Swing power it up and then place it on the ground with the propellers facing upwards.

When the 2 “eyes” on the drone are solid green, you can launch the FreeFlight mini app on your mobile device and make sure Bluetooth is enabled. The app will see the drone and connect to it. You can then turn on the Flypad controller and the app will detect and connect to it.

Pressing the dedicated take off and landing button on the Flypad will cause the Swing’s propellers to start rotating and will raise the drone a few feet in the air. Moving the left joystick on the Flypad up and down will raise and lower the drone, and using the right joystick will make the drone fly side to side.

When you first start flying the Swing, it’s in quad mode (image above) which means it can fly up, down, left, and right like a typical drone. But if you press the right shoulder button on the Flypad controller, it will switch to plane mode which flips the Swing over so it looks like a flying dragonfly (other images in this review) instead of a flying X if that makes sense. The joysticks and buttons on the Flypad react differently depending on the mode you’re in.

There are also dedicated buttons that will do a U-turn and a loop in the air. The U-turn is very useful if you happen to be flying straight towards a building or tree!






If you don’t want to use the Flypad, you can fly the Swing just using the onscreen buttons in the FlightTime Mini app. But I think the Flypad provides a much better experience.

The app does give you details about each flight and allows you to see and share the images that you took with the Swing’s built-in camera to Facebook or download them. But trust me when I say that you probably will not be sharing any of the images.



I kept trying to get a picture of myself and as you can see from the samples above, it wasn’t an easy task. Even if I would have been able to get a good picture, the resolution is really low.

See it in action!

I thought it was difficult to control the Parrot Swing the first time I flew it. But it only took a few minutes to get the hang of it. Unfortunately, the flight time per battery charge is just that, only a few minutes. That’s why I suggested that you charge both batteries before you head outside to fly it. Thirty minutes of charging will allow you to fly for about 10 minutes give or take. The app will start beeping when the battery power is down to 7% and the Parrot Swing minidrone will go into quad mode and land by itself when battery power goes to 2-3%.

Can it survive a crash?

Yes, it can and yes it did. Multiple times. But there was some “damage”. After one crash I noticed that one of the propellers was missing. Trying to find a small black or white object in piles of leaf clutter was impossible. The propellers really should be a brighter, more noticeable color.

I didn’t freak out though because I remembered that an extra set of propellers are included in the package. So I went back to the house and installed one of the black propellers. I then went back outside to resume flying. But each time I tried to fly, the Parrot Swing would flop over. I double checked all the propellers and the wings to make sure there wasn’t some additional damage that I had missed, but everything looked and felt fine. I continued to try to fly it, but each time the propellers spun up, the drone will flop over on its side.

I returned to the house, flipped through the manual to see if there were any instructions for replacing the propellers and found none. So I searched around on Parrot’s website and found a user forum where another person was asking about the same problem. Long story short, there are clockwise propellers and counter-clockwise propellers. But the weird thing is that the color doesn’t designate which way they should turn or be installed. I had to install a white propeller in place of the missing black propeller.

Once I had the right propeller installed, flying fun commenced.

Final thoughts

The Parrot Swing minidrone is a LOT of fun to fly either in quad or plane mode (I like the plane mode the best). It’s not hard to get the hang of it and once you do, crashes don’t happen that often unless you’re flying near a lot of trees like I am. But if you do crash, the Swing seems to be tough enough to handle it. Just make sure that you have extra propellers handy and know which one goes where.

At about $99, the Parrot Swing isn’t too expensive. I just wish the built-in camera was better and the flight times were longer. But even with those minor complaints, it’s still a really fun flying toy.

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

 

Product Information

Price: $139.99 MSRP
Manufacturer: Parrot
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • Fun and relatively easy to fly
  • One press launch and land
  • Rugged
Cons:
  • Didn't include instructions for replacing propellers
  • Image quality isn't good

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged:

Parrot Swing drone review originally appeared on on April 18, 2017 at 4:03 pm.

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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

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

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