REVIEW – I have too many of those USB-chargable “power banks”. I can’t seem to find one I like. I usually find the biggest one I can find and pack a bunch of cables in a bag, then never use it because I can’t be bothered to fiddle with cables when on a campout in a dark tent. The Tech Care DS01 9000mAh power bank is slim and comes with cables attached. But is it powerful enough?
What is it?
The Tech Care DS01 is a small rechargeable battery pack with a built-in numerical display that shows remaining capacity with built-in Lightning and MicroUSB cables.
What’s in the box?
The packaging is pretty spartan. A thin manual, short microUSB cable, and USB-C adapter are all you get with the battery.
Hardware specs
Input: 5V, 2A
Output: 5V, 2.1A
Size: 4.1 x 2.6 x 0.4 inches
Weight: 6.01 ounces
Design and features
This particular battery pack can fill up via microUSB or Type-C inputs.
There are three outputs: Your standard USB-A connector, plus one Lighting and one microUSB connector.
Here’s a shot from the top side. (L-R): MicroUSB, Type-C input, and USB-A output. (The percent display looks odd because of the camera’s shutter speed.)
The Lightning and microUSB cables are permanently attached to the sides with flat, flexible cables. They’re quite bendy! No more forgetting to pack a cable.
Setup
Simply charge the battery to full via microUSB or Type-C until the display reads 100%. There are no physical buttons on the battery, so I’m not quite sure how the display knows when to turn on. A little shake is all it takes to wake the display.
Performance
Nearly everything I travel with can be recharged via Lightning (iPhone) or microUSB. Here’s the battery plugged into an iPhone…
…and my digital camera.
Once again, the percent remaining display is hard to photograph!
What I like
Small
Built-in cables you can’t lose
Percent remaining display
No physical buttons
What needs to be improved
9000 mAh may not be enough for some.
Final thoughts
After two camping trips with the Tech Care DS01 9000mAh power bank, I left my bigger, bulkier batteries at home. It charged up my iPhone XS just fine over a three-day campout with charge to spare. I love the digital readout and never losing a charging cable again.
Price: $29.99 Where to buy: Amazon Source: The sample of this product was provided by YPLANG/Tech Care.
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CROWDFUNDING REVIEW – We now have robots that can vacuum and mop our floors and cat litter boxes that are self-cleaning. So it’s high time that we have a trashcan that can clean itself as well as open and close with a wave of your hand. The Townew trashcan has those features and is now seeking funding on Indiegogo. They sent me a pre-production unit to check out. Let’s take a look.
What is it?
Townew is a small white plastic trashcan that opens and closes with a wave of your hand and seals the bag with a press of the button so that you never have to get icky gunk on your hands or smell nauseating garbage smells.
Why do I like it?
I like this trashcan because it’s controlled by waving your hand over the sensor on top. When you do, the lid opens so you can deposit the trash and then the lid automatically closes again in a few seconds.
When the bag is full, you can press and hold the button on the front and it will lift and seal the bag shut for you. When you lift out the bag and shut the lid, it automatically installs a new bag in place that is ready to use.
I also like that trashcan has a rechargeable battery which allows you to use it for up to a month between recharges. You can also just leave it plugged in too.
As mentioned, they sent me a pre-production unit to try out and it worked just fine. The only thing I noticed is that the lid shut about 3-4 seconds after it opened. That doesn’t give you a whole lot of time to scrape garbage off a plate and since the trashcan doesn’t have a motion sensor to tell if you’re still dropping items, you could make a mess if the lid inadvertently shut on you.
Considerations before pledging
First of all, the Townew trashcan is small. In my opinion, it’s better suited as a bathroom trashcan instead of a kitchen trashcan.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you can’t go to your local Walmart and buy new bags for it when you run out. The Townew trashcan has a special plastic ring that holds 25 bags. This whole ring has to be replaced with a new one when you run out. Pricing for refills hasn’t been announced and there is some worry that if the company folds, you’re left with an automatic trashcan that won’t work after you run out of bags. FYI, if you buy a Townew through this campaign, it comes with 3 refill rings.
Where can I find more info?
The Townew campaign ends on 7/18/19 they have already met their funding goal of $14,893. You can pre-order a Townew starting at $59. After the Townew campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in September 2019. Visit their Indiegogo page for all the details.
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REVIEW – Lately I’ve been having fun reviewing drones and that fun isn’t over because I have another drone review for you today. This is my third one from Holy Stone. It’s the HS700 FPV Drone and it’s currently their most premium model. Let’s take it for a spin (and hopefully not a crash!).
What is it?
The Holy Stone HS700 FPV is a first-person view drone which you control with the included handheld remote controller and an Android or iPhone.
Hardware specs
Drone
Motor: Brushless Motor 2204 1500kV
Max Flight Height: 120 m
Max Flight Distance: 800-1000 m
Max Flight Speed: 25 km/h
Max Flight Time: 20 min
Battery Capacity: 2800 mAh
Charging Time: 7 h
Weight: 370 g
Size: 220 x 220 x 155 mm
Camera
Effective Pixels: 2 MP 1080p
Lens: 120° Wide-angle
Gimbal: 90° Manually Adjustable
Photo Size: 1920 x 1080
Video Resolution: 1080P@25fps
Remote Controller
Remote Control Range: 1 km
Transmission Frequency: 2.4 GHz
Battery: 1.5 V AA x 4
WiFi Mode
WiFi Live Stream Range: 400 m
WiFi Live Stream Frequency: 5 GHz
What’s in the box?
HS700 Drone
Remote Controller
Drone Battery
Propeller x 8
Landing Gear x 2
Camera
Camera Holder
Phone Holder
Balance Charger
Charge Transfer Box
USB Cable
Screwdriver
Propeller Spanner
Pouch
Logbook
Manual
Design and features
The HS700 FPV drone isn’t large and isn’t small, it’s jussssssst right. Seriously though, the plastic white (also available in black) body isn’t small enough that you will take it with you everywhere you go and isn’t so large that you’ll never want to take it with you.
It has a power button on the top along with the Holy Stone branding and quad propellers which you have to put on yourself. Don’t worry, it’s not hard as long as you pay attention that you put them in the right spot as there are 2 types of propellers.
Unlike the Holy Stone HS120D drone that I reviewed earlier this spring, the HS700 doesn’t have a built-in camera that you can pivot with the handheld controller while the drone is in flight. Instead, the HS700 comes with an action camera and a shock absorbing holder that you attach to the bottom of the drone. According to Holy Stone, the holder should hold most action cameras (it’s GoPro Hero 2/3/4 compatible). I wasn’t able to test that claim and just tested the drone with the 1080P camera that comes with the drone.
The back end of the drone is where the battery is housed. From what I understand, older versions of the HS700 required you to snap in the battery to power on the drone and remove it to turn off the drone. This isn’t true of the version of the HS700 which was sent to me as the drone has a dedicated power button on top.
The battery is larger than other drone batteries that I’ve tested so far and it charges with an odd looking two-piece charger that has 2 bright LEDs that let you know that the battery is connected to power and the status of the charging activity.
The first gotcha that I ran into was charging the battery because it can take 5-7hrs. No, that wasn’t a typo. It takes FOREVER to charge the HS700’s battery using the included charger and what’s worse is that for that 5-7 hour wait, you’ll only be rewarded with a 15-20 minute flight time. Ouch. For that long of a wait, I would have liked to see Holy Stone include 2 batteries with this drone instead of only 1.
A handheld remote control is included with the HS700 and is it just me, or is this remote smiling at me?
The remote controller has all the features you would guess should be available including one button take off / landing, video / image capture, etc. There’s also a small display that shows the status of the battery charge for both the drone and the remote controller, along with info on altitude, and GPS connection info.
The remote control is powered by 4 AA batteries and unfortunately, batteries are included so you will have to take a trip to the store to buy some before you can take your first flight. But that’s ok because you’ll probably need to kill several hours waiting for the drone battery to fully charge!
Let’s fly!
If you watched the video, you can see that as long as you’re not moving, the video is pretty good and relatively stable for a drone that does not have image stabilization. But once you start moving in any direction, you will notice that the video becomes shaky.
Flying the drone is pretty easy and I managed to only crash it one time over the many flights that I took with it That crash was due to flying it into a tree branch because I miss judged just how fast this little drone can fly and that’s something that you’ll want to keep in mind if you end up buying one.
I tried the features such as one button take off, landing, rotating around a subject, and the follow me feature which you can see at the 4:28 minute mark in the video above.
What I like
Easy to fly
Fast flier
Follow me feature works well
What needs to be improved
Drone battery charge time is much too long
Include batteries for remote control
Needs obstacle avoidance feature
Final thoughts
For the price, I think this drone should include an extra battery, or a faster charger, and an action camera with 4K capability. Without that, I think it’s a bit overpriced.
As far as flying and video quality, I enjoyed testing and flying the Holy Stone HS700. I think it’s a nice drone if you don’t mind the extraordinarily long time that it takes to charge the battery and you realize that the video quality is good but not mind-blowingly good.
Price: $284.99 Where to buy: Amazon Source: The sample for this review was provided by Holy Stone.
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REVIEW – I am an Audiophile! And while I love to sit in my listening environment and enjoy my main stereo, I love to listen to music even if it is not exquisitely reproduced via class A equipment. One way to always have access to music is via portable Bluetooth speakers. In most cases, I use one in a room without a music system, and while I do enjoy most of the Bluetooth speakers I own, I have always felt that they are small and lack the kind of presence in sound that I am looking for. I also find that when I want to use them beyond listening to music via my smartphone or tablet, they lack any really useful connectivity options. Enter the JBL PartyBox 300 Bluetooth speaker!!
What is it?
The JBL PartyBox 300 Bluetooth speaker is a music streaming speaker with reactive party lighting included. It features Bluetooth connectivity that also allows you to pair two compatible speakers together, or you can daisy-chain multiple speakers and systems with the RCA audio output. It provides connectivity that includes RCA and 1/8″ audio inputs, a USB input for playback from compatible drives, and dedicated 1/4″ microphone and 1/4″ guitar jacks. The speaker driver design includes two 6.5″ woofers and three 2.25″ tweeters that deliver up to 120W of RMS power. It has built-in handles, an included 12V car adapter and a built-in 18-hour 10,400 mAh battery.
What’s in the box
1 x JBL PartyBox 300 Bluetooth Speaker
1 x Quick User Guide
1 x AC Power Cord
1 x DC Cable
Design and features
Specifications Power Output: 120 W Drivers: 2 x 6.5″ Woofers; 3 x 2.25″ Tweeters Frequency Response: 45 Hz to 18 kHz Signal to Noise Ratio: 65 dB Impedance: 4 Ohms Bluetooth Version: 4.2 Supported Bluetooth Profiles: A2DP, AVRCP Bluetooth Transmitter Power: 8 dBm Bluetooth Transmitter Modulation: π/4 DQPSK, 8DPSK, GFSK Wireless Range: 33′ / 10.1 m Inputs: 1 x Stereo 2RCA (Audio); 1 x 1/8″ (3.5 mm) Stereo (Audio); 2 x 1/4″ TS (Audio); 1 x USB Type-A (Audio) Outputs: 1 x 2RCA Stereo (Audio) USB Power Output: 5 VDC at 2.1 A Battery Capacity: 10,400 mAh Battery Chemistry: Lithium-Ion Battery Voltage: 7.2 V Expected Battery Life: 18 Hours AC Input Power: 100 to 240 VAC, 50 / 60 Hz DC Input Power: 12 VDC at 8 A Power Consumption: <2 W Dimensions (W x H x D): 12.2 x 27.2 x 12.6″ Weight: 34.8 lb
Features
Powerbank
Lightshow
Bluetooth
3.5 mm audio cable Input
Auto-power off
Karaoke function
Through the front grille of the speaker, you can see the drivers, and there is a JBL logo badge in the middle of the grille.
On both the top and bottom of the speaker, there is a handle that makes it easy to lift and carry the speaker. On the top back of the speaker, there is a cluster of ports that represent all of the physical connectivity that is available on the speaker. Top row (left to right): DC port, USB input port, Auxillary port, L/R Channel Selector, L&R Volume Controls Second row (left to right): AC power jack, RCA input jacks, RCA output jacks, MIC input, Guitar input
Both sides of the speaker are the same, with a carbon fiber look and rubberized feet that allow you to safely place the speaker on either side.
Performance
This speaker is impressive to look at right out of the box. Removing it from the box was my first surprise since while it is not very heavy, it does have quite a bit of weight to it. It is solidly built. Using the included AC cord, I plugged it in and it started to charge. Since it has an AC cable, you can play the speaker while it is charging. On top of the speaker, as shown below, there are touch buttons that represent the main controls. The pictures and charts below show the layout of the buttons, their functions, and the LED status indicators and values.
On top of the back of the speaker, the connection options are clustered into one panel. They offer more connectivity than I have ever seen on any Bluetooth speaker, and they make this speaker versatile enough to be the go-to device that would fit many needs.
You can also plug in a USB drive to this speaker to play music. The following chart shows the compatible music formats: Important Note: The video below shows the speaker’s display lights in action:
I have been using this speaker almost every day and listening to various genres such as easy listening, reggae, etc and of course my primary favorite – smooth contemporary jazz. This speaker handles any genre pretty well, and I love connectivity options that even have me hooking it up to my projector at times.
I plan to take it to some of the BBQs that I will attend this summer so that we can finally enjoy music without worrying about power sources or running out of power. And, even though playing the speaker for a long time at a high volume may reduce the amount of time the battery lasts, I am very sure that it will still have power way after the BBQ is over. Its size and power allow it to provide adequate sound for a noisy large gathering, and it is not so heavy that I can’t grab it and run if the skies open up and “rain on our parade”.
Since it has so many connectivity options, I think some Karaoke is in order for this year’s events.
What I like
The build quality
The sound
The built-in battery for complete portability
The included DC cable
The light display options
The rock solid Bluetooth connectivity
The built-in handles
The connectivity options
What can be improved
For me, absolutely nothing – Maybe some waterproofing for my mischievous kids
Final thoughts
When I first saw the JBL PartyBox 300 Bluetooth speaker, I was very eager to try it. From the first time I saw the pictures, I kept looking at them over and over again. I did see it in my mind as a bit smaller than it is. I preferred a larger speaker, so I was pleasantly surprised that it is a great size. The speaker is built like a tank and the sound is great. I especially like how it handles my favorite music genre – smooth jazz. The battery seems to last forever and the option to choose between various light displays or to turn it off completely is a plus. Then there is the connectivity that allows you to use this speaker for so many different scenarios. While I have not yet hooked it up to my electric guitar, I am expecting it to shine just as it has in every other way. And to think that I can add a MIC and complete my performance, or host a Karaoke session, is something I am really looking forward to. I absolutely love this speaker, and I highly recommend it and give it two thumbs way up!!
Price: $449.95 Where to buy:JBL Website and Amazon Sample: The sample for this review was provided by JBL.
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REVIEW – Creating art on your laptop using a mouse, or on your phone/tablet using a finger is doable, but a specially designed digitizer tablet and pen can take your drawings from doodles to Dali (he’s an artist, google him).
What is it?
The Huion HS610 is a graphics drawing tablet that you can use with your Windows computer, Mac, and even an Android device.
Hardware specs
Active Area: PC mode: 254 x 158.8mm (10 x 6.25in); Phone mode: 158.8 x 99.2mm
Resolution: 5080 LPI
Report Rate: 266PPS
Pen Pressure: 8192 Levels
OS Support: Windows 7 or later， macOS 10.12 or later Android 6.0 or later
Compatible with Photoshop and other art programs
What’s in the box?
Huion HS610 Graphics Tablet
Battery-free Pen
Micro USB Cable
Pen Holder
Pen Nibs x 8
OTG Adapter (Micro USB)
OTG Adapter (USB-C)
Quick Start Guide
Design and features
The HS610 is a 13.75 x 8.25 inch sized graphics tablet that is thin and light enough that it doesn’t take up too much space or bulk in your gear bag.
It has a black plastic shell with a large drawing surface that has a slightly textured surface to give the feel of pen on paper.
Along the left side of the tablet is a touch ring that helps you easily zoom in or out of your canvas, and adjust your brush and scroll the page. The ring doesn’t rotate, it’s just touch sensitive.
There are also 12 user-defined physical express keys and along the top edge of the drawing area are 16 soft-express keys.
Note that the touch ring and express buttons CAN’T be used with Android which is a bummer.
Also on the left side of the tablet is a micro USB port which is used to both charge the tablet and connect the tablet to your computer or Android device.
The pen features 8192 levels of pen pressure sensitivity and ±60° tilt support along with a battery-free design so you won’t have to worry about it running out of juice or having to charge it on a regular basis.
The pen has replaceable nibs (extras come with the tablet) and a function button on the barrel that will let you change from brush to eraser.
The drawing tablet and pen come with a handy “ink well” to hold the pen when it’s not being used. The holder also holds the extra nibs.
Let’s draw something!
To get started using the Huion HS610, you have to first charge the drawing tablet using the included micro USB cable. Doing so will cause a tiny status LED to turn on. This LED is so small that it’s hard to see.
Once the tablet is charged, the next step is to install the driver on your Windows or Mac OS device. If you plan to use it with your Android device, you just need to make sure that it’s running Android OS 6.0 or newer and you use the OTG adapter for micro USB or USB-C.
I tested the drawing tablet with my 12inch MacBook and my Huawei P30 Pro Android smartphone.
With my MacBook, I had to install the driver software which gives you the ability to test and customize various features like the pressure sensitivity and function buttons.
I then used the drawing tablet with Photoshop on my Macbook. I really like that you don’t have to worry about your fingers or the palm of your hand getting in the way of your drawings because the HS610 only detects the pen and not your hand/fingers like an iPad might.
If you’ve never used a drawing tablet before, it does take some time to get used to looking at your computer screen while you’re drawing on the tablet instead of the “paper” under the pen tip. That said, it doesn’t take that long to get used to it.
Testing with Android is a little different. First of all, you don’t have to install a special driver. You just plug the HS610 into your phone or tablet with the included cable and OTG adapter. It works like connecting a mouse to your Android device, it shows a cursor on the screen that you can move around.
Of course, you’ll need a drawing app. I tested with Autodesk Sketchbook. Just be aware that you’ll only be able to draw on the left third of the drawing tablet which felt cramped to me. I also noticed that the pressure sensitivity does not work on Android. At least it didn’t in the Autodesk Sketchbook app.
What I like
Pen doesn’t need batteries
Can be used with Windows, Mac, and Android
Android does not require a special driver
Lots of function keys
What needs to be improved
Not compatible with iOS devices
Tablet has to be physically connected to the computer or phone
Touch ring and buttons don’t work with Android
Can only use the left third of the drawing tablet in Android mode
Final thoughts
The Huion HS610 is an affordable graphics drawing tablet that you can use with your computer, laptop, and even your Android device. It’s a shame that iOS users are left out of the fun, but that’s about the only thing to complain about with this drawing tablet. The HS610 is a fun way for artists to go digital in an inexpensive and easy way.
Price: $79.99 Where to buy: Amazon Source: The sample for this review was provided by Huion.
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REVIEW – I have too many of those USB-chargable “power banks”. I can’t seem to find one I like. I usually find the biggest one I can find and pack a bunch of cables in a bag, then never use it because I can’t be bothered to fiddle with cables when on a campout in a dark tent. The Tech Care DS01 9000mAh power bank is slim and comes with cables attached. But is it powerful enough?
That crash was due to flying it into a tree branch because I miss judged just how fast this little drone can fly and that’s something that you’ll want to keep in mind if you end up buying one.
The video below shows the speaker’s display lights in action:
