Product reveiw: Ready SIM Talk+Text+Data 7 Day: Unlimited Talk+Text + 500MB Data 4G

When we have visitors from outside US I get them a Ready Sim card. I like this specific card because it includes both data and talk/text.

The setup is very simple. I get the card in advance as it starts the count only when the card is activated. When the guests arrive I insert the SIM card into the phone, send a text message to Ready SIM which contains our zip code. A few minutes later two text responses arrive. One contains the phone number, another the expiration date. The documentation states that the phone number will be local to our location, but that is not always the case. Sometimes I get a number with an area code in another state. This has not been a problem for me, but I wanted to mention it in case it is important to someone else. The carrier I get is T-mobile which is a carrier with least extensive network so the coverage is be spotty at times.

INSTALLATION:

1. I inserted Ready SIM into the phone and turned in on.
2. When I turned on the phone I received a prompt that a new SIM card was recognized
3. I sent a text message to the Ready SIM shortcode 7850. The message body contained just my zip code.
4. Ready SIM sent back a phone number plus the expiration date of the service. The response took several minutes to arrive.
5. My data plan was automatically turned on. I was able to turn off WI FI and browse the internet without additional setup steps.

The fact that my data service was automatically turned on was a pleasant surprise. In the Ready SIM FAQ I read that some phones require a manual step to turn on data service. Some phones need to create a new Access Point Name (APN), which is located under Settings-Mobile Networks-Menu-New APN. Ready SIM documentation include the info for the new APN:
Name: "Ready SIM"
APN: "wholesale"
APN type: Internet+MMS

Overall, Ready Sim is a good solution when I have a short term need for phone and data service.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: iKross 4-in-1 Universal Windshield / Dashboard / Sun Visor / Air Vent Car Mount

In the market place where there are so many car mounts that are very similar to each other 4-in-1 iKross car mount really stands out. In addition to the windshield and dash mount iKross 4-in-1 also includes a mount that attaches to the car's vent and the car's visor.

The phone holder is universal, it opens from 1.6" to 4.1" wide and the arms extend 1.125". My Nexus phone has an extended battery which makes it much fatter than a typical smart phone. However this holder holds my big girl very securely.

★ The windshield mount held securely and the 4" arm brings the phone to a nice distance to the driver. 360 degree swivel ball joint allows full freedom of positioning.
★ The dash mount works with a disk that needs to be permanently adhered to the dash. The gel pad can be washed for longer life.
★ The mount that I was most interested was the vent mount. We use windshield mounted Nexus 7 for navigation, however occasionally we also need to refer to information on the phone and I typically have to hold it in my hands. A vent mount allows us to have both devices mounted in way that is convenient for the driver to see. The vent mount hold very well, but it took a bit of experimenting to wind a quick and easy way to mount it on the vent. I fount that the easiest way to mount it was to dissemble it and to mount the arms into the vent first (see video), then add the plate, and then attach the phone mount. The mount works on horizontal air louvre vents.
★ The visor clip put the phone an an awkward position for using during driving. I had to take my eyes off the road quite a bit and it did not feel like a good option to navigation. However, it was a pretty nice option if you wanted to use your phone as a music player that you did not have to look at.

Overall, I thought it was a nice package that gave us some unique options.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Grace Digital GDI-EGRX601 ECOXGEAR - ECOROX Waterproof Wireless Bluetooth Speaker

I am very impressed with ECOROX Bluetooth Speaker. In my video I included two small snippets of music to illustrate my review of this speaker. I used several pieces of music to test this speaker, including Bach Toccata and Fugue in D minor which is a stress test for the bass. Some speakers crackle and can't handle the bass, but Grace Digital GDI-EGRX601 ECOXGEAR Speaker handles it extremely well. As one of the top reviewers I get asked to test and review a fairly large number of speakers, as a result I am able to do a relative comparison between a large number of speakers using the same pieces of music to test them. Based on these comparisons I can say that the sound of this speaker is one of the best small speakers I have tested in the last year (top two among the speakers I tested, along with Kinivo speaker).

In the video I start with the music playing through the built-in speakers of the tablet, then turn on blue tooth and then the sound switches to the speakers. You can see how much richer, fuller, and louder the sound is when the speakers are used. There is no cracking and sound distortion even in the most challenging parts of the Bach Toccata.

The speaker is 5.5"L x 3.5"W x 2.5"H. Its weight is 10.6 oz.

The bottom of the speaker has a screw type mounting hardware (purchased separately) Grace Digital GDI-EGSCM Suction Cup Mount. I used the Suction Cup Mount to mount this speaker in my shower and it holds it very well giving me fantastic acoustics in the shower. The speaker can also be mounted on a bike using Grace Digital GDI-EGCBM Handle Bar Mount purchased separately.

I received this speaker from the manufacture for an honest review be it positive or negative. I am very impressed with this speaker, especially how it handled the bass! I hope the video gives you a good idea of what to expect.

I am several photos that show the speaker, including how it is mounted using the suction cup mount. These photos can be located by following 'customer photos' link under the main photo.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Grace Digital GDI-EGSCM Suction Cup Mount

I am using Grace Digital suction mount to mount ECOROX Bluetooth Speaker. The speaker is 5.5"L x 3.5"W x 2.5"H. Its weight is 10.6 oz. The mount holds this weight easily.

I mounted suction mount with the speaker in my shower. It has been installed over a week ago and it still holds well without needing any adjustments. The mount attaches with a vacuum seal mount and has a quick release/lock lever. The mount allows the speaker to be pivoted 360 degrees. The suction mount and the pivot give me a lot of flexibility of where to place the speaker. I put it right inside of the shower stall, so I have great acoustics when I am in the shower.

I received this suction mount from the manufacture for testing and an honest review be it positive or negative. The mount works great, the hold is very strong. It will mount well on any smooth surface.

I am posting a photo of the suction mount holding the bluetooth speaker. The photo can be located by following 'customer photos' link under the main photo.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: EC Tech Mini 2600mAh external battery power bank lipstick size

The unique feature of EC Tech Mini 2600mAh that it looks like a flash light with a charging port in it. The flashlight is quite bright. Many batteries have a small built in flashlight, but they are normally not very strong where as this one if fairly good.

I tested EC Tech Mini 2600mAh Power Pack with with Nexus 7 Tab (running ICS 4.3), Galaxy Nexus Phone (running ICS 4.2) and Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet (running ICS 4.0.4). My tests showed average results for the phone, and below average results for the tablets.

I received this power bank from the manufacturer for an honest review be it positive or negative. Top reviewers are often asked to review new battery packs and one of the benefits of being asked to test different power banks is that it gives me an opportunity to compare them to each other using the same charging test, so I can compare them using "apples to apples" comparison. This set of tests allows me to provide unbiased results as the numbers speak for the performance of each unit.

My methodology is to charge each mobile device on each port of the unit for 10 minutes and measuring how much each unit was charge in that 10 minute period. In addition I tested charging two mobile devices at the same time. Each line in the table below represents a separate 10 minute test.

I use Battery App by Elvison to determine how each device recognized the charging source. 'AC' status means the charging is at full charging rate. 'USB' status indicates charging at a lower charging rate. 'Discharging' status means that the charging rate is below the power that the device is consuming so it slows down the discharge rate but does not re-charge.

➨ General features:
======================

EC Tech Mini 2600mAh external battery weighs 1.8 oz. Its size is 4.1" x 1" diameter.

The pack has one USB output port. The package includes 4 tips, among them mini USB, micro USB and iPad. The package also contains a charging USB cable. Galaxy tab connector and lightening cable for iPad Mini are not included.

➨ Test Results:
======================

✔ Galaxy Nexus Phone
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AC ~~~~~~ 3% change in charge in 10 minutes

✔ Samsung Galaxy 7.7 tablet (using my own Galaxy tab connector cable)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AC ~~~~~~ 1% change in charge in 10 minutes

✔ Nexus 7 Tab
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AC ~~~~~~ 0% change in charge in 10 minutes

➨ Key findings:
======================
✔ This external battery works well as emergency power a phone or as a rechargeable flash light. This is not the best small factor external battery I have tested, but it has the brightness flash light of all the external batteries that I have tested. I keep in the car as a rechargeable flash light, and just in case I need power for an emergency phone call.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: EC Tech 7800 mAh Power Pack External Battery for Nexus, Samsung, Apple iPad

I tested EC Tech 7800 mAh Power Pack with with Nexus 7 Tab (running ICS 4.3), Galaxy Nexus Phone (running ICS 4.2) and Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet (running ICS 4.0.4). Overall, the tests show good results.

I received this power bank from the manufacturer for an honest review be it positive or negative. Top reviewers are often asked to review new battery packs and one of the benefits of being asked to test different power banks is that it gives me an opportunity to compare them to each other using the same charging test, so I can compare them using "apples to apples" comparison. This set of tests allows me to provide unbiased results as the numbers speak for the performance of each unit.

My methodology is to charge each mobile device on each port of the unit for 10 minutes and measuring how much each unit was charge in that 10 minute period. In addition I tested charging two mobile devices at the same time. Each line in the table below represents a separate 10 minute test.

I use Battery App by Elvison to determine how each device recognized the charging source. 'AC' status means the charging is at full charging rate. 'USB' status indicates charging at a lower charging rate. 'Discharging' status means that the charging rate is below the power that the device is consuming so it slows down the discharge rate but does not re-charge.

➨ General features:
======================

EC Tech 7800 mAh external battery weighs 6.6 oz. Its size is 2.75" x 3.75" x 0.875".

The pack has 2 USB output ports. The package includes 4 tips: PSP, Mini USB, Micro USB, Apple. It also has two adapter cables. Galaxy tab connector and lightening cable for iPad Mini are not included. The battery pack has a small LED flashlight built into it.

➨ Test Results:
======================

✔ Samsung Galaxy 7.7 tablet (using my own Galaxy tab connector cable)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Port 1: AC ~~~~~~ 2% change in charge in 10 minutes
Port 2: AC ~~~~~~ 4% change in charge in 10 minutes

✔ Nexus 7 Tab
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Port 1: AC ~~~~~~ 3% change in charge in 10 minutes
Port 2: AC ~~~~~~ 4% change in charge in 10 minutes

✔ Galaxy Nexus Phone
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Port 1: AC ~~~~~~ 3% change in charge in 10 minutes
Port 2: AC ~~~~~~ 4% change in charge in 10 minutes

✔ Galaxy Nexus Phone and Nexus 7 Tab together
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Port 1: AC ~~~~~~ 3% change in charge in 10 minutes (Galaxy Nexus Phone)
Port 2: AC ~~~~~~ 1% change in charge in 10 minutes (Nexus 7 Tab)

➨ Key finding:
======================
✔ This external battery worked equally well for the phone and the tablets. It is not the fastest external battery I have tested, but its performance is very respectable.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Grace Digital GDI-EGSCM Suction Cup Mount

I am using Grace Digital suction mount to mount ECOROX Bluetooth Speaker. The speaker is 5.5"L x 3.5"W x 2.5"H. Its weight is 10.6 oz. The mount holds this weight easily.

I mounted suction mount with the speaker in my shower. It has been installed over a week ago and it still holds well without needing any adjustments. The mount attaches with a vacuum seal mount and has a quick release/lock lever. The mount allows the speaker to be pivoted 360 degrees. The suction mount and the pivot give me a lot of flexibility of where to place the speaker. I put it right inside of the shower stall, so I have great acoustics when I am in the shower.

I received this suction mount from the manufacture for testing and an honest review be it positive or negative. The mount works great, the hold is very strong. It will mount well on any smooth surface.

I am posting a photo of the suction mount holding the bluetooth speaker. The photo can be located by following 'customer photos' link under the main photo.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Sendy 5200mAh High Capacity Portable Power Backup External Battery

I tested Sendy 5200mAh power bank with Nexus 7 Tablet (JellyBean 4.2.2), Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet (ICS 4.0.4), and Samsung Galaxy Nexus cell phone (JellyBean 4.2.2), iPad Mini and Sansa Clip+ MP3.

I received this power bank from the manufacture for an honest review be it positive or negative. One of the benefits of being requested to test different power banks is that it gives me an opportunity to compare them to each other using the same charging test, so I can compare them using "apples to apples" comparison. This set of tests allows me to provide unbiased results as the numbers speak for the performance of each unit.

These comparison tests reveal that Sendy power bank works very well with Android devices (particularly the Galaxy Tab which is often the worst performer), but did NOT work with my iPad Mini.

The size of the power bank is 4" x 1.75" x 0.75". It weight 4.5 oz on my digital scale. In addition to being a charge it also has a built-in LED light. The light is not very bright, but better than nothing in an emergency situation.

My methodology for testing power banks is to charge each mobile device for 10 minutes and measuring how much each unit was charged in that 10 minute period. Each line in the table below represents a separate 10 minute test.

I use Battery App by Elvison to determine how each device recognized the charging source. 'AC' status means the charging is at full charging rate. 'USB' status indicates charging at a lower charging rate. 'Discharging' status means that the charging rate is below the power that the device is consuming so it slows down the discharge rate but does not re-charge.

✔ Nexus 7 Tablet
--------------
Charging cable -- AC ............. 1% change in charge in 10 minutes

✔ Samsung Galaxy Nexus Phone
--------------------------
Charging cable -- AC ............. 4% change in charge in 10 minutes
Data cable ------ AC ............. 1% change in charge in 10 minutes

✔ Samsung Galaxy Tablet 7.7
--------------------------
Charging cable -- AC ............. 5% change in charge in 10 minutes

✔ iPad Mini
--------------------------
iPad Mini cable -- power source not recognized ............. 1% dischage in 10 minutes

✔ Sansa Clip+ MP3
--------------------------
When I charge Sansa MP3 with a standard AC charger, the MP3 player goes into charging mode, displaying the charging animated icon. When it is plugged into the Sendy power bank the MP3 continued to play the content. This is a great benefit for MP3 player with built-in battery, this means I charge and listen at the same time and I do not have to wait for the battery to recharge.

I am attaching a collage of 4 photos, which can be located by following 'customer photos' link under the main photo:

Photo #1 shows everything that came in the package, USB cable with interchangeable tips and a small bag for carrying the power bank.
Photo #2 shows the power bank next to Sansa MP3 player for size reference
Photo #3 shows Galaxy Tab with the battery app showing results
Photo #4 shows iPad Mini which did not recognize the power shot (when it does a white plug icon is displayed on the app screen)

Overall:
------------------
Excellent performance for Android devices, does not work with iPad Mini. Nice size for travel.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Bolse® M3 6600mAh Dual Port External Battery Pack

I tested Bolse M3 (6600 mAh) Power Pack with Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet (running ICS 4.0.4) and iPad Mini. It showed exceptionally good behavior with iPad Mini and average performance with Galaxy Tablet.

I received this power bank from the manufacturer for an honest review be it positive or negative. Top reviewers are often asked to review new battery packs and one of the benefits of being asked to test different power banks is that it gives me an opportunity to compare them to each other using the same charging test, so I can compare them using "apples to apples" comparison. This set of tests allows me to provide unbiased results as the numbers speak for the performance of each unit.

My methodology is to charge each mobile device on each port of the unit for 10 minutes and measuring how much each unit was charge in that 10 minute period. In addition I tested charging two mobile devices at the same time. Each line in the table below represents a separate 10 minute test.

I use Battery App by Elvison to determine how each device recognized the charging source. 'AC' status means the charging is at full charging rate. 'USB' status indicates charging at a lower charging rate. 'Discharging' status means that the charging rate is below the power that the device is consuming so it slows down the discharge rate but does not re-charge.

➨ General features:
======================

Bolse M3 external battery weighs 5.7 oz. Its size is 2.375" x 4" x 0.75".

The pack has two USB output ports. The package include 3 tips, among them mini USB and iPad. The package also contains a micro USB cable. Galaxy tab connector and lightening cable for iPad Mini were not included and I used my own charging cables for the test below. Some external batteries include a small flashlight, this external battery does not.

➨ Test Results:
======================

✔ Samsung Galaxy 7.7 tablet (using my own Galaxy tab connector cable)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Smart: AC ~~~~~~ 3% change in charge in 10 minutes
iPad: AC ~~~~~~~ 2% change in charge in 10 minutes

✔ iPad Mini tablet (using my own lightening connector cable)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Smart: AC ~~~~~~ 6% change in charge in 10 minutes
iPad: AC ~~~~~~~ 6% change in charge in 10 minutes

✔ iPad Mini and Samsung Galaxy 7.7 tablet at the same time
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Smart: AC ~~~~~~ 2% change in charge in 10 minutes (Galaxy Tablet)
iPad: AC ~~~~~~~ 5% change in charge in 10 minutes (iPad Mini)

➨ Key finding:
======================
✔ This external battery has exceptionally good behavior with iPad Mini, and average performance with Galaxy Tablet. Overall it earned a 5 star rating.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Yubi Power YP250ABLU 2500mAh Ultra Compact Lipstick Size Portable Power Bank

I tested Yubi Power YP250ABLU 2500mAh Ultra Compact power bank with Nexus 7 Tablet (JellyBean 4.2.2), Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet (ICS 4.0.4), and Samsung Galaxy Nexus cell phone (JellyBean 4.2.2), iPad Mini and Sansa Clip+ MP3.

I own several wall chargers and power bricks and run the same set on tests on each of them, so I can be compare them to each other using "apples to apples" comparison. This set of tests allows me to provide unbiased results as the numbers speak for the performance of each unit.

These comparison tests reveal that this charger provides pretty good speed of charging and capacity (even though it is not the fastest or has the most capacity), however it is unbeaten in its compact size.

The size of the power bank is 3.75" x 0.75" x 0.75". It weighs 2.9 oz on my digital scale. It is quite compact, however I need to point that the lipstick comparison is slightly exaggerated. I am attaching a photo collage of 6 photos, and Photo #5 show this power bank next to a couple of lipsticks for relative size comparison. The photos can be located by following 'customer photos' link under the main photo in this listing.

My methodology for testing power banks is to charge each mobile device for 10 minutes and measuring how much each unit was charged in that 10 minute period. Each line in the table below represents a separate 10 minute test.

I use Battery App by Elvison to determine how each device recognized the charging source. 'AC' status means the charging is at full charging rate. 'USB' status indicates charging at a lower charging rate. 'Discharging' status means that the charging rate is below the power that the device is consuming so it slows down the discharge rate but does not re-charge. Photo #1 show what the Battery App shows during one of the tests.

✔ Nexus 7 Tablet
--------------
chargind cable -- AC ............. 3% change in charge in 10 minutes

✔ Samsung Galaxy Nexus Phone
--------------------------
charging cable -- AC ............. 5% change in charge in 10 minutes
data cable ------ USB............. 0% change in charge in 10 minutes

✔ Samsung Galaxy Tablet 7.7
--------------------------
charging cable -- AC ............. 3% change in charge in 10 minutes

***Note for Samsung Tablet users*** Yubi power provides Samsung Tablet connector tips free on request. If you already have interchageable connector cables (this unit does not come with interchangeable tip cables) these Samsung tablet tips give me much better speed of charging then using a cable that came with my Galaxy tablet.

✔ iPad Mini
--------------------------
iPad Mini cable -- AC ............. 3% change in charge in 10 minutes

In addition to 10 minute charge speed tests, I ran two other tests:

✔ iPad Mini
--------------------------
Starting with iPad Mini discharged and Yubi Power Bank full I was able to charge iPad Mini to 29% full at which point the power bank was out of power (about 3 hours)

✔ Sansa Clip+ MP3
--------------------------
When I charge Sansa MP3 with a standard AC charger, the MP3 player goes into charging mode, displaying the charging animated icon. When it is plugged into the Yubi Power Ultra Compact power bank the MP3 continued to play the content. This is a great benefit for MP3 player with built-in battery, this means I charge and listen at the same time. I do not have to wait for the battery to recharge. Photo #6 shows Sansa next to the power bank for relative size comparison.

I received this unit for evaluation, testing, and review from the manufacture. Running a set of standard test allows me to provide unbiased numeric evaluation and comparison of different units. Based on this comparison this unit measures up very well.

➨ Overall:
------------------
Great size power bank to have on the go. Very good performance for a unit of such a compact size. When I exercise this is the power bank I take with me.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Bolse® 3.1 Amp Dual USB Port High Output Car Charger 15w

I tested Bolse 3.1 Amp Dual USB Car Charger with Nexus 7 Tablet (JellyBean 4.2.2), Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet (ICS 4.0.4), and Samsung Galaxy Nexus cell phone (JellyBean 4.2.2).

I own several car chargers and ran the same set on tests on each of them to provide unbiased results as the numbers speak for the performance of the unit.

To test Bolse car charger I ran my 10 minute test for each of my 3 devices on each of the 2 ports for a total of 6 tests. I repeated the same tests with a data cable and with a charging cable. The results of these 12 tests are included in the tables below.

I am attaching a collage of 4 photos labeled with numbers 1 through 4 under customer photos that I will be referencing in this review. You can locate this photo by following 'customer photos' link under the main photo.

Photo #1 shows the charger on a gridded mat next a pen for size reference. The car charger is 3.5" long. The charger's face is 1.25" by 1".

Photo #2 and #3 show how the charger fits into our two cars. It has a relatively log neck and fits very well in both car configurations. It goes in firmly, forms a good contact, and stays plugged in well even over rough roads. The charger has two outlets labelled 1.0 AMP and 2.1 AMP.

Photo #3 shows one of the tables during the testing. I use Battery App by Elvison to determine how each device recognized the charging source. 'AC' status means the charging is at full charging rate. 'USB' status indicates charging at a lower charging rate. 'Discharging' status means that the charging rate is below the power that the device is consuming so it slows down the discharge rate but does not re-charge.

My methodology is to charge each mobile device on each port of the unit for 10 minutes and measuring how much each unit was charge in that 10 minute period. Each line in the table below represents a separate 10 minute test

The key findings:
(1) Samsung Galaxy 7.7 cannot be charged with this car charger with either port
(2) Both Nexus phone and Nexus 7 tablet running Jelly Bean 4.21 charged at AC rate on both ports.

The table below summarizes my findings:

Nexus 7 Tablet
--------------
1 AMP port.......AC rate.....1% charge increase (data cable)
2.1 AMP port.....AC rate.....1% charge increase (data cable)

1 AMP port.......AC rate.....1% charge increase (charging cable)
2.1 AMP port.....AC rate.....2% charge increase (charging cable)

Samsung Galaxy Nexus Phone
--------------------------
1 AMP port.......AC rate.....2% charge increase (data cable)
2.1 AMP port.....AC rate.....3% charge increase (data cable)

1 AMP port.......AC rate.....4% charge increase (charging cable)
2.1 AMP port.....AC rate.....3% charge increase (charging cable)

Samsung Galaxy Tablet 7.7
--------------------------
1 AMP port.......AC rate.....discharging (data cable)
2.1 AMP port.....AC rate.....discharging (data cable)

1 AMP port.......AC rate.....discharging (charging cable)
2.1 AMP port.....AC rate.....discharging (charging cable)

I received this car charger from the manufacture for an honest review be it positive or negative. Running the same set of test on all the chargers I own allows me to provide an unbiased review. By comparing the results of the tests for chis charger to the other car chargers I tested, this car charger earned a 5 star rating. The only thing this charger did not do well is handle my Samsung tablet. However neither did other generic car chargers, Samsung tablet only works well with the car charger made by Samsung.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Plugable 12 Outlet Power Surge Protector with Built-in Dual USB Charging Ports

Plugable 12 Outlet power surge protector provides 12 power outlets and 2 USB ports. 4 of the AC outlets are set away from the others so I could plug in my battery rechargers without covering any other outlets. The power strips measures 12" x 6" x 1", has a 6 foot cord. It claims 4320 Joules of surge protection for all 12 power outlets. The switch on the side of the power strip servers the role of power switch as well as the circuit breaker switch.
  I am attaching a collage of 2 photos : Photo #1 shows a variety of battery chargers, USB chargers, and a regular size small plug in this power strip. I found the outlets well spaced out to fit my needs. Photo #2 shows one minor annoyance I found in this strip. Both sides of the strip glow with green LED lights that cannot be turned on. It seems fashionable for every device to glow in the dark, I wish this was an optional light with a way to turn it off.

To test the USB ports I ran the test I use to test all chargers and power banks. The benefit of running the same test on all devices is that it allows me to compare them to each other in "apples to apples" comparison. My methodology is to charge each mobile device on each port of the unit for 10 minutes and measuring how much each unit was charge in that 10 minute period. Each line in the table below represents a separate 10 minute test.

I use Battery App by Elvison to determine how each device recognized the charging source. 'AC' status means the charging is at full charging rate. 'USB' status indicates charging at a lower charging rate. 'Discharging' status means that the charging rate is below the power that the device is consuming so it slows down the discharge rate but does not re-charge.

iPad Mini
_________

Port 1................ 2%.....AC
Port 2................ 2%.....AC

Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet
_________________________

Port 1................ 0%.....discharging with data cable
Port 1................ 2%.....AC with charging cable
Port 2................ 0%.....discharging with data cable
Port 2................ 2%.....AC with charging cable

iPad Mini and Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet at the same time
_________________________________________________________
Port 1................ 2%.....AC (iPad Mini)
Port 2................ 3%.....AC with charging cable (Galaxy tab)
Port 1................ 2%.....AC with charging cable (Galaxy tab)
Port 2................ 2%.....AC (iPad Mini)

These charging rates fall in the middle range of my tests, not as good as the fastest chargers but not the slowest. Given that it a bonus functionality on the well spaced power strip I am satisfied with this performance.

Plugable products offers a one year limited warranty against any defects in materials or workmanship. The warranty information can be located on Plugable web site by selecting "Support/Warranty" from the top menu of their website (and the website name is the product name followed by dot com). They state that they will repair or replace products which fail because of any defect in the first year after purchase.

Plugable provided this unit to me for testing, evaluation and review be it positive or negative. I am very pleased with the layout of the outlets. The USB ports provided reasonable speed of charging even though they were not as fast as the best rapid chargers I own. Overall, I recommend it.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: FRIEQ® Universal Waterproof Case With Waterproof External Earphone

My husband uses his Nexus Galaxy phone with Hyperion Verizon Samsung Galaxy Nexus 3800mAh. In the past we have tried several waterproof cases that do not fit this phone as the extended battery makes it significantly fatter than a typical smart phone. This waterproof case fits!

I am including a collage of 4 photos that I will be referencing in this review.

 Photo #1 is showing the thickness of the phone with its extended battery for size reference.

The waterproof case is 7" by 4" (not counting the hard closure mechanism) in size. Photo #3 shows the Nexus phone being inserted into the case.

Photo #2 shows the audio plug built into the case.

Photo #4 shows ear buds attached to the audio port playing music. My husband was able to turn on the phone and start Pandora app through the plastic case without any problems. The audio port worked very well.
The case is also has a clear section in the back, so it is possible to take photos while the camera is in the case.

This case is rated for 100 feet submersion. However, we are more likely to use this case in the rain. My husband has damaged one of his previous smart phones by using it in a downpour, having a case like this would have prevented the damage. I tested the case by putting it under the faucet first without the phone and then with the phone in the case. The content remained dry.

I was provided a sample case for testing and for writing a fair and unbiased review. Thumbs up! Finally a case that fits even this fat phone.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Brightech - BT Remote - Bluetooth Multi-Media & Camera Remote Control for iPhone iPad Nexus Samsung Galaxy

I tested this bluetooth remote with Nexus 7 Tablet (JellyBean 4.2.2), Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet (ICS 4.0.4), and Samsung Galaxy Nexus cell phone (JellyBean 4.2.2). All three devices worked very well. According to documentation the remote is also compatible with all iPhone devices and Laptops running Windows XP and Windows 7 if they have bluetooth capabilities.

I am attaching a collage of 4 photos that I will be referencing in this review.

The remote is 3 5/8 inches in length by 1 3/8 inches in width, it is 1/4 inches thick.

The bottom panel of the remote slides down to reveal a keyboard which is used for pairing the device with your mobile device. You can see the keyboard in photos 2,3,4. The keyboard keys are tiny and fairly difficult to press accurately. To activate the pairing mode you need to hit the right most key on the top row. The remote shows up as "UConnect" in the list of Bluetooth devices (see photo #2) for Nexus 7 Tablet and Samsung Galaxy Nexus phone. It shows upas "Bluetooth Media Control" on Samsun Galaxy 7.7 tab. When your mobile device detects the remote it will prompt you to enter the randomly generated security code displayed on the screen on the key pad of the remote (see photo #3 and photo #4). You only have to do this once, the next time you connect the device it remembers the security code.

The remote can control the volume level of of the mobile devices (tested with Pandora and TuneRadio apps). For MP3 players it can perform fast forward, reverse, pause/play operations.

I also tested the remote for activating the Camera/Video recorder and it worked smoothly.

Remote Presenter capability only works for Apple devices (it requires Mac Air, Mac Book Pro, iMac or Mac Mini). Siri capability is available for iPhone 4S and later.

I received this remote from the manufacture to share my experiences with it (positive and negative) with potential future buyers. I have no financial interest or business relationship with the manufacturer, and this review represents my independent opinion of the product.

Overall, I was impressed with this remote control. It looks sleek, it works well. My favorite use for the remote control is for controlling Grace Digital ECOXGEAR waterproof bluetooth speaker that has no volume control. I keep the speaker in the bathroom so I can listen to it while taking the shower. Brightech remote control allows me to change volume and pause the sound something I have not been able to do before.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Hipe Waterproof Wireless Bluetooth Shower Speaker

This speaker looks like a toy, but don't let the looks fool you. It sounds really good. I am attaching a video which demonstrates the sound: first with the speaker on and then, for comparison, turning off the speaker so the sounds comes through the tablet speaker. I am also attaching a collage of three photos that I will be referencing in this review.

The speaker is 8 inches wide, 3.25 inches tall, and 1.75" thick. It weight 9.9 inches. It comes in two colors: black and white.

The front of the speaker (see photo #1 for reference) has controls that allow you to to turn the speaker on and off, change volume, skip forward and backwards, go to the end, and use the phone. The little port hole above the command dial is the microphone.

The back of the speaker (see photo #2 for reference) has a watertight seal covering the compartment that has a charging port (5V IN), on/off switch, and Power out DC 5V port. The difference between the front on/off switch and the back on/off switch is that the front switch leaves the unit in stand by mode. The switch in the back can be used when you don't want to drain the battery.

The speaker has built in handle that can be used to hang the speaker in the shower (see photo #3 for reference).
 

 
The speaker's sound is very good, it is very clear and crisp at all ranges. The volume can be made fairly loud (I put it to the max in the video). In a small room like the bathroom it sounded especially good. I was also glad that it had controls right on the speaker. When the reminder alarm went off on my tablet while I was in the shower and unable to turn it off, I was able to switch off the speaker so I did not have to listen to the ding of the reminder for 10 minutes until it would automatically shut off.

To pair the speaker with your device you need to turn the unit on and then hold the on button for a few seconds until the light on the front start flushing red and blue color. While it is flashing red and blue you can scan for bluetooth devices on your phone/tablet and it this speaker will appear as HIP400. Documentation says that if you are prompted for the password enter 1234. I was not prompted for the password.

I received this speaker from the manufacture for evaluation and an honest review. I hope the video will give you a good idea of what to expect in terms of the quality of the sound. I really like this speaker, I like it better than the bluetooth shower speaker I have been using previously. While both have good sound, Hipe speaker has controls right on the speaker and that makes it much more convenient.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Bolse® Dual Desktop Charger Cradle Dock with Spare Battery Charging Slot

The idea of having a dock which can charge the phone as well as an extra battery outside the phone at the same time was very appealing to me, as my husband uses the cell phone for business and it gets a lot of use. He uses Nexus Galaxy phone with Hyperion Verizon Samsung Galaxy Nexus 3800mAh Extended Battery which makes the phone extra thick.  I tested the dock with both regular slim battery and the extra thick extended battery.

I am attaching a collage of 4 photos that I will be referencing in this review.

The first photo shows that the dock did not fit the phone when it had the thick extended battery installed. Photo #2 shows the bottom of the phone and extra thickness this battery forms.  The phone with the regular battery fit without problems.

Photo #3 shows the extended battery in the dock, the contacts of the battery did not line up with the contacts of the charger due to the thickness of the battery.  The green light on the dock indicates that the dock is plugged in, not that the charging is happening.

Photo #4 shows a regular battery in the dock, and it the charging of the regular size battery worked without a problem.

I received this item for an honest review and shared both positives and negatives aspects of my experience with this dock.

Overall, if you have a phone with a regular size battery this device works without problems.  If you use extended battery in your phone this charging dock is not for you. 


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Bolse 3.1 Amp Dual USB Car Charger with Nexus 7 Tablet, Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet, and Samsung Galaxy Nexus cell phone

Review of Bolse 3.1 Amp Car charger

I tested Bolse 3.1 Amp Dual USB Car Charger with Nexus 7 Tablet (JellyBean 4.2.2), Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet (ICS 4.0.4), and Samsung Galaxy Nexus cell phone (JellyBean 4.2.2).

I own several car chargers and ran the same set on tests on each of them to provide unbiased results as the numbers speak for the performance of the unit.

To test Bolse car charger I ran my 10 minute test for each of my 3 devices on each of the 2 ports for a total of 6 tests. I repeated the same tests with a data cable and with a charging cable. The results of these 12 tests are included in the tables below.

I am attaching a collage of 4 photos labeled with numbers 1 through 4 under customer photos that I will be referencing in this review. You can locate this photo by following 'customer photos' link under the main photo.

Photo #1 shows the charger on a gridded mat next a pen for size reference. The car charger is 3.5" long. The charger's face is 1.25" by 1".

Photo #2 and #3 show how the charger fits into our two cars. It has a relatively log neck and fits very well in both car configurations. It goes in firmly, forms a good contact, and stays plugged in well even over rough roads. The charger has two outlets labelled 1.0 AMP and 2.1 AMP.

Photo #3 shows one of the tables during the testing. I use Battery App by Elvison to determine how each device recognized the charging source. 'AC' status means the charging is at full charging rate. 'USB' status indicates charging at a lower charging rate. 'Discharging' status means that the charging rate is below the power that the device is consuming so it slows down the discharge rate but does not re-charge.

My methodology is to charge each mobile device on each port of the unit for 10 minutes and measuring how much each unit was charge in that 10 minute period. Each line in the table below represents a separate 10 minute test

The key findings:
(1) Samsung Galaxy 7.7 cannot be charged with this car charger with either port
(2) Both Nexus phone and Nexus 7 tablet running Jelly Bean 4.21 charged at AC rate on both ports.

The table below summarizes my findings:

Nexus 7 Tablet
--------------
1 AMP port.......AC rate.....1% charge increase (data cable)
2.1 AMP port.....AC rate.....1% charge increase (data cable)

1 AMP port.......AC rate.....1% charge increase (charging cable)
2.1 AMP port.....AC rate.....2% charge increase (charging cable)

Samsung Galaxy Nexus Phone
--------------------------
1 AMP port.......AC rate.....2% charge increase (data cable)
2.1 AMP port.....AC rate.....3% charge increase (data cable)

1 AMP port.......AC rate.....4% charge increase (charging cable)
2.1 AMP port.....AC rate.....3% charge increase (charging cable)

Samsung Galaxy Tablet 7.7
--------------------------
1 AMP port.......AC rate.....discharging (data cable)
2.1 AMP port.....AC rate.....discharging (data cable)

1 AMP port.......AC rate.....discharging (charging cable)
2.1 AMP port.....AC rate.....discharging (charging cable)

I received this car charger from the manufacture for an honest review be it positive or negative. Running the same set of test on all the chargers I own allows me to provide an unbiased review. By comparing the results of the tests for chis charger to the other car chargers I tested, this car charger earned a 5 star rating. The only thing this charger did not do well is handle my Samsung tablet. However neither did other generic car chargers, Samsung tablet only works well with the car charger made by Samsung.
You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Intocircuit Power Castle Series PC11200 11200mAh Heavy Duty 5V 2A/1A Dual USB Ports External Battery Pack with Nexus 7 Tablet, Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet , and Samsung Galaxy Nexus cell phone

I tested Intocircuit Power Castle Series PC11200 11200mAh Heavy Duty 5V 2A/1A Dual USB Ports External Battery Pack with Nexus 7 Tablet (JellyBean 4.2.2), Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet (ICS 4.0.4), and Samsung Galaxy Nexus cell phone (JellyBean 4.2.2).

I own several external battery packs.  To test their performance I run the same set on tests on each of them in order to provide unbiased results as the numbers speak for the performance of each unit.

To test Intocircuit power pack I ran my 10 minute test for each of my 3 devices on each of the 2 ports for a total of 6 tests. In addition I charged both Nexus phone and Nexus Tablet at the same time, one in each port. The results of these 7 tests are included in the tables below.

I am attaching a collage of 2 photos. You can locate this photo by following 'customer photos' link under the main photo.

Photo #1 shows the power brick on the digital scale, its weight is 9.9 oz. The size of the power pack is 2.625" by 4.375" by 0.875".

Photo #2 shows the top of the unit which has an LED screen showing the level of charge.  Next to the screen there is a small lack button which turns on the LED light. The light is pretty dim. Some other power bricks I have have a much brighter light, however this is not a key feature of the battery pack and the underpowered light did not effect my rating of this unit.

This power pack has two outlets, they are not labelled.

I use Battery App by Elvison to determine how each device recognized the charging source. 'AC' status means the charging is at full charging rate. 'USB' status indicates charging at a lower charging rate. 'Discharging' status means that the charging rate is below the power that the device is consuming so it slows down the discharge rate but does not re-charge.

My methodology is to charge each mobile device on each port of the unit for 10 minutes and measuring how much each unit was charge in that 10 minute period. Each line in the table below represents a separate 10 minute test.

The key findings:
(1) Both Nexus phone and Nexus 7 tablet (both running Jelly Bean 4.21) charged at AC rate on both ports.
(2) Samsung Galaxy 7.7 works, but show different behaviors on the two ports

The table below summarizes my findings:

Nexus 7 Tablet
--------------
right port.......AC rate.....1% charge increase
left port........AC rate.....2% charge increase


Samsung Galaxy Nexus Phone
--------------------------
right port.......AC rate.....5% charge increase (among the best rates in my tests)
left port........AC rate.....5% charge increase (among the best rates in my tests)


Nexus 7 Tablet and Samsung Galaxy Nexus Phone at the same time
--------------------------------------------------------------
Tablet...........AC rate.....1% charge increase
Phone............AC rate.....5% charge increase (among the best rates in my tests)


Samsung Galaxy Tablet 7.7
--------------------------
right port.......AC rate..... 1% charge increase
left port........AC rate..... discharging if screen is on, 1% charge increase if screen is off

In addition to the tests above we used Nexus 7 Tablet to navigate during a several hour trip while plugged into Intocircuit Power Castle Series PC11200 11200mAh external battery (rather than the car charger).  Nexus 7 remained charged at 100% at the end of the trip.

I received this battery pack from the manufacture for an honest review be it positive or negative. Running the same set of test on all my external batteries allows me to provide an unbiased review. By comparing the results of the tests for this battery to the other external batteries I tested, this power pack earned a 5 star rating.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: i-Ecko Eco-Friendly Speakers for mobile devies, wired

At the price point of i-Ecko speakers I did not expect them to be great speakers, but I hoped that they would be better than the built-in speakers of my tablet. They fell somewhat short of that expectation. I made a video where the same music is being played by my tablet with these speakers, my tablet using built-in speakers, and finally the same song played by a fairly inexpensive bluetooth speaker of a similar size. In the video the i-Ecko speakers are pointing right into the camera, where the tablet speaker is pointing to the side, despite this advantage the built-in speaker at times sounds louder than external speakers. The final segment of the video with the bluetooth speaker (the best overall sound) provides another reference point.



i-Ecko speakers have no volume control of their own, they are controlled by the volume settings on the device. As you see in my video I put the volume control to the max.  The speakers do not have the battery or AC cord and run from the power from your device.
 

The case for these speakers is made out of cardboard. You can create a triangular shaped case for each speaker by folding cardboard tabs. Folding the tabs are important for creating a reasonace chamber. I tested the speakers with and without tucking in the tabs, and the sound was weaker without the folded tabs.
   
I am attaching a couple of photos which show the folding process.   This process is a little fussy, I found that doing all bottom tabs and then all the top tabs was the easiest way to keep tabs from popping out.

For travel purposes in a tightly stuffed luggage the cardboard should be disassembled to avoid tearing the cardboard tabs by something pushing on them. The cardboard case is unlikely to hold up for a long time, but given the price this is not a big issue.

I really wanted to like these speakers: inexpensive and eco-friendly is a good combination. However, I was disappointed. The main issue I had with them that I did not think the sound was better than the built-in speakers. I hope the video will help you decide for yourself.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



I was provided a sample unit for evaluation and unbiased review.

Ali Julia review ★★☆☆☆

Product review: FRIEQ® Wide Grip Capacitive Stylus for Touchscreen Devices

This stylus is 4.7" long and 1.75" in diameter at the grip point.

I am attaching a collage of three photos (which can be located by following 'customer photos' link under the main photo) that I will be referencing in this review

I LIKE
---------------
1. Comes in a nice looking box (Stylus shown in the opened box in Photo#1). The presentation looks nice for an inexpensive but impressive looking gift.

2. Sensitivity and performance was good. I most frequently use the stylus for typing and editing text as it gives me best precision for positioning insertion point between characters.

I DO NOT LIKE
---------------

1. This stylus is quite heavy. It weight 1.4 oz my digital scale (by comparison the weight of this other  FRIEQ stylus  is 0.4 oz). I had two issues with this heftier weight: (1) the weight made it less comfortable to hold when used for a long time, (2) if the stylus dropped on glass surface it has potential of damaging it.

2. It has no clip to secure it while carrying it around. Given that this stylus is rather heavy it would be better if I could secure it.

3. This stylus as the name implies has a wide grip. I am a female with small hands and I did not find it comfortable to hold. Note that my husband found it comfortable. Photo #3 shows my grip as I use this stylus.

Overall, this stylus is best suited for people with large hands. It has an "expensive" look when presented in its box, so it makes a nice small gift.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Note: I was provided a free sample for evaluation and unbiased review.