Product review: iProducts Universal Laptop Charger with USB Charging Station

iProducts charger  is a universal charger with one laptop port, two smart ports (blue), and four regular ports (white).  The charger is compact (3.5" x 2.75" X 7/8")  and light (4.75 oz).  Its size and weight is excellent for traveling. On the negative side the port markings are written in very small font in the back and are hard to read. However, once you know what they are the color coding really helps.

The 10 laptop tips are marked to be compatible with major brands (I am including a photo with manufacturer's card that identifies the plugs).  However, even though Lenovo is listed it did not fit my laptop (Lenovo W530).

One of the connectors worked with a digital clock that I lost the connector for, so I was very happy with this unexpected bonus.

I tested two Nexus Android phones -  Nexus 6p takes type C connector and Nexus 5 takes a micro USB connector.  Both worked but not at optimal rate I have seen for each phone.

• Type-C connector on regular port, battery level 43% (at this level the phone does fast charging if charger allows it) 1050 mA max, 690 mA min.
• Type-C connector on smart port, battery level 39% (at this level the phone does fast charging if charger allows it) 880 mA max, 750 mA min.
• The best charging rate I got for this phone and this cable with another charger with battery level at 30-40% was around 2000 mA.

• Micro USB connector on smart plug, battery level 80% 500 mA max, 500 mA min.
• Micro USB connector on regular plug, battery level 80% 500 mA max, 500 mA min.
• The best charging rate I got for this phone and this cable with another charger with battery level at 80% was around 1000 mA.

Overall, I thought the charger was OK - very good size and weight for travel, but  for my phones the charging was not optimal.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Oittm USB-C Charger with Type-C Port & 2 USB Ports

This wall charger has 3 ports: one type-C port and two USB ports. I am using this wall charger with Nexus 6p (type-C USB connection) and Nexus 5 (mini USB connection).

To judge how well this wall charger works I compared its performance with the type-C charger provided by Google that came in the package with Nexus 6p.  You see the resuls in attached photos, they show that Google charger charged the phone faster.

For Nexus 5 both mini USB ports worked in line with other wall chargers.

This wall charger is 3.75" x 275" x 1" thick. It has a long cord with a regular size plug which takes up only one slot on the power strip.  Even though it gives up some charging speed to Google charger it is convenient that it has both mini USB and Type-C ports especially when I travel.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Type C Car Charger by Segawoot Direct

This is my second car charger with a type-C port. The first one was a disappointment - it did not do rapid charging with my Nexus 6p. This car charger does!

Nexus 6p is capable of rapid charging when the battery is low. The best charging rate using a type-c wall charger I have seen in the 2600-2700 mA range (with the wall charger that came in the package with the phone), This charger gets me a similar rate when I use it in the car.

I ran a large number of tests with the phone at different charge levels and the screen shots from some of the tests are included in the video are 2610 mAh, 2470 mAh, 2320 mAh, and 2370 mAh.

What could make it even better? I wish it had three ports - one for the phone which does navigation, one for the dash cam, and one to charge the passenger's phone. This car charger has two ports - the type C port and the type A USB port. The built-in C-type connector is on 38.5" cord.

I received this car charger for evaluation and review. Getting a free product to review does not effect what I say. My review and opinions are purely based on the testing and my experience with many different chargers and cables. Great to have a car charger that works well as the wall charger I got from Google.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: UEB Portable 4 Ports USB Car Charger - used with Nexus 6p

  

We usually travel with a lot of gadgets so a 4 port car charger is very useful to us. However, the key question how well it performs with Nexus 6p which is used for navigation, so it needs to be able to charge at an optimal rate. Nexus 6p has a capability for rapid charging, which means it can draw up to 2.5A when the battery is low. Rapid charging is incredibly fast, it is such a nice feature that any charger that cannot support this rapid charging is disqualified.

Prior to testing the charger, I read the specs of the charger and I was disappointed to see that it has very rigid specs for each port (best chargers have a smart chip that allow each port of a charger to work equally well with different mobile devices).

The spec listed the following information:
iPhone port provides 1 A/5V
iPad port provides 2.1 A/5V
Samsung port provides 1.3 A/5V
Android port provides 0.6 A/5V

Fortunately, when I tested each port the spec information proved to be incorrect and each port is not limited to stated limits.
I tested Nexus 6p with both 3.1 compliant and 3.1 non-compliant charging cables.

What is 3.1 compliant cable? USB 3.1 spec specifies that the termination resistor that advertises the maximum available current should be set at 22K which advertises 1.5A of current. Benson Leung has a series of excellent reviews of Type C cables. Benson works for Google's Pixel group and has pointed out that many type-C cables violate the USB 3.1 specification that states that the termination resistor that advertises the maximum available current has been set incorrectly at 10K which advertises 3A of current rather than the correct value of 22K which advertises 1.5A of current. The "bug" in non-compliant cables can be used as a feature of allowing rapid charging for Nexus 6p. The phone does not draw more than 2.5A so it does not damage the phone. The non-compliant cable could be harmful to devices that are not limited to 2.5A such as the ones that Benson evaluated in his reviews.

Nexus 6p, charge level 46-51% keeping all other variables the same (at this level Nexus 6p uses rapid charging if possible)

* Using Tenswall USB 3.1 non-compliant cable
Android port_.._.._.._.._.._.._ 2430 mA (excellent)
iPhone port_.._.._.._.._.._..__ 2320 mA (excellent)
iPad port_.._.._.._.._.._.._.._ 2330 mA (excellent)
Samsung port_.._.._.._.._.._.._ 2310 mA (excellent)

* Using PECHAM USB 3.1 compliant cable
Android port_.._.._.._.._.._.._ 800 mA (bad)
iPhone port_.._.._.._.._.._..__ 1280 mA (ok)
iPad port_.._.._.._.._.._.._.._ 1330 mA (ok)
Samsung port_.._.._.._.._.._.._ 1320 mA (ok)

With a rapid charging non-compliant cable Nexus 6p is getting rapid charging on every port. With a compliant 3.1 USB cable I am not getting rapid charging, but it performs reasonably on every port but the port labeled "Android".

I received this car charger for evaluation and review. Getting a free product to review does not effect what I say. My review and opinions are purely my own based on testing and my experience with many different car chargers.

You can find UEB Car Charger on Amazon via this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Santoku Knife 7" by Zelite Infinity

This is a terrific knife. This a general purpose knife for dicing, slicing and mincing. The name translates from Japanese to mean "well-balanced" and is designed with the weights of the blade and the handle to be equally balanced. This balance in combination with the rounded design of the handle makes cutting and dicing with quick and easy. It is very sharp, everything I cut feels as easy as cutting soft butter.

The Santoku has a limited "rocking" travel in comparison to a Western-style chef's knife. When the blade rests on the cutting plane there is very little clearance above the cutting plane from heel to the tip. The Santoku design is shorter, lighter, thinner, and more hardened (to compensate for thinness) than a traditional Western chef's knife.

The "scalloped" sides that give this knife its unique look create small air pockets between the blade and the material being sliced and reduce cutting friction. The higher quality of Japanese knives use laminated steel which has a beautiful pattern. This knife has this laminated finish. The use of laminated steel improves the strength and rust resistance of the blade (and it looks beautiful).

It can be washed in a dishwasher, but I prefer to wash it by hand so it will last longer and there's no risk of them cutting the plastic coating on the appliance racks.

This knife was provided to me for testing and review by Zelite as part of the new product introduction. I am impressed!

You can find this "Santoku Knife" on Amazon by following this link


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Charging results for Nexus 6p, Nexus 5, and iPad Mini with compliant and non-compliant USB 3.1 cables - Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 by Kungix

This listing combines several different chargers. My review is for "Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 Adapter".

This wall charger has one port and has Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology. I tested this charger with Nexus 6p (using both USB 3.1 compliant and USB 3.1 non-compliant USB cables) as well as an older Nexus 5 and iPad Mini that do not support rapid charging.

Using Qualcomm Quick Charger
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
' Nexus 5 was charged at optimal rate of 1.02A.
' iPadMini was charged at non optimal rate of 0.93A (which is typical rate when iPad Mini is plugged into a 1A port)
' Nexus 6p is capable of rapid charging when the battery level is low. I discharged the phone to 28% so the phone would do rapid charging if possible.
'Using Tenswall USB 3.1 compliant cable the highest current Nexus 6p was able to draw was 1440A
' Using PECHAM USB 3.1 non-compliant cable the highest current Nexus 6p was able to draw was 2260A

Using another charger without Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 chip
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For comparison I used a regular (non Qualcomm) charger
' Using Tenswall USB 3.1 compliant cable the highest current Nexus 6p was able to draw was 1320A
' Using PECHAM USB 3.1 non-compliant cable the highest current Nexus 6p was able to draw was 1700A

So it looks like that Qualcomm charger did significantly better with a non-compliant cable, but almost the same with a compliant cable. I repeated each test 4-5 times to be sure that the readings are consistent.

What is 3.1 compliant cable? USB 3.1 spec specifies that the termination resistor that advertises the maximum available current should be set at 22K which advertises 1.5A of current. Benson Leung has a series of excellent reviews of Type C cables. Benson works for Google's Pixel group and has pointed out that many type-C cables violate the USB 3.1 specification that states that the termination resistor that advertises the maximum available current has been set incorrectly at 10K which advertises 3A of current rather than the correct value of 22K which advertises 1.5A of current. The "bug" in non-compliant cables can be used as a feature of allowing rapid charging for Nexus 6p. The phone does not draw more than 2.5A so it does not damage the phone. The non-compliant cable could be harmful to devices that are not limited to 2.5A such as the ones that Benson evaluated in his reviews.

Using Qualcomm Quick Charger with Qualcomm Quick Chart 2.0 chip
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One other point of comparison is that Qualcomm 2.0 charger I have allows my PECHAM USB 3.1 non-compliant cable to draw 2500A. I expected that 3.0 charger would give me better or the same results.

I received this charger from Kungix for testing and review. For Android phone without rapid charging it worked the same as a regular charger. For iPadMini it only delivered 1A, so it was below average. For Nexus 6p this charger worked better under some condition than a regular charger, however not better than Qualcomm 2.0 charger.

You can find "Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0" on Amazon via this link


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: UHURU ATSC HD TV Tuner Micro USB Digital Television Receiver for Android Phone or Tablet

The idea of being able to tune TV on my phone was very attractive. I worked very hard to make this tuner work (details below), but the bottom line is at the end it tuned 0 channels no matter what I tried.

Here what I have tried

1) I received the product for testing and review. The first version of the product I received required to download an app from the manufacture's web site in China. I am a software engineer, I have a lot of experience in web security. One thing I would never do is a download an Android app from any place other than GooglePlay or Amazon. I contacted the vendor and told him that until his app undergoes a security scan in GooglePlay his application is not suited for an American audience. The seller agreed to do so.

2) While he was working on getting his application into GooglePlay store I have tried a large number of apps designed for ATSC Pad TV. I have tried more than a dozen application on two different phones. One phone has the latest version of Android (6.1.1), the other phone has 4.4.2 Android. According to documentation the dongle supports both OS versions. None of the of the apps on either of the phones detected the presence of the dongle, generating an error "No device found".

3) When the seller notified me that the app is now available from Google Play I tried it. The seller uploaded two versions of the app, one is meant for USA and one for international market. They look identical, so my first try was with an internal app, it did not list USA as an option and tuned no channels when I tried other countries. Then I tried the second app, it had USA option was listed listed in the drop down. The dongle was detected and the wizard went through the motions of scanning for channels but tuned in 0 channels. I have tried the wizard in several different locations not only at home in hopes to find a better reception, but was not successful.

As you see I spent quite a bit of time trying to make this work... but with no luck.

I received PadTV from the vendor for testing and review. Unfortunately, there is nothing positive that I can say about it other than the vendor was responsive and was able to release his application to GooglePlay when I requested it.

You can find "UHURU ATSC HD TV Tuner" on Amazon via this link


Ali Julia review

Product review: Gt-coupe USB Type C Cable to Type A braided cable

Gt-coupe is a thick braided cable - it feels and looks well made. It is 40 inches long and easily plugged into a phone with a silicone skin on. My tests show that it a USB 3.1 compliant cable. As a fully complaint cable Gt-coupe cable delivers a maximum 1.5A. This also means that it is not capable of supporting rapid charging for Nexus 6p.

What is 3.1 compliant cable? USB 3.1 spec specifies that the termination resistor that advertises the maximum available current should be set at 22K which advertises 1.5A of current. Benson Leung has a series of excellent reviews of Type C cables. Benson works for Google's Pixel group and has pointed out that many type-C cables violate the USB 3.1 specification that states that the termination resistor that advertises the maximum available current has been set incorrectly at 10K which advertises 3A of current rather than the correct value of 22K which advertises 1.5A of current. This cable follows the spec.

Can this cable charge up Nexus 6p while the phone is being used for navigation? Yes! At the start of the trip using Google maps to navigate the battery was at 39%, after one hour of navigation the phone was at 66%. Not only did it keep up with Google maps but it upcharged the phone at a very decent rate.

Below are the details of the tests with Gt-coupe cable. For comparison I also did the tests with a non-compliant cable. A non-compliant cables may not safe to use with all devices (such as the Chromebook Pixel and the Apple Macbook that draw more current than a phone). However with a QUALITY self-limiting charger that is rated for higher current Nexus 6p will safely charge faster with a non-USB 3.1 compliant cable.

All test were done keeping all conditions the same: same level of charge for the phone, same apps running, keeping the screen on so I can see the results.

Using a car charger on a port rated 2.5A
Nexus 6p battery is at 27%-28%, at this level it will use rapid charging if possible (i.e. up to 2.5A)
** Gt-coupe Type C to Type A cable (3.1 compliant) ------- 1410 mA (not rapid charging)
** Another Type C to Type A cable (non 3.1 compliant) -- 2570 mA (rapid charging)

Attached are images from my tests that show the results with both cables.

I received this cable from Gt-coupe for testing and review. Bottom line: Gt-coupe cable is USB 3.1 compliant and behaves the same as a USB 3.1 compliant cable provided by Google in Nexus 6p package.

You can find "Gt-coupe USB Type C Cable" on Amazon via this link


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: aLLreLi USB 3.1 Type C Charging Cable for Nexus 5X / 6P

This listing combines several products, my review is for aLLreLi Type C to USB charging cable. I am using this cable with Nexus 6p.

I have been following Benson Leung reviews of Type C cables for a number of weeks prior to buying Nexus 6p. Benson has pointed out that many cables, including this one, violate the USB 3.1 specification that states that the termination resistor that advertises the maximum available current has been set incorrectly at 10K which advertises 3A of current, the correct value should be 22K which advertises 1.5A of current. However many Type A USB chargers are rated at 2.5A and some as high as 3A which are safe to use with this cable. I tried using this cable with a number of different chargers and the Nexus 6p phone. All of the chargers were self limiting to their specified capabilities, i.e. if the charger port is labeled as 1.5A that's what it approximately delivered, and charger ports that were labeled as 2.4A delivered approximately 2.4A.

To identify the maximum draw of the phone, I charged it with depleted battery using Type-C to Type-C cable and a Type-C charger provided by Google. My Nexus 6P has never drawn more that 2.5A when charging from the Type-C Google provided charger. Charging with aLLerLi cable and my various chargers stayed under this number as well. So I feel that the aLLeLi cable is safe for use with the Nexus 6p and a QUALITY charger. I don't want to say that it's safe for all combinations of devices, laptops like the Chromebook Pixel and the Apple Macbook draw more current than a phone, and there may be badly made chargers that lack current limiting and might burn themselves out. However with a quality charger that's rated for higher currents this cable will charge faster than a USB 3.1 compliant cable.

Below are the details of my tests. All test were done keeping all conditions the same: same level of charge for the phone, same apps running, keeping the screen on so I can see the results.

1) Type C to Type C cable that came from Google in Nexus 6p package with the phone discharged to the level at which is does rapid charging to see maximum draw
The phone draws 2300 mAh, the status indicates that it is charging rapidly. The phone battery level is at 61% to 62%.

2) aLLreLi Type C to Type A cable with several wall charger. I am using a current monitor to see how much it draws and compare the results with the cable received from Google in Nexus 6p package
With the battery level at 76% to 78% the phone does not use rapid charging. With non-rapid charging both cables behave the same
- aLLreLi cable 1.32A, Google cable is 1.31A

3) aLLreLi and Google cable with several different car chargers. The phone battery is at 58%, at this level it uses rapid charging if possible.
- aLLreLi cable using Bolse 3 port charger, 2.4A port: 2.31A (charging rapidly), Google cable on the same port 1.73A (charging)
- aLLreLi cable using Bolse 3 port charger, 1.5A port: 1.76A (charging rapidly), Google calbe on the same port 1.52A (charging)
- aLLreLi cable using Bolse 2 port charger, 2.1A port: 2.13A (charging rapidly), Google cable on the same port 1.51A (charging)

Attached are images from my tests that show the results with both cables.

The aLLreLi cable is 40 inches long. The cable inserted without a problem on the phone with a silicone skin on.

I received this cable from aLLreLi for testing and review. Bottom line: aLLeLi cable is not USB 3.1 compliant and does behave differently from a USB 3.1 compliant cable provided by Google in "rapid charging" mode however I see no harmful effect on the phone with good quality self-limiting chargers and I am using this cable on regular basis.

YOu can find "aLLreLi USB 3.1 Type C Charging Cable" on Amazon by following this link



Ali Julia review ★★★★☆