Product review: Rocketek 6-Port USB Charger with Smart-chip Technology

We own a number of mobile devices from different manufactures, we have Android devices, Apple devices, Samsung devices. In the past I often observed different behavior for the same device on different ports. Google (starting with Jelly Bean 4.21) figured out the Apple protocol and starting with that release is able to draw the optimal charge on ports designed for Apple. My Nexus devices work well on ports, but the same is not true for my Apple devices and my older Samsung Tablet.

And now we see that some of the better chargers are beginning to add intelligent technology to the chargers so can figure out the optimal protocol to use for each device on any port. Rocketeck with Smart-chip Technology is one of the chargers that attempts to negotiate the right charging protocol for each device it is talking to, so it can provide the optimal current for every device on every port. Is it successful? My devices say "yes".

I tested both Rocketek using a current monitor and three mobile devices Nexus Phone, iPad Mini, and and Samsung Galaxy Tablet. The performance on every port was excellent. It provided each mobile device the optimal maximum current and thus charged them very quickly. Detailed current monitor readings are included below for those who are interested.

Rocketeck 6 port charger comes with a 40 inch cord and a regular sized plug. I was able to replace several chargers that took up many slots on my power strip with one regular size plug which is connected to this 6 port USB charger. I am always running out of slots on my power strips so this charging station a big space saver for me.

The charger's size is 7"L x 2.125"W x 1.25"H. The slots are positioned on the top, which I find very convenient.

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

The performance on all ports was consistent and optimal for each device I have charged. I started all test with the devices at the same level of charging for account for non-linear charging.

✔ Nexus Galaxy Phone
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Port 1: current monitor: ~~~~~ 0.94A, 5.16V
Port 2: current monitor: ~~~~~ 0.94A, 5.19V
Port 3: current monitor: ~~~~~ 0.98A, 5.17V
Port 4: current monitor: ~~~~~ 0.95A, 5.13V
Port 5: current monitor: ~~~~~ 0.96A, 5.16V
Port 6: current monitor: ~~~~~ 0.94A, 5.13V

✔ iPad Mini Tablet
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Port 1: current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.70A, 5.08V
Port 2: current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.66A, 4.99V
Port 3: current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.67A, 5.08V
Port 4: current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.67A, 5.06V
Port 5: current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.64A, 5.03V
Port 6: current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.69A, 5.01V

✔ Samsung Galaxy Tablet
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Port 1: current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.37A, 5.15V
Port 2: current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.38A, 5.16V
Port 3: current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.35A, 5.17V
Port 4: current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.37A, 5.15V
Port 5: current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.35A, 5.12V
Port 6: current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.38A, 5.15V

I really like this charger. It charges all devices with optimal speed and I like that it takes up just one slot on my power strip.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Pyle PSCHD90BK eXpo Hi-Res Mini Action Video Camera with 20 Mega Pixel Camera

This tiny camera has some very interesting features and the video quality is quite good. My video includes video shot by camera as well as the video of the camera itself.

♦ The unique feature that none of my other cameras have is an option to have video capture activated by motion. Since the camera comes with a waterproof case this is a neat feature for capturing wild life by leaving the camera outside. If you want to leave it on for a long time, you need to set "auto shut off" setting to off (the options are 3 min, 5 mins, 10 mins, off). This camera also has an opton for time lapse photography.

♦ The camera has a wide angle fixed size lens. There is no ZOOM capability. Because the lens is pretty wide the resulting video has a lot of distortion. What I mean by distortion is that the lines that were in reality straight and parallel may now look curved and converging. In the video you can see pictures taken with a 1" grid as a background which will give you a good idea of the lens distortion. This distortion happens in any wide angle lens so this is not a problem with this camera, I am just setting the expectations.

♦ Expo camera is very small, it is only 2.25"L x 1.75"W x 1"H (body only) or 1.5" (including the lens) in size. It weighs slightly over 2 oz.

♦ The camera requires an micro SD card to run. The Micro SD card is not included and needs to be purchased separately.

♦ The screen of the camera is not touch sensitive. To control the camera you have 4 buttons on top of the camera, and on button on the side. The function of each button changes depending what mode you are in. The button on the side is on/off as well as OK to select menu items. The buttons on top the right select camera or video, or navigate up and down the menus. The two buttons on the left allows you navigate through the menu, and a long push on left button puts you in the settings mode. The manual does not include any information on how buttons work, but there are fairly easy to figure out and the defaults are pretty good. I typically change many settings of the default settings on the cameras I buy, but I was happy with most of the default choices on this one. The buttons respond well and they fairly reasonable in size and well spaced out.

♦ The initial boot up is also not documented in any detail. I ran into an issue with the camera displaying blank screen when I selected either camera or video. Turns out this happens until the camera gets a chance to initialize the micro sd card. The documentation states that the micro sd card should be blank when you intially insert into the camera. I formated a micro sd card and inserted into the camera. The first time I inserted the card I received no prompts, saw an SD card logo without a red X (which is shown where there is no micro SD card in the camera), and then 0G (number zero and letter G) displayed next to the micro SD logo. When you see 0G it is a sign of the problem that the camera did not initialize the card. I took the card out, reinserted it, and this time I was prompted "Format SD?". I selected "OK" and then I saw 7.6G displayed next the SD icon. Now the camera recognized the micro SD. However the screen remained blank when I selected camera and video. After I powered off the camera and restarted it one more time after the format, the blank screen issue did not re-occur.

♦ Another glitch I ran into is that at one point the camera became unresponsive. None of the buttons responded, and I could not even turn it off. The solution to this problem was to remove the battery and then put it back in. Then the camera started normally. I do not know how I got into that mode, and it has not happened again.

♦ Speaking of the battery, the battery compartment cover is the front of the camera. To open it slide it away from the camera lens. The cover has two small hindges that hold the cover on the edge of the camera.

♦ The package comes with a lot of accessories. The package includes a remote control, a waterproof case, a charger for the battery, and a variety of mounts. The video contains several shots that show everything included in the box.
Note that I recharge the battery while it is in the camera by using a regular USB cable. The separate battery charger seems to have a loose fit with the battery and there is no documentation to guide me on how to make it fit better.

So what is the bottom line? The quality of video is quite good, especially in the bright light. Even though it is not as good as my full size SLRs camera the quality is impressive. The size of the camera is remarkably small and it is very light. The camera comes with a lot of mounts so it can be used in a lot of situations. I have tried several small cameras and I always found the controls somewhat awkward, the controls on this camera are very good, responsive and well spaced out. The motion sensor works well and it is a very cool feature.

The weakest points are that LED screen becomes very difficult to see in the sun, shooting video direct into the sun got a lot of flares. The documentation is very weak, be prepared for doing a bit of experimentation. I hope my experience with the boot up issues will save you some time.

I hope pluses and minuses of my experience as well as the video will help you get a better idea of what to expect.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: UtechSmart Venus 16400 DPI High Precision Laser MMO Gaming Mouse for PC

This mouse looks very large and I was not sure if I would find it comfortable as I do not have a large hand, but the slope of the mouse made the size work very well for me. I spend almost the entire day with a mouse in my hand for work and play, I am finding this mouse to be very comfortable. In the attached video you see it next to my Logitech mouse. Both mice are the same length, the Utechsmart mouse is a bit wider, and sloped. This angle keeps my hand relaxed and comfortable.

✔ I am able to use this mouse both on Windows and Linux machines. The basic functionality works well under both operating system, but the special buttons require configuration in Windows software and they do nothing under Linux. Note that DPI buttons do work under Linux. I was able to use the DPI buttons to control the sensitivity on the mouse. Even though it works under Linux I would not recommend this mouse for Linux users because the full functionality for all buttons is not available.

✔ This mouse has a LOT of controls. It has 18 programmable buttons, including 12 thumb buttons. You can define what each button does, one of the options is "macro" which combines multiple actions. You can save 5 different profiles. There is a special button on the bottom of the mouse that allows you to quickly swap between different profiles without loading them through the configuration software. My video includes several sample menus from the mouse configuration software. One of the options I show is changing of the mouse color schemes including turning off all color changes.

✔ UtechSmart Mouse is 5" long, 3" inches wide, 1.7" height at its tallest point.

✔ This is a wired mouse, it runs on the power it get from USB port. The mouse cable is 71".

✔ This mouse has a unique feature of including 8 small weights which you can be added to the bottom of the mouse to make it heavier. I really like this option. One of the reasons I liked my very old Logitech mouse that it is heavy and feels substantial in my hand. I loaded the mouse with all 8 weights and I like how it feels.

Overall, this is a very nice sensitive mouse and worked well on several surfaces that I have tried. Because of the macro functionality this mouse is handy not only for gamers but those who do repetitive operations. Those operations can be automated to be one mouse click.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Mipow Power 5200mAh Simple Tube Phone Charger Power Bank

Mipow external battery is unusual in its wiring. It has a built-in micro USB cord and a standard USB port. To charge the battery you need to use a special female USB to male USB connector included with the charger. This cord attaches to a special port which is part of the built in cable. If you lose this special cord you will not be able to recharge the battery.

The battery size is 3.875"L x 1.5"W x 0.875"H, its weight is 5.7oz. The battery is rated as 5200 mAh. Since some power during charging is lost to inefficiencies (such as heat) it will provide approximately 3900 mAh. I was able charge my phone with 3800mAh extended battery from low levels to full once.

The battery has a bright charging indicator. The indicator does not stay on when you charge, you can turn it back on for a few seconds by pressing the ON button. The indicator is also off when you charging the battery itself, so you don't know if it is fully recharged until you plug in your mobile device. The indicator tells you the charge level by combination of blinks and lights:
1 LED blinkging - 0-25% full
1 LED is on - 10-25% full
2 LEDs on - 25-50% full
3 LEDs on - 50-75% full
4 LEDs on - 100% full

This charger has 2 ports one via a built-in micro-USB cable, another a regular USB output.

I tested this charger with Samsung Nexus phone and iPad Mini. This external battery worked with both devices charging them above average speed. If you are interested in the details of the tests I am including them below in the "test results" section.

Test results
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I use the current monitor and a 10 minute charging to test to test all my chargers, this gives me two data points to compare them to each other so I can tell which chargers perform well relative to their peers. I start the charging tests at about the same charge level of my devices to account for non-linear charging.

I started running these tests when my Android devices had HoneyComb operating system so I was able to observe the improvements in charging with different version of the Android OS. Before 4.21 I could only get fast charging on 1A port, and would get poor performance on 2.1A port (designed for Apple devices) on my Android devices. After upgrade to Jelly Bean 4.21 I see the same performance on 2A and 1A ports as Google figured out the Apple protocol and now my Android devices typically charge similar in speed on both ports of a good charger. The devices draws what it needs on either of the ports. The Apple devices do better on the ports designed for Apple (2.1A ports).

Samsung Nexus phone
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Built-in cord - AC charging - 9% in 10 minutes
Built-in cord current monitor measurement: cannot be measured

My own charging cable - AC charging - 6 % in 10 minutes
My own charging cable current monitor measurement: 0.85A / 5.07V

iPad Mini tablet
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My own charging cable - AC charging - 5% in 10 minutes
My own charging cable current monitor measurement: 1.67A / 4.92V

Overall, on the positive side good charging speed, fairly compact size. However, I did not like the non-standard wiring and the danger of losing the special cord needed to recharge the battery.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Yubi Power YPOR61AB 30W 4-Port USB Rapid Wall Charger

The first thing you will notice about Yubi wall charger is that it is large. It is 3.5" long, 3 1/8" tall and 1 1/4" wide. It weighs 6.2 oz. If you put this charger in the middle of an old fashioned power strip 4 slots become unusable, if you put on the edge of end of the old fashioned power strip 2 slots become unusable. This charger works best in power strips that allow prongs to be in a position that orients the unit perpendicular to a slot. On this new style power strip this charger takes only one slot.

I tested Yubi charger with Samsung Nexus Phone and iPad Mini. Speed is always very important to me in wall charger and this charger did well for both my Android and Apple devices. For those who are interested in the details of how I tested the charger I am including the details below.

Test results
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I use the current monitor and a 10 minute charging to test to test all my chargers, this gives me two data points to compare them to each other so I can tell which chargers perform well relative to their peers. I start the charging tests at about the same charge level of my devices to account for non-linear charging.

I started running these tests when my Android devices had HoneyComb operating system so I was able to observe the improvements in charging with different version of the Android OS. Before 4.21 I could only get fast charging on 1A port, and would get poor performance on 2.1A port (designed for Apple devices) on my Android devices. After upgrade to Jelly Bean 4.21 I see the same performance on 2A and 1A ports as Google figured out the Apple protocol and now my Android devices typically charge similar in speed on both ports of a good charger. The devices draws what it needs on either of the ports. The Apple devices do better on the ports designed for Apple (2.1A ports).

Note that only port 2 is labelled as Apple port. However, my current monitor showed that my iPad Mini was able to draw more than 1amp on both Port 2 and Port 3. I repeated the tests on Port 3 several times because I did not expect it based on the label, but the results were consistent.

Samsung Nexus phone
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Port1 - Samsung - 6% change in 10 minutes
Port1 - Samsung - current monitor - 1.02A / 5.15V

Port2 - iPad - 5% change in 10 minutes
Port2 - iPad - current monitor - 1.02A / 5.15V

Port3 - Universal - 5% change in 10 minutes
Port3 - Universal - current monitor - 1.03A / 5.15V

Port4 - Universal - 5% change in 10 minutes
Port4 - Universal - current monitor - 1.01A / 5.16V

iPad Mini tablet
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Port1 - Samsung - 0% change in 10 minutes
Port1 - Samsung - current monitor - 0.47A / 5.15V

Port2 - iPad - 6% change in 10 minutes
Port2 - iPad - current monitor - 1.91A / 5.15V

Port3 - Universal - 5% change in 10 minutes
Port3 - Universal - current monitor - 1.91A / 5.15V

Port4 - Universal - 2% change in 10 minutes
Port4 - Universal - current monitor - 0.92A / 5.14V

➨ Key finding:
------------------
This is a very fast charger. If you have a power strip where you can fit its large size without giving up 4 outlets it does a very nice job.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Rocketek 4 Slots USB 3.0 Card Reader with 2 SD slots and 2 Micro SD (TF) slots

The card reader is 3" long, 1.25" at its widest point, it extends 0.375" on each side beyond the USB connector, and the cards stick out of the sides. If your USB ports are tightly spaced this width might create a problem. In that case you can use a USB hub or a cable extender. I tested that using a 3.0 USB hub did not introduce measurable delays. I am using this card reader on both Windows and Linux operating system. Even though Linux support is not listed in the product description it works fine.

The design of the card reader has a couple of thoughtful features. The cap is attached to the cardreader's body by a lease and it has a built in lanyard to hook to a keychain.

To test how well the card reader worked I ran benchmarking utility for this the card reader on both USB 2.0 port, USB 3.0 port, and USB 3.0 hub plugged into USB 3.0 hub. The actual graphs generated by the benchmarking utility are included in my video for those who like the visual details.

➨ USB 3.0 port (PNY Pro SD card)
==============
Average read rate ~~~~~~ 17.9 MB/s
Average write rate ~~~~~~ 4.7 MB/s
Average Access time ~~~~~ 1.53 msec

➨ USB 2.0 port (PNY Pro SD card)
==============
Average read rate ~~~~~~ 16.9 MB/s
Average write rate ~~~~~~ 4.9 MB/s
Average Access time ~~~~~ 1.61 msec

➨ USB 3.0 port (SanDisk micro SD HC)
==============
Average read rate ~~~~~~ 41.3 MB/s
Average write rate ~~~~~~ 5.3 MB/s
Average Access time ~~~~~ 48.07 msec

➨ USB 2.0 port (SanDisk micro SD HC)
==============
Average read rate ~~~~~~ 4.3 MB/s
Average write rate ~~~~~~ 6.1 MB/s
Average Access time ~~~~~ 8.97 msec

This card reader feels solid, the card slides into it smoothly, the benchmarking tests showed fine performance, any limitations come from the media limits not the card reader. I liked that micro SD card is not seeded deeply so it is easy to insert and remove.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★



Ali Julia review

Product revieww: Brainwavz R3 Dual Dynamic Driver Earphones

I thought these earphones sounded very good, but I did not find them very comfortable to wear. The driver housings is bigger than any of my other earphones and they felt to be too large for my small ears. The earphones come with a large selection of tips (6 pairs of silicone tips, 1 pair bi and 1 pair tri-flange tips, 1 set of foam tips). I have tried a number of them but I could not find a pair that helped with how the housing fit in my ear. The metal housing from tip to tip is 1.5" inches. The earplug is located 1/4" from the top of the earphone.

The earphones have a stiff memory wire built in which can be hold the weight of the housing by wrapping the wire up and over the ear. However I felt the stiffness of the wire and I had to fiddle with the wire ever time I put the earphones in. The manufacturer notified me that the memory wire will be removed in the next version of these earphones, the new version without memory wire will be marked as "version 2".

Even though my small ears were not a good match for these earphones, the sound they generate is rich with a good separation, and to me they sounded good at all levels. Because of the fit for me they are 3.5 stars, for someone with a bigger ear it is likely to be a much better fit.

The package includes not only the tips but a very nice hard shell, which is large enough to fit my MP3 player on one side and the earphones on the other side. Also included are an airplane adapter, an 6.3mm adapter.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆