Product review: ORICO Mini Size 2 Outlet Surge Protector with 4 USB Charger

The Orico charging station combines two AC outlets and four USB ports. This charging station has a 54" cord and its size is 6.5" x 2.5" x 1.5". The AC outlets are spaced in such a way that I can put a battery charger and a regular plug next to each other (but not two battery chargers side by side).

I tested each USB outlet with current monitor with an Android phone and iPad Mini tablet. Both performed as well as any other charger, however the strip got pretty warm when I get both the phone and the tablet charging at the same time. If you are interested in the test results I am including the readings in my video.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: AVANTEK In-Car Universal Wireless FM Transmitter Radio Adapter Car Kit

I have been using FM transmitters in my car for many years as I like listening to audio books in my car. I have used several FM transmitters in the past and this one falls in the middle of the pack.

First thing you need to know that this transmitter is not bluetooth enabled. You can use either with an audio cable to connect to the phone or MP3 player or by streaming audio from a USB memory stick. So this transmitter is ideal for MP3 players that are not bluetooth enabled and my favorite method USB stick, but I don't see it being particularly useful with a phone that is bluetooth enabled.

As you see in the video it works the memory stick well. The sound is as good as your car speakers, of course. The main job of the transmitter is to stay in contact with an empty FM station for a clear sound, and this transmitter allows you to select any station you want - no limited number of pre-sets as some of the other FM transmitters I encountered.

To find vacant FM stations in my area I used a web site "radio-locator (dot) com/cgi-bin/vacant" where you can enter your zip code and get a list of stations to try.

Once the station is selected Aventek remembers it even when I unplug the transmitter and then plug it back in.

Since I listen to audio book having a bookmark capability (i.e. ability to return to exactly where I left of last time) is key. My favorite FM transmitter by Satechi has a bookmark capability, Aventek does not. This feature is most useful to audio book listening, for music it is not all that significant.

Aventek fits my cigarette firmly. It does not move even when I go over bumps. However its neck is pretty short and it is a little awkward to reach in my car as the car port is very close to the floor. Satechi has a remote control so I don't have to bend down and touch the unit, Aventek does not have a remote.

At the time I am writing this review Satechi transmitter is twice as expensive as the Aventek. So for the music lover who does not need bluetooth the feature difference is not significant, if you need bluetooth or you listen to audio books that the bookmarking feature might be worth the extra money.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Gembonics Portable Charger 6000mAh - External Battery Power Bank

This is a very compact external battery for its size. It has one port and based on my current monitor readings it is a 1 Amp port. My Android phone draw a current somewhat below average, and iPad Mini draws a current typical for 1 Amp port (which is below optimal for Apple devices that need a 2A port to charge at the optimal rate). For those who are interested attached images captures the results of each test.

The size of the battery is 3 7/8" x 1 7/8" x 7/8" and it weighs 4.9 oz.

My favorite use for it is with my MP3 player that has a built-in battery which no longer holds a charge well. I keep always plugged into the external pack, this way I never need to worry about the battery running out.

This battery really has the best size to capacity ration among all external packs I own.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Dbmier A4 LED Ultra-Thin Light Tracer

I have been using Artograph light tracer for years for doing quilting and embroidery design transfers. Dbmier light trace is similar but much thinner, so it is a lot easier to use because my hand is in a much more comfortable position. Dbmier thickness is exactly the same as the thickness of the pencil (about 1/4").

The tracer has three modes of brightness. The light is bright without being blinding to look at. The surface of the box does not get hot, so you can work with it for a long time.

Note that the light is not totally even, there are slight variation lighter and darker areas which might be an issue for some application, but works perfectly fine for my purposes.

The size of the lighted service is 12.75" x 9", but it does not limit me to that size artwork. It is easy to transfer larger drawing by doing them in sections. I just shift both the source drawing and the drawing I am making, since it is so easy to see through both of them to re-align them once I moved to the next section.

What could be better?

The left and top of the box have measurements in centimeters. I would have found it helpful to have measurements on all 4 sides to help me align the drawing perfectly plum. I would have liked to see both centimeters and inches not just centimeters.

I am not sure what caused the slight uneven lighting, if it can be made even the lightbox would be usable for other application such as photography.

I have loved using a lightbox for years and the thinnest of this lightbox is a nice improvement over my old lightbox. The old lightbox got demoted to the basement storage!

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: ECALOO Kitchen Tool Stainless Steel Shovel-shaped Food Grater

This attractive looking shredder did not work as well as I hoped. First issue I had with it that a short handle made it inconvenient to hold. Its short stature also made it a bit hard to find a dish that would well supporting it to provide stability during shredding. Finally, this shredder has a solid back and metal teeth on the front. This made it harder to work then a traditional thread where shreds can fall through.

I tried zesting an orange, shredding an apple and a cinnamon stick. All were hard to do. I had very little results to show for quite a bit of work. It doesn't work nearly as well as a zesting tool. It produces very fine particles which mostly stick to the tool and it's hard to get them off into the batter. I don't see using this shredder on a regular basis.

I received this shredder with a request for a brutally honest review. And here it is.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★☆☆☆

Product review: MoJuiceTM 10200mAh Portable Charger

This is a cool looking external battery with two ports. Both ports can take a regular USB cord, but one of them is designed to work with a built-in charging cord with a micro USB connector. It has a nice form factor - large capacity while the size is not so large. I like batteries with built-in cable for having in my purse as an emergency power for my phone so I don't have to worry about forgetting to bring a charging cord (been there done that) or having to bring a cord that gets in the way. However the built-in cable of this external battery did not perform as well as my own charging cable. For this battery it was a choice between the convenience of the built-in cable and speed of charging which I often seek when I find my phone out of juice on the road. Capacity and convenience won over. So at home I use it with my own cable, but on the road the built-in cable works better for me.

Size: 2 5/8" x 5 1/4" x 5/8"
Weight: 7.5 oz
Length of built-in cable: 4.25"
Capacity: 10,200 mAh

To see how well different external batteries charge my mobile devices I use a Nexus phone and an iPadMini to test each of them. The current drawn on each port depends on each device using the charger. The port rated with a maximum capacity of 2A does not always deliver 2A, what is actually delivered is controlled by the device based on many factors such running apps, level of charge, and so forth. I always use the same two devices and I do my tests with the devices charged to the same level, running the same applications and using the same cables to keep everything the same. This allows me to do a relative comparison of various chargers and identify the ones that do not perform well. Note that these tests are not testing for the maximum current each device can draw on each port. I don't own devices that can max out the output to do the test.

I am including the details of the tests below for those who like to see the technical details.

★ Test Results:
======================

✔ Samsung Galaxy Nexus Phone
--------------------------
AC charging rate ----- 3% change in charge in 10 minutes (built-in cable)
(for comparison best rate from built-in cable is 7%)

current monitor: ~~~~~ 0.79A and 4.99V (built-in cable)

current monitor: ~~~~~ 0.94A and 5.02V (my own cable)
(for comparison the best charging monitor result for this phone is 1.00A/5V)

✔ iPadMini
--------------------------
current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.32A and 5.02V
(for comparison the best charging monitor result for this tablet is 1.70A/5V)

★ Summary
------------------
This is not the fastest external battery I have tested, but I like that it has a built-in cable and its size to capacity ratio.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Parall Ultra-Slim Wireless Charger Portable Charging Pad

I have been using Qi chargers with Nexus 5 for over a year. I love the technology, it is convenient and does not stress the micro USB connector by constantly needing to connect and disconnect it. I own several Qi chargers and through experience found several features that make some Qi Chargers work better in day to day use than others.

➀ Speed of charging

Some charger charge my phone faster than others. Speed is always important to me. I compared charging Nexus 5 with Parall Qi Charger to the same test run with the other chargers and found that it was one of the fastest. It charge the phone 7% in 10 minutes. I run the test at the same charge level, running the same apps, and keeping everything the same for an "apples to apples" comparison.

I also measured the charge rate with a current monitor. The current monitor showed ? A, which was again among the best.
current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.21A and 5.05V (Excellent)

➁ The size of the sweet spot
This is an area where the charger did not perform as well as the others. It has a very small sweet spot. I show this in the video for a better illustration of what I mean. I show both the phone on the charger and the current monitor which shows the rate at which the phone is charging. When it is perfectly aligned it draws an optimal charge. If the phone is moved a little bit the charging drops from an optimal rate to lower rate, and when it is moved a little more it draw no current and then the charger turns off. So if you accidentally brush against the phone and it moves it may stop charging. This is particularly important if you have small kids or pets who may touch things.

➂ How well the phone stays on the Qi charger

The phone can be easily knocked off the sweet spot of the charger unintentionally. The charges that handle those unintentional bumps best are the ones that have non-slippery finish. Parall has a very shiny and slick surface. It looks very nice but not ideal for creating friction. In addition the size of the charger is smaller than Nexus 5 which it slightly harder to align it perfectly.

My trick for charging on the go: When I need to charge the phone on the go (i.e. when it cannot lay flat) I double wrap a rubber band around the phone and the charger. This keeps the phone on a sweet spot charging in a pocket/purse. I like it better than having a micro USB connector which can be damaged if the phone/battery are jarred. The rubber band trick works very well with this Qi Charger because it is square and thin.

➃ How easy it is to see that the phone is charging

I like being able to see a visual indicator that the phone is charging. If the phones stops charging I like having a quick way of telling this without having to look at the phone charging status. Nexus 5 is 5.43" x 2.72" x .34" in size, Parall charger is 4.875" x 2.25" x 0.25" so Parall is smaller than Nexus 5. The indicator lights are faily large but can be seen only if I look under the phone.

➄ Is the battery using standard cables

I like the chargers that use a standard micro USB cable, so I don't need to worry about losing a special cable. Parall uses the standard micro USB cable. Excellent!

Bottom line? I thought it was good. Its thinness and shape makes the battery work well with my rubber band trick and that is very important to me for charging on the go. The charging is speedy. The small sweet spot is smaller than I like and requires extra attention to make sure the phone is aligned well.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆