Tag: gear

Review of Anker PowerDrive 2 Lite 12W 2-Port Car Charger

Impossibly Cute (and a Good Charger)
Impossibly Cute (and a Good Charger)

Yeah, I know: it’s weird to refer to a phone charger as “impossibly cute,” but this little guy (pictured at left) from Anker looks great. More important, it charges a device (or two at once) just as fast as your typical wall charger.

It’s the Anker PowerDrive 2 Lite 12W 2-Port Car Charger.

You can connect any USB cable to it, allowing you to charge your iPhone (of any generation), iPad, or other device. The best thing about it is that you can charge two devices at once–so you and your friend don’t have to fight over whose turn it is to charge a phone on a long road trip.

Here are a few things I like about the charger (with no counterbalancing complaints so far to lodge):

  • As with another Anker charger I tested, the PowerDrive 2 Lite charges a device quickly. I have an Apple wall charger that gets warm when plugged in, but this one maintains a normal temperature.
  • It’s small. You can easily fit it in your pocket, or stash it in even the smallest compartment of your car. Anker lists its weight as 0.7 ounces. (!)
  • The design isn’t fancy, but it looks great. The red and black color combo gives it an attractive look.
  • It pops in and out of the cigarette lighter (what else do you call that port in your car?) really easily. It’s nice and secure when plugged in.

Despite its size and being 12W as opposed to a 24W model Anker makes, this model gets the charging job done just fine. At the time of writing, the 12W model appears out of stock on Amazon, but the (comparable) 24W model is here. (UPDATE: Here‘s the in-stock link to the model I’m reviewing here.)

And you can check out the 12W PowerDrive 2 Lite at Anker’s page here, with all the specs.

 

 

Thanks to Anker for the review sample, offered for my honest impressions.

I Don’t Have an iPhone 6, but Here is a Review of Anker’s Ultra Protective Case for iPhone 6

Anker Ultra Protective Case With Built-in Clear Screen Protector for iPhone 6
Anker Ultra Protective Case With Built-in Clear Screen Protector for iPhone 6

 

The iPhone 6 upgrade never happened, but Anker had already sent the review sample of a sweet iPhone 6 case. I told them I’d still post about the thing, reviewing it as best as I could.

The Anker Ultra Protective Case With Built-in Clear Screen Protector for iPhone 6 appears to achieve that rare balance in mobile device cases between lightness and durability. You put its front screen protector and back casing on separately. It’s not a heavy case at all, so I doubt your hand will get sore even after playing too many minutes of games on your encased phone! The case adds only 0.15 inches and 1.6 ounces to the dimensions of the iPhone 6.

The openings for the charger cord and earbuds appear to be cleanly cut:

 

Anker iPhone 6 case openins
Image via Amazon/Anker product page

 

Anker says the case was “drop tested 6 times from 3 feet onto its corners and back on a hard concrete floor without sustaining any damage.” Presumably this test took place with the iPhone 6 in it.

As much as you think you will just be careful and never drop your phone… you WILL drop your phone. This case has some good grip to it, so your phone is unlikely to slip out of your hands, but if so, you may get lucky and still have a working phone after the drop!

Especially for the $15.99 current price at Amazon, this kind of protection is a good idea.

  Thanks to Anker for the review sample, offered for my honest impressions.

Review of Anker 10W Home and Travel Wall Charger

Anker Plug
Anker 10W (2A) Home and Travel USB Wall Charger

 

I’ve been testing and using a fast, reliable, and highly portable wall charger from Anker lately: the Anker 10W (2A) Home and Travel USB Wall Charger.

Any USB cable connects to it, so you can charge your iPhone (of any generation), iPad, Samsung, etc.

Here are a few things I like about it:

  • It charges a device quickly
  • It doesn’t get hot when plugged in (one of my Apple chargers does)
  • The prongs fold in–especially useful for travel or putting it in a pocket
  • It’s compact and lightweight (under two ounces)
  • Sleek and simple design
  • There’s an 18-month warranty

I haven’t found anything so far that’s not to like. The wall charger seems built well and looks to last a long time. It’s $7.99 at Amazon.

It’s especially suited and recommended for those who travel often, and need a charger that is quick and easy to pack up.

 

Thanks to Anker for the review sample, offered for my honest impressions. The case reviewed above can be found at Amazon here.

You Have 10 Days to Get Yourself a Bonhoeffer Hoodie or T-Shirt

This is easily the most awesome piece of clothing I have ever seen:

 

Bonhoeffer Hoodie

 

And the Teespring “campaign” that offers it has enough pre-orders that it will go into production again! So you can order one now before the window closes.

Read details about Teespring and how it works here. You can go get the shirt ($20) or hoodie ($30) here.

Apple’s iOS 8 is Live (Just Make Sure You’ve Got Room for It)

iOS 8

 

With the iPhone 6 now shipping, iOS 8 has just gone live.

MacRumors has two really great roundups that detail the features of the new operating system for iPad and iPhone. Here is their main roundup page. And here they note “some of the more interesting but smaller additions and refinements made to Apple’s mobile operating system throughout the beta testing period.”

A couple highlights from the article:

Identify songs – Siri now includes Shazam integration. If you ask Siri, “What song is playing?”, it will cause her to listen to the ambient sound, using Shazam to identify music.

Find which app is using the most battery life – iOS 8 includes a new Settings option that allows you to view battery usage by app, monitoring the battery drain of specific apps so those that draw a lot of power can be shut down. As of beta 2, it also displays how much battery is drained when there’s no cellular coverage.

Also, there is an improved keyboard:

Described as Apple’s “smartest keyboard ever,” QuickType is designed to offer word suggestions while typing. As a user is typing, the keyboard will provide words and phrases that a user is likely to choose next, even taking into account the different writing styles a person might use in different apps like Mail and Messages.

I’m especially curious to check out the Health app.

Just make sure you’ve got plenty of room for the install:

 

iOS 8 install

 

UPDATE: A friend on Twitter clarifies that you can download the new iOS if your device is connected to a computer, in which case you don’t need to clear up all the space required for the installation.

Size Comparison of iPhone 6 vs. iPhone 6 Plus

iPhone 6 sizes

The iPhone 6 just set a new pre-order record for Apple phones. The biggest question folks who are in the market will probably have is: How big is the iPhone 6? vs. How big is the iPhone 6 Plus?

There’s a handy printout you can download here to see what an iPhone 5, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus all look like next to each other.

Or you could do what this guy did.

And the Winner Is…

iWerkz Keyboard Folded

Congratulations to Rick Mansfield, winner of the MyWerkz foldable Bluetooth keyboard. I used a random number generator to select the winner. Way to go, Rick, and enjoy! (P.S. See his nifty blog here.)

I’ll post my review of the keyboard soon. Until then, see my gathered tech gear posts here. Thanks to all who entered and shared. 

Comment Here for a Chance to Win a Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard

iWerkz Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard

 

If you are looking for a bluetooth (wireless) keyboard to pair with your mobile device or tablet, and would like a chance to win one for free, you’ve clicked on the right link.

I recently engaged in more than 20 hours of classroom lecture, using just an iPad mini and the bluetooth keyboard pictured above for note-taking. Everything I needed for the class could fit in my pocket:

 

iWerkz Keyboard Folded

 

I’ll post a full review of the keyboard soon. It was a welcome time-saver with a strong battery life, and easy to pair with my device.

It also, according to its product page, works with iPhone and Android devices.

The folks at iWerkz have offered me an additional keyboard (purple, as shown above) for giveaway here at Words on the Word.

 

Here’s how you can enter:

 

Simply comment on this blog post with a short sentence on how you’d use the keyboard. Or you can just say hi. For a second entry, share the link to this post on your Facebook, Twitter, via mind meld, etc., and let me know in the comments section that you did.

I’ll select the winner using a random number generator.

If you don’t want to wait for the results of the giveaway, you can find the keyboard on sale at Amazon here.

The giveaway is open through Monday, August 18, 11:59 p.m. EDT. On Tuesday I’ll notify the winner and post about it both here and in the comments below. (fine print: free shipping of keyboard to U.S. address only)

The Best Case You Can Get for Your iPad Mini

My favorite iPad mini case has been replaced with another one from the same company.

INVELLOP now has a slightly heavier-duty leatherette case for iPad mini that works with both the first-generation and the retina mini model.

Usually when I review gear I list pros and cons. INVELLOP’s new case, however, has really only one slight drawback, which I note below.

I find the case to be just about the perfect combination of protection and slimness.

This is what it looks like, in a few views:

In viewing mode
In viewing mode
Front of case, closed
Front of case, closed
INVELLOP 3
Back of case, closed
INVELLOP 4
Inside of the case

Here’s why I haven’t put any other case on my iPad since getting this one:

  • The cutouts (headphone jack, volume control, camera lens) are perfectly sized
  • The case covers both front and back of the iPad; it’s all one piece
  • Though I still sometimes take the case off for extended periods of reading or watching, it’s really easy to hold the iPad in one hand with the case folded back
  • I actually have dropped the iPad a couple times (on the carpet, thankfully) since getting this case… and it’s been fine (phew!)
  • After a few months of use, there is just the slightest bit of wear on the case, but it’s holding up very nicely
  • Closing the screen flap puts the device to sleep; opening it wakes it–this functions perfectly
  • At the time of this post, you can get the case for about $20 at Amazon (affiliate link to help fund ye ole blog)
  • The inside of the screen cover has microfiber, which has not scratched the screen at all
  • The screen cover is in thirds so that you can put your iPad upright (in landscape mode) in two different positions (for viewing or typing)
  • There are magnets that keep the front cover secured in place when you fold it back

The only minor critique I have is that it’s slightly heavier (by a couple ounces, maybe) than the previous iteration of this case. But that’s a small price to pay for the greater protection and classier feel. Two thumbs up. This feels like everything you’d want an iPad mini case to be.

Thanks to INVELLOP for the review sample. The case reviewed above can be found at Amazon here. You can find my other gear reviews here.