USB Type-C Comes to Devices With Android M

Without a doubt, one of the biggest announcements out of today’s Google I/O keynote from a device charging standpoint was the introduction of USB Type-C support for phones and tablets with Android M. 
USB Type-C, for those not familiar, is a new USB charging standard that both Google and Apple have adopted with their latest laptop products, but one we were all openly hoping would come to phones. USB Type-C is a new connector shape that is reversible in ports, so the days of figuring out which way to plug-in your charging cable will soon be a thing of the past. But beyond just plugging in your phone or tablet, Type-C intros some useful features when paired with Android M, which you can see below.
When plugged in, you could tell your phone to charge or charge another device that it is connected to using its own battery. It can also be used, like regular USB, to transfer files.
Google didn’t mention today how powerful they will allow USB Type-C to be with Android devices, but companies like Apple are using the ports to connect multiple displays and other peripherals to their laptops, eliminating things like HDMI or VGA ports.
In the end, I think we should really all just hope this turns into a standard for all future phones, tablets, and even laptops. The world would be a better place if every device we owned didn’t have its own proprietary cable. With this move by Google, we are certainly getting close to that utopia.

Unveils New USB-C Hub, Batteries And Cables

Those lucky enough to own one of the latest MacBook systems launched by Apple earlier this year, might be interested in a new range of USB-C peripherals unveiled by Anker this week.
The new range includes USB-C hubs, cables, adapters, backup batteries and more and covers connections across USB-C to USB 2.0 and 3.0, Lightning and Micro USB cables.


The new Anker range is advertised as “coming soon” although the Anker USB-C to USB 2.0 cable, 4-port USB 3.0 hub, and 3-port USB 3.0 hub with Ethernet are now available to per-order with shipping expected to take place during July.
“USB-C is the latest form of USB connection technology. For the first time ever, USB-C provides power supply, data transfer and video display through one single connection. Compatible with the next generation of computers, tablets and smartphones, USB-C will soon become the main way we connect our devices.
Thanks to USB-C’s new user-friendly design, insert the cable connector the right way, every time. Capable of carrying an incredible 100 watts of power, USB-C charges your devices with incredible speed. Up to 20X faster than USB 2.0. That’s fast enough to transfer 10,000 songs in under a minute or an HD movie in mere seconds!”
For more information on the new Anker range jump over to the official website for details and pricing.

Unshackle your charger!

Thanks to new wireless technologies, you can soon throw away that mobile charging cable

In Jonathan Swift’s 18th century satire, Gulliver’s Travels, the people of Lilliput are divided into two warring camps: the Big Enders who broke their breakfast egg at the larger end and the Little Enders who did ditto at the small end. There were six civil wars between the fierce adherents of both techniques.
Similarly, Indians today are divided into two camps: those who charge their phones with flat-tipped cables and those whose cables come with a round tip. The “Roundians” are further divided into multiple groups depending on the size of the round pin. At airports and other public places, if your phone battery runs dry, you head for a free charging station — a cat’s cradle of many charging cables — and fight for one that matches your phone. Can it get more ridiculous than this? Can’t mobile phone makers agree on a single standard for the charger cable? We wish we could throw out the cable entirely and find a neater way of recharging phone batteries.
And now, it seems our prayers have been answered — wireless chargers have officially arrived! They come in the form of small palm-sized charging pads. Place your phone on the pad and it gets charged wirelessly. In fact, you can place two to three phones on the pad to charge them simultaneously.
What’s the trick? It’s a technology called Qi (pronounced ‘Chie’), a Chinese word which means ‘natural energy’. The technical term is ‘induction charging’. The charger pad includes a coil which transmits charge over a short distance. The phone has a special coil which couples wirelessly with the charging coil and absorbs the charge. Qi is now emerging as the global standard for wireless charging. Online sellers offer wireless charger pads, which promise to fully charge a phone in around three hours. The prices start at around Rs 500.
The only catch is, your phone must have the matching Qi coil. The Qi standard is currently being endorsed by Microsoft, Samsung, HTC, Motorola, LG, Asus, Blackberry, Sony, Verizon etc — so pretty soon most popular phone makes will be Qi-ready. If your current phone is non-Qi, you can buy a Qi chip separately and install it under the back cover to make the phone wireless charge-ready. I’m guessing by next year all new phones will allow wireless charging. In fact, as they are doing with power banks, some phone makers are launching their own branded charging pads or ‘pillows’.
High fashion has also embraced the idea. Furniture maker Ikea has embedded a Qi charger into some of its tables, desks and lamps.
It’ll soon be time to throw that charging cable away — flat pin, round pin and all.
What about solar phone chargers?
Phone chargers which work from their own solar panels rather than a mains power outlet, are useful items to have if you are often on the move. A number of models, priced between Rs 500 to Rs 5,000 are available online.
A quick guide
Solar chargers come in two types. One charges your phone or tablet directly, through the micro USB port. These types are compact, not larger than the phone. Obviously, they will only work in good light. And remember solar charging is much slower.
The other kind comes with a power bank of anything from 1,000 mAh to 10,000 mAh. It charges the bank when light is available and you can then charge your phone from the bank whenever you like. This kind tends to be bulkier and can cost between Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000. I have seen Zero Lemon’s Solar Juice which doubles up as a torch. For hikers, there are also light weight models which use flexible solar panels and can be folded. Solar chargers are rated in watts. You need something between three and seven watts for reliable phone charging.

Pioneer brings Apple's Carplay to India

Pioneer India Electronics, in-car entertainment systems company, announced that CarPlay will be available on the AVIC – F970BT touch-screen car entertainment system in India.
Utilizing large, in-dash Pioneer LCD display, CarPlay featuring Siri voice control is a safer way to use an iPhone in the car. With CarPlay, consumers with iPhone 5 or later, including iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, can use Siri to make and receive calls, compose and respond to text messages, as well as listen to their music and podcasts.
Priced at Rs 39,990Pioneer AVIC – F970BT is the latest addition to the company’s wide range of touch-screen car entertainment systems. Equipped with a large 6.2-inch, multi-touch display and an intuitive interface. It also combines audio and video with smart navigation through in-built maps and supports the latest connectivity options for the iPhone, such as CarPlay, Bluetooth and more.
Commenting on the launch, Mr. Gaurav Kulshrestha, Manager - Marketing & Product Planning, Pioneer India Electronics Pvt. Ltd. said, “Consumers have been repeatedly requesting us for more options to upgrade from the basic entertainment system which comes with their car. With our focus on creating the most technologically advanced touch-screen solutions, we are aiming to provide options to upgrade the experience of our existing & new customers.”
Apart from AVIC – F970BT, CarPlay compatibility will also be available for the existing Pioneer AVH-X8690BT (require firmware update). With Apple Airplay enabled In-Car Entertainment Systems, Pioneer users can now upgrade the vehicle they already own, in order to use iPhone in the car.
“Pioneer has once again proved that we are the leader in Indian In-Car Entertainment industry by introducing the first CarPlay compatible products” said Mr. Minoru Ogawa, Managing Director, Pioneer India Electronics Pvt. Ltd. “It is our constant effort to provide our customers with the latest technologies to make their In-Car Entertainment systems, easy & fun to use. It is our expertise in technology, especially smartphone connectivity with our products, which makes us the first choice of Indian consumers.”
Current AVH-X8690BT owners can simply load the firmware on a USB memory device and connect it to the receiver’s USB cable input.

Smartwatches – are we there yet?

Everyone is talking about smartwatches right now – not because they're new, but because Apple has finally brought out its own version. So we lined up the Apple Watch alongside two Android Wear smartwatches, the Sony SmartWatch 3 and LG G Watch R, as well as Samsung's smartwatch inbuilt SIM offering, to see if these wearable devices are a must-have smartphone accessory, just an expensive tech gadget, or something in between.
Most smartwatches depend on a smartphone for almost all its functionality. If your fitness, social networking and email apps are loaded and running on your phone and you have your smartphone in your pocket or nearby, you should be able to see the same information on your smartwatch.
If you own an Apple iPhone 5, 5C, 5S, 6 or 6 Plus running iOS8.2, your only choice of smartwatch is the Apple Watch. Android smartphone users can't use the Apple Watch, but can strap on the other two smartwatches we tested as long as the smartphone supports Android version 4.3 (JellyBean) or later.

What's app?

When it comes to making the most of a smartwatch, it's all about the apps. Apple and Google have been populating their app stores with new apps and adapting existing ones to work with smartwatches. But it may take some time before we see a significant number of useful apps developed specifically for the smartwatch.

Get connected

While Bluetooth is the default wireless connection option between the smartwatch and smartphone, Wi-Fi support on the Apple Watch and the Samsung Gear S with inbuilt SIM support, creates a useful solution to the disconnection you may get at home once you move more than 10 metres away from your smartphone. Connect your Apple Watch to your home Wi-Fi network for an operating range of up to 100 metres. The latest version of Android Wear supports Wi-Fi connectivity and should appear on the next generation of Android Wear smartwatches as standard. Some existing smartwatches such as the Sony SmartWatch 3 that have a Wi-Fi chip should now have this feature enabled, so if you have recently bought an Android smartwatch, go through the upgrade process to enable the latest connectivity support.

Apple Watch

The Apple Watch comes in two different screen sizes (38mm or 42mm) with dozens of variations depending on the watch material or band type selected. You can pay anything from $24,000 for a solid gold Edition down to $500 for the cheapest Sport models we bought and tested.

_{Apple Watch 38mm display}

Both sizes of the Apple Watch feel more compact on the wrist than the other smartwatches we tested. Initial set-up is very straightforward; simply hold the watch face up to the iPhone's camera when prompted to pair the two devices and you're all set. To navigate, you select menu items and apps with your finger, or move through menu choices using a combination of button selections and rotation of the digital crown.
There's no virtual keyboard, but if you're familiar with the Siri voice recognition feature on your iPhone you'll find the Apple Watch a breeze to use as the voice-to-text feature for data input is simple to use and accurate.
You can't reply to emails, only view them, but you can read and reply to text messages using a selection of default responses or use your iPhone to add your own personal responses and save it in the list. You can also use Siri to send the reply as either an audio file or a converted text message.

_{Apple Watch 42mm display}

The apps you'll most likely use on a daily basis focus on notification (either via a sound or a small tap on the wrist) such as alerts for meetings, incoming messages and calls that you can take on your watch without having to remove your phone from your pocket. The fitness and activity apps are useful for day-to-day health checks rather than serious fitness, but provide timely reminders of when you should get up and stretch, walk around or generally take a break from sitting at your desk. Our tester found the heart rate monitor to deliver similar performance to the average fitness band, although unlike a fitness band, you still need to have your phone nearby.
The watch is charged with a USB-powered inductive charging cable, which you'll probably be using every night as a full charge only lasts a day. In fact, Apple claim they designed the charging cable to be so easy you can use it in the dark when you're not fully awake.

Android Wear devices

_{LG G Watch R}

The Sony SmartWatch 3 ($299) and LG G Watch R ($359) operate on Google's Android Wear OS, designed specifically for smartwatches. Other companies committed to Android Wear include Motorola (Moto 360), ASUS (Zenwatch) and Samsung (Gear Live).
The pairing process for Android Wear watches, while not as straightforward as the Apple Watch, is not difficult and a short walkthrough on both smartwatches shows you the most common features and navigation instructions. Swipe left/right and up/down for the various settings and apps, and press the button on the side to turn the display on or off.
The out-of-box experience for the LG and Sony smartwatches is fairly basic, with the default messaging, calendar and fitness apps similar to the Apple Watch. However, there are many different apps to download and try out.
Android Wear's voice activation tool, which works in a similar manner to Siri, is called 'OK Google'. It works well for most situations, but our tester found Apple's Siri to be more accurate in recognising instructions.
If you receive a text and can't verbally respond, Android Wear smartwatches can respond from a series of options such as 'yes', 'no' and 'call you back'.

_{Sony SmartWatch 3}

The Sony SmartWatch watch face is a similar square design to the 42mm Apple Watch, but it feels more bulky on the wrist. The black silicon band with metal clasp is easy to adjust to a variety of wrist sizes. The Sony is the only model we tested with a built-in GPS chip (the other watches depend on the phone's GPS) making it a useful option for fitness fans as you can store workout data on the smartwatch and sync with the smartphone after the run (although it doesn't have a heart rate monitor). The ability to save music playlists to the watch memory means you can work out and listen to some music without the phone in your pocket.
The LG G Watch R looks like a sports watch with a round face and minute notifications marked around the bezel. It doesn't have inbuilt GPS but does have a heart rate monitor so if you want to go for a run and record the data, you'll need to have the smartphone close by.
The Sony charges the watch using a direct micro USB cable connection, while the LG uses a small dock. Neither is as elegant as the Apple Inductive charging solution, but they're not particularly difficult.
Both the Sony and LG smartwatches deliver a small vibration or tap on your wrist to draw your attention to a notification and although effective, an audible notification would be a useful option, particularly if the smartwatch was on the table and not on your wrist.
Incoming calls appear on the screen and can be answered or cancelled from the Sony or LG smartwatch but unlike the Apple Watch, you can't take the call using the watch.
One major difference between the Apple Watch and the early version of Android Wear was the way the device dealt with notifications. If you closed an app on an Android Wear smartwatch it removed the app from your watch until another notification is sent by the smartphone. This can be irritating if you swiped an app's notification but wanted to keep it to view later. On the Apple Watch, you can select the app on the watch face and it will prompt the iPhone to show the relevant information stored on the smartphone. Thankfully the latest update to Android Wear has fixed this issue, with users able to keep their notifications on the watch and in the background.

The complete smartwatch? Not quite.

_{Samsung Gear S}

The Samsung Gear S SM-R750B ($449) smartwatch runs the open source operating system, Tizen. The watch is unique in that it can accept a phone SIM card, effectively turning it into a communication device with full smartphone functionality. Once it's up and running (a Samsung smartphone is required for the initial set-up), you can load the fitness, social networking and email apps directly onto the watch. While the Gear S can perform most tasks without a smartphone, you still need to connect it to a Samsung mobile to upload apps, apply firmware upgrades and use the navigation feature.
The curved 2-inch display is excellent and offers easy readability. Although it's the only watch that lets the user enter text by tapping directly on the tiny on-screen keyboard, you can also use the Samsung voice recognition tool in the same manner as Siri or Google Voice.
It is without doubt the bulkiest watch in our round-up and looks and feels like a home detention tracking band. While this type of device won't be replacing the smartphone just yet, people wanting to ditch their smartphone may find it suits their lifestyle.

_{Casio 53W}

The 80s smartwatch

If you define a smartwatch as a watch that can do something other than display the time, then an early standout was the Casio CA-53W calculator watch in the 1980s. It could not only calculate your tip when you went out to dinner, it also stored appointments and contact details. It had a starring role on the wrists of Marty McFly in Back to the Future and Walter White in Netflix hit, Breaking Bad.

CHOICE verdict

The iPod, iPhone, iPad and now Apple Watch – Apple has generally waited for others to bring out the first generation of a device, allowing it to learn from their competitors' mistakes and deliver a more polished 'second generation' product to much fanfare and acclaim. In many ways, the Apple Watch is more polished and without doubt looks more like a normal watch, not a bulky sports watch, on the wrist. However, the Android Wear offerings perform their tasks well enough, and with many models at half the price would be better value.
As long as the smartwatch stays inextricably linked to the smartphone, it will remain nothing more than an expensive accessory not rather than an independent smart device.

Imation Link Power Drive for iPhone

Imation's Link Power Drive serves double duty as an external, on-the-go storage device and portable battery charger for an iPhone. It comes in useful when you want to carry extra music and video files with you, which you can then play directly off the drive; at the flick of a switch, you can then use the drive to charge the iPhone's battery.

It's a product that makes sense in the overall scheme of things, considering that Apple stipulates external drives for its iOS devices should have their own power supply in order for the user's iPhone experience not to be tarnished by the extra battery consumption external drives require. We first saw a drive like this when SanDisk released its iXpand flash-based, on-the-go drive for iOS devices and explained to us why it had its own power supply.

Rather than just offering storage and being done with it, Imation's product is differentiated because of its extra battery capacity and the ability to also charge an iPhone (but not an iPad). At the same time, it's also a bulky product that can be harder to handle than a dedicated flash drive (such as SanDisk's) while it's being used. It has dimensions of 73x64x22mm and there are a couple of short cables snaking around its perimeter. One is a regular USB 2.0 cable for charging the battery and getting files onto the drive, and one is Lightning cable to connect to an iPhone.

The lithium polymer battery inside the Imation Link Power Drive is rated at 3000 milliamp-hours, and it can give an iPhone almost one full charge before it stops charging. It doesn't charge an iPhone automatically the moment it's plugged in. Instead, there is a switch on the side of the drive that you need to flick to the on position (indicated by an 'I'), which will then initiate the charge. Flick it back to 'O' and it will then go back to plain old drive mode.

During our tests, we plugged in and switched the Imation drive to charge when our iPhone 6 was at 10 per cent battery life. It took about 1hr 40min for the external battery to juice the iPhone's battery back up to 95 per cent. At this point, the battery indicator on the Imation drive, which consists of four white LEDs, flashed only one of its LEDs, indicating it was almost out of power.

Because the drive stopped charging the iPhone before it reached 100 per cent, we figure that Imation purposely leaves some petrol in the tank in order for the drive to be operational. Indeed, power is needed in the drive itself so that its contents to be accessible. Despite being used to almost fully charge the iPhone, we were still able to use the drive for a further couple of hours of video playback.

In order to access content off the drive, you must install the Link Power Drive App from the App Store, which will give you the interface you need to browse and play the files you've transferred to the drive. Simply click on the Drive icon to see those files.

It will be able to play MP3s, MP4 and MKV video files, but support for other formats such as AVI videos and FLAC music files is missing; these feature an icon indicating 'other' file type, and we were greeted by 'file type not supported' messages' when we tried to play them. You can see a list of supported file types on Imation's site.

When the drive has battery life remaining to play content, its icon will be active in this app. When the drive doesn't have enough charge to play files, it will be greyed out and you will only be able to access content that is stored locally on the iPhone. There is no battery indicator within the app, so you have to rely solely on the physical button and four LEDs on the drive. When the last LED flashes, that's the time to charge it, otherwise you can pull a Kramer and find out how long you can access content off the drive until the tank is bone dry.

To charge the Imation Link, you need to connect it to a phone charger or computer. It has an exceedingly short USB cable of barely 30mm, which can make it inconvenient to use with a phone charger, especially if the power outlet puts the charger in a hard-to-reach position. The Imation drive will either have to hang from the charger or reside on the floor for the two and a half hours it will take to fully charge the Imation again.

You can get the Imation Link Power Drive in three sizes: 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB. Our review is based on the 16GB model (with a formatted capacity of 14.4GB in FAT32 format), which costs $130 ($150 in New Zealand). The 32GB costs $150 ($170 in NZ) and the 64GB costs $190 ($230 in NZ).

It's worth a look if you want an external battery that can also double as a drive for storing large files, or for backing up files from the phone to the external drive. If you're primarily after a drive and don't care much for a battery top-up, then SanDisk's iXpand drive is a better option due to being a smaller product and supporting more file formats.

LifeCharge iBatteryCASE for iPhone 6 Review

The iBATTERYCASE is a powerful power source for your iPhone 6. However, its thin bezel may not hold up to repeated removals/installations, and its LiPo battery comes with tradeoffs.

 

Size and Fit

The iBatteryCASE, like most battery cases, will approximately double the size and weight of your iPhone 6. It fits perfectly, and offers covered buttons; however the mute switch is uncovered. The iBATTERYCASE comes in black and gold, and has a pleasing soft-touch finish.

Features and Quality

Unlike most battery cases, the iBatteryCASE utilizes a lithium-polymer (LiPo) rather than a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery. LiPo batteries are safer (more resistant to overcharge, and less likely to leak) and lighter, but they have a lower energy density and cycle count than their Li-ion counterparts. The iBatteryCASE features a 3000mAh capacity, which should fully recharge a dead iPhone 6. Remember that it takes less energy to charge your phone in the 20%-80% range, so if you want to maximize your portable power, turn it on before your iPhone gets too low, and turn it off before it gets too high. The iBatteryCASE installs easily, but thanks to the thin plastic bezel that is used to secure it to your phone, it may be prone to breakage if you tend to install/remove it with any regularity. Charging/syncing is accomplished by way of a mini USB port (cable included), and the headphone jack is accessible by way of a narrow port. Be advised, however, that this opening is too small for many 3rd party headphones, so an adaptor or extension may be required.

 Summary

While the use of LiPo instead of Li-ion in a battery case (as opposed to a battery pack) is unusual in today's market, those worried about issues related to overcharging will likely appreciate the extra peace of mind this choice offers. Conversely, the lower energy density and cycle count may impact the case's lifespan. Lastly, I found the bezel to be a bit fragile looking, but it is covered by a one-year warranty (as is the battery) so what have you got to lose?

Arduboy puts open source monochrome gaming in your wallet

Time to get rid of all the dog-earned business cards and seldom-used loyalty cards in your wallet. You’ll need to make room for this awesome handheld gaming system.
We’ve shared Arduboy with you before, back when creator Kevin Bates was building them by hand. Now it’s finally being crowdfunded on Kickstarter as Bates promised. Arduboy packs loads of 8-bit monochrome gaming goodness into a very, very small package. It’s about the size of a business card and just 5mm thick. It’s just as durable as it is small, thanks to a metal back and tough polycarbonate face.
Thanks to an integrated lithium-ion battery, you can play for about 8 hours before you need to recharge. No proprietary charging plugs here, either: a standard micro USB cable is all you need to refuel. Arduboy is about more than a clever little handheld, though. It’s also about creating a fun, open gaming ecosystem.

Games By Lee Mathews May. 12, 2015 9:30 am

Time to get rid of all the dog-earned business cards and seldom-used loyalty cards in your wallet. You’ll need to make room for this awesome handheld gaming system.
We’ve shared Arduboy with you before, back when creator Kevin Bates was building them by hand. Now it’s finally being crowdfunded on Kickstarter as Bates promised. Arduboy packs loads of 8-bit monochrome gaming goodness into a very, very small package. It’s about the size of a business card and just 5mm thick. It’s just as durable as it is small, thanks to a metal back and tough polycarbonate face.
Thanks to an integrated lithium-ion battery, you can play for about 8 hours before you need to recharge. No proprietary charging plugs here, either: a standard micro USB cable is all you need to refuel. Arduboy is about more than a clever little handheld, though. It’s also about creating a fun, open gaming ecosystem.

All the games that are being published for Arduboy (like Ardumon, Space Rocks, and Alien Attack) will be free and open source. You’re free to remix them as you like, and you can instantly share any game you’ve got installed on your own Arduboy with anyone else who has one in their pocket. For neophyte devs, they’ll even be offering up tutorials to help you create your first Arduboy game.
You don’t have to worry about whether or not Arduboy will meet its funding goal. With almost a month left to go, more than 1,600 backers have pledged their support to the tune of over $80,000 — its creators were seeking just $25,000.
While the first 1,000 bargin-priced Arduboys are all gone already, there are still plenty of perks available. Snagging your very own Arduboy will set you back $39, and you can score two for $69 or a five-pack for $179 — and gift a bunch to your geeky friends.

Generic 1M Micro 5 Pin USB Sync Data Charger ... $8.12  $2.12 Save: 74% off

Generic 1M Micro 5 Pin USB Sync Data Charger ... $8.12  $2.12 Save: 74% off

Generic 1M Micro 5 Pin USB Sync Data Charger ... $8.12  $2.12 Save: 74% off

Generic 1M Metal Shell Flat Noodle Micro 5 Pi... $8.05  $2.05 Save: 75% off

Micro USB Male USB Female OTG Host Cable Adapter

The Micro USB host cable adapter offers a simple way to convert your micro USB-capable tablet, computer, or smartphone into a USB host. Effortlessly connect USB peripherals such as a thumb drive or USB mouse or keyboard.

The cable is designed and constructed for maximum durability to ensure dependable, long-lasting connections, and is backed by StarTech's lifetime warranty.

Micro USB Cable

Generic 1M Fabric Braided Micro USB Data Char... $3.16  $1.66 Save: 47% off

Generic 1M Nylon Braided Micro 5 Pin USB Data... $7.67  $1.67 Save: 78% off

Generic 1M Fabric Braided Micro USB Data Char... $3.16  $1.66 Save: 47% off

Generic 1M Micro 5 Pin USB Sync Data Charger ... $8.12  $2.12 Save: 74% off

Review: Dyconn’s i6 Power Case packs a 3,200 mAh battery and features wireless charging (Video)

There are absolutely no shortage of battery case offerings for iPhone 6. Even though we’ve covered the best iPhone battery cases here, it’s sometimes overwhelming sorting through them all. The real winners are the ones with maximum battery capacity and some extra features to spice things up. Recently, I came across Dyconn’s i6 Power Case and was pleasantly surprised to find that it fits most of what I was looking for, but is it enough? Well, not only does this case pack a 3,200 mAh battery inside, it also features wireless charging. It’s not a must-have feature, but I sure do appreciate the convenience…
When I first received the case, the packaging wasn’t too flashy (a bit basic in my opinion), but I was more interested in the features/functionality. With 3,200 mAh, you can almost charge up an iPhone 6 twice. That was definitely appealing. On top of that, being able to recharge the whole package wirelessly means that I don’t need to shuffle around for my cable.
Inside of the box, you’ll find a Micro USB charging cable, headphone jack adapter, the case’s dock (for charging), and the i6 Power Case. It’s a pretty simple setup overall. There are pins on the bottom of the case that correspond to small plates on the dock. When these points connect, the case/iPhone begin to charge. It’s not Qi charging, but for the ease of use the conductive wireless charging will do just fine. Watch the video review for a full demo of this feature.
The dock features its own fixed USB cable that can be plugged into your iPhone’s wall adapter for power. If you’re not in the mood for wireless charging, the Micro USB cable can be used with the port on the bottom for charging/sycing, but the iPhone will not sync through the wireless charging dock if plugged into a computer for power. Also, it’s important to note that the 3.5mm jack adapter may be necessary for certain types of headphones. Earpods fit within the recessed headphone jack just fine, but for anything wider you’ll need to keep track of that adapter.

 The i6 Power Case is made from Polycarbonate and TPU with full protection for the iPhone. The side walls of the case are flexible (TPU) and allow you to slide in the iPhone without having to worry about disassembling anything. It provides a very secure fit and the rubber coating on the outside of the case feels good in the hand. If there’s one thing I’m not a fan of here, it’s going to be the rubbery matte finish. It feels great, but picks up prints and oils from your fingers very easily, thought that’s no different from most other battery cases. The i6 Power Case is surprisingly thin as well, only adding 1/4″ to the overall bulk of the device and about a half inch in height.

 The lock/volume buttons are covered, but the case provides openings for the camera/flash and mute switch. On the backside of the case, there’s a small power button that will illuminate LED power indicators above it when pressed. If you hold down the button for two seconds it will begin charging the iPhone, an additional two second press will cut the power. As far as recharging goes, the instructions notes that it will take roughly 3.5 hours to fully charge the iPhone with its case and we found that to be accurate

 Overall, you can’t go wrong with this battery case. It’s simple, provides a good amount of extra battery life, and features wireless charging. You also have the ability to purchase additional docks ($24.99) if you’d like to have more than one around the house or a spare for the office. If you’re interested in the whole package, you can pick up the MFI-certified Dyconn i6 Power Case (dock included) for $89.99. When compared to other battery cases on the market, it seems like a pretty good deal.

Huawei Honor 6 Plus and Honor 4X arrives in India with competitive price tags

Huawei today introduced its Honor 6 Plus and Honor 4X smartphone in India. Honor 6 Plus is the successor to the popular Honor 6 smartphone and is priced at Rs 26,499. On the other hand, the Honor 4X is a budget 5.5-inch Android smartphone and costs Rs 10,499. Both the new smartphones will be available only on Flipkart. Buyers can register for the first sale on March 30 from 4 PM on March 24.

The Honor 6 Plus sports a 5.5-inch 1080p Full HD in-cell display. It runs on a 1.8 GHz Hisilicon Kirin 925 octa-core processor along with Mali-T628 GPU, 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage which is expandable up to 128GB. It runs on Android 4.4 KitKat OS sugarcoated with Huawei’s Emotion UI 3.0 and is powered by a 3600mAh battery. On the camera front, the device comes with an 8MP bionic parallel dual-lens camera at the back with a dual-LED flash and an 8MP front-facing camera.
The phone runs on Android 4.4 KitKat with Huawei’s Emotion UI 3.0 running on top. It has a 3600mAh battery. On the connectivity front, the Honor 6 supports 3G and 4G LTE networks, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS.
The budget Honor 4X offers a 5.5-inch IPS 720p HD display and runs on a 64-bit 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor along with Adreno 306 GPU, 2GB RAM and 8GB internal storage which can be expanded up to 32GB. It has a 13MP rear camera with LED flash and a 5MP front-facing camera and is powered by a 3000mAh battery. On the connectivity front, the device offers 3G and 4G LTE support, Bluetooth and GPS.

Huawei Ascend P7 Smartphone 5.0 inch Android ... $500.71  $401.71 Save: 20% off	Huawei Ascend P7 Smartphone 5.0 inch Android ... $475.05  $376.05 Save: 21% off	Huawei Honor 3 Outdoor Unlocked Smartphone Wa... $298.26  $199.26 Save: 33% off	Huawei Ascend Mate2 4G LTE Unlocked Smart Pho... $443.55  $344.55 Save: 22% off
Huawei Ascend Mate2 4G LTE Unlocked Smart Pho... $430.24  $331.24 Save: 23% off	Huawei Honor 6 5.0 inch Android 4.4 IPS Scree... $473.31  $374.31 Save: 21% off	Huawei Honor 6 5.0 inch Android 4.4 IPS Scree... $467.61  $368.61 Save: 21% off	Huawei Honor 6 5.0 inch Android 4.4 IPS Scree... $518.94  $419.94 Save: 19% off

Huawei Honor 4X review: Multi-day battery life ahoy

Here’s a smartphone category that is right now molten--the enticing 10K price barrier. From the smartphone stalwarts to the young upstarts, its a maelstrom of products that are vying for attention.

Irrespective of your choice, the basic requirements for the overwhelming majority of cellphone users are fairly defined: a battery that lasts at least a full working day, a reasonably sharp screen, and a camera that takes decent photos. Anything else is icing. These days, the entry level has been unarguably set at Rs 7,000 (well, Rs 6,999 precisely)--both the Moto E and the Redmi 2 are at it tooth and nail here, with several other brands snapping at their heels. Then there’s Rs 10,000 price limit, which is where things get interesting: the variation in features of phones at this price is surprisingly wide. Some tilt the scales toward better gaming performance, some offer heightened battery life, while others manage to pack slightly larger and higher resolution screens. There’s something for everyone.

Which brings us to the Huawei (pronounced “who-ah-weigh”) Honor 4X that was launched last week along with its bigger sibling the Honor 6 Plus (of course the latter is cocking a snook at Apple’s flagship phone). The Honor 4X is priced at Rs 10,499 and is a 5.5-inch dual SIM LTE phone. Much like Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 4G--in fact they’re virtually identical in specification--this one is characterized by a hefty battery and is otherwise powered by mainstream-level hardware: an ideal formula for a device that offers prolonged battery life with decent performance for everyday tasks. Let’s step up and look closer.

At a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixel, this phone’s 5.5-inch screen is nowhere near retinal display: it packs about 267 pixels per inch, a level where an average person cannot discern individual pixels on screen. Also the visuals are surprisingly clean and crisp. Also unlike other brands that are wont to bump up color saturation to make images ‘pop’, this one was balanced, with excellent brightness and contrast and natural colors.

The core hardware is mainstream level--the phone’s Snapdragon 410 based platform makes no bones about this fact. But this new part is more power efficient compared to its predecessor while featuring improvements in processing efficiency, amply demonstrated as we used the phone. The phone’s Emotion UI, which is a skinned version of Android 4.4.4 (monthly updates are promised, though no word on Lollipop availability) packs neat features such as launching common apps from the lock screen using gestures and shortcut buttons, an on-screen button for quick access to common controls and more. While there is 8GB of specified built-in memory, only a shade over 4GB is available for use, which is a bit of a downer. There is a microSD card, but which can take only a 32 GB card.

 During extensive daily use consisting of always-on WiFi, 3G data, continuous Bluetooth connectivity to a smartwatch and using a range of web, productivity apps and gaming, the phone refused to drain even two days being unplugged (see screenshot). This is unprecedented stuff. Its 3,000 mAH battery coupled with its power-efficient Snapdragon 410 hardware platform along with software-based optimizations (like when the phone regularly notifies you of apps that are overly power-hungry) all clearly do a spectacular job in translating into real-world endurance.

On the photo front, its 13 MP rear camera performed reasonably well across scenarios, nothing to set it apart though. These days features like ‘beauty enhancers’ and the like are all the rage; unfortunately this phone succumbs and includes such gimmicks. I found them all but useless, but they’re great for getting a kick out of. It also has an ‘all-focus’ mode that lets you choose the focus point in your photo after taking the shot. I found this feature worked erratically--clearly it isn’t Lytro-level image processing, but appeared to be some type of pseudo blur-applying algorithm. The panorama and HDR modes did function as expected, and overall the camera was snappy to respond, but overall the primary camera is very middling. The secondary camera is 5MP, resulting in higher-resolution selfies, but is average so far as front cameras go.

This phone is clearly optimized for staying alive between charges, while delivering all the performance that general smartphone use mandates. There are a few downsides like the fact that the battery is fixed, so it isn’t user-changeable. But the ability to use a smartphone without worrying about it dying out over the course of the day is indeed refreshing. And when it lasts for over two days at this price? It’s quite a breakthrough. For the 10K price brigade, the Honor 4X is a first among equals.

What we liked: Truly stellar battery life, sharp screen, good UI optimization and features

What we didn’t: Average camera, non-removable battery, 4GB of available internal memory and only up to 32 GB microSD cards supported

Review: Just Mobile TopGum portable charger for mobile devices

Okay, I could have gotten a paper copy of my boarding pass, but after a day of GPS-assisted driving through Chicago (with my iPhone attached to my rental car’s AC vent using my Spiderpodium), my iPhone was DOA as I approached O’Hare, and I didn’t feel like waiting in line. Without my Passbook pass, I’d be stuck waiting in line with everybody else waiting to get a paper boarding pass.
Luckily I’ve had one of Just Mobile’s TopGum battery packs in my travel kit for a while, so my dead battery didn’t get in the way of my flight.

On the Bus

The TopGum is a sleek external battery pack with multiple charging options. First, to charge the TopGum’s battery you can use the built-in Micro USB port or pop it on the magnetic charging cradle. The cradle’s great to leave on your desk for charging, letting you grab the TopGum and throw it in a bag when you’re ready to head out the door. When you’re ready to use the TopGum, you can charge anything from the built-in USB port, or charge newer iDevices using the built-in Lightning cable for fast charging with its 2.4 amp output.

After dropping off my rental car, I was down to the dreaded 10% red battery zone. I grabbed the TopGum from my backpack, then switched my iPhone to airplane mode and plugged it in for the bus ride to the terminal. I was the last top, so by the time we reached the terminal I was nearer to 20%, which let me bypass the ticket counter line and straight on to security without the fear of my boarding pass vanishing if my iPhone died.

Not Cleared for Takeoff

All of Just Mobile’s products feature killer design, and we’ve said as much in reviews of their products here on TechnologyTell. The TopGum is no exception, and one of the features I truly came to appreciate is the heavily rounded corners. It sounds simple, but hear me out—the TopGum is much thicker than other battery packs, and at first I wondered at the design choice. However, those thinner batteries are always taller and wider, and therefore less convenient to throw in your pocket (for further reading, see Bendgate, Debacle of). The TopGum is the perfect size to fit in your hand, and its smooth brushed aluminum surface and gracefully rounded corners make it much easier to slip into the pocket of your jeans or a backpack without sharp corners to catch or a tall and brittle design that can easily break.

 The other killer feature of the TopGum is its built-in Lightning cable. It tucks securely into place when not in use, but it’s flexible enough to bend and accommodate any iDevice—even my iPad in a stand case. The fast charge provided by this cable is great for iPhone 5S/6/6+ and iPad, as they take advantage of the higher output to charge faster. Just Mobile lists the TopGum as capable of charging an iPhone three times, and an iPad to 75%, so even dedicated conference callers or gamers should have enough juice.

Once I’d made it through security I went on to my gate, only to be greeted with the news that my flight was delayed. Since O’Hare still charges for their WiFi (one of many reasons I despise that airport), I went ahead and plugged my phone back into the TopGum and tethered it so I could kill some time. After two hours of use my iPhone was fully charged and the TopGum was only down to 50%, at which point my flight was finally ready to board. With everybody searching for plugs, it was nice to keep my seat and still be able to top up the battery.
The TopGum comes in black/silver or white/gold aluminum to match the colors of Apple’s latest devices, and it’s only $79.95. As one of the best-designed mobile battery packs I’ve tested, that price is amazing. Just Mobile’s focus on great design and functionality have combined into another winning piece of gear.