When it comes to your device’s battery having a portable charger around in an emergency is a great battery saver. But when that battery charger is capable of charging two devices at a time, well then, it becomes a lifesaver.

For someone like me who constantly uses two cellphones, having a battery charger is a necessity. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been on a cellphone and I start to hear a beep that lets me know that the battery level is low. And using features on the phone such as GPS, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi can be a real battery hog. Fortunately, there are portable battery chargers but what happens when you have two devices and only one charger? Well, that’s where the TekCharge from Tekkeon comes in. With it’s dual USB ports it can charge two 5 Volt devices at a time.

The TekCharge MP1860A has a 4,400 mAh rechargeable Lithium Ion battery cell so it can hold a good amount of charge for two devices and extended hours for one device.

The MP1860A can provide output power from as less as 100mA to as high as 2.1A  It  uses a retractable USB cable with an interchangeable tip to switch from a MiniUSB to MicroUSB. It also comes with an Apple Dock connector for iPhones, iPods and iPads.  (My iPod was MIA at the time  of this review so my picture doesn’t have one shown.)

The TekCharge feels pretty solid and lightweight. It is small enough to fit into a purse or small bag without any bulk.

It also has small ribs on the sides for a secure grip and has these circles on its back which have a slight stickiness to it. So, having the TekCharge on a slanted table or even a car dashboard  the sticky circles would prevent it from doing a lot of sliding around.

Tekkeon has included a flashlight in the TekCharge which is a nice little add-on.  Basically, it is an LED light which gives off a surprisingly decent amount of  illumination. Nice to have in an emergency.

According to Tekkeon, the MP1860A can provide an iPhone up to 80 hours of audio playback, up to 20 hours of video playback, up to 14 hours of talk time and up to 20 hours of internet use on Wi-Fi. For an mp3 player, it can provide up to 50 hours of audio playback and for a Mobile phones and Smart phone between 14 and 18 hours of talk time. For e-readers, such as a Kindle or Nook,  it can power it for up to 20 days. To me these were pretty impressive figures considering some other portable battery chargers I have used in the past didn’t hold a charge as close to these numbers.

And when I used  this charger with my HTC Evo and an HTC Touch Pro2 together the MP1860A held a substantially long charge. The only thing about that was that I had to use the USB from my EVO with the charger because although it comes with 2 tips (one for a MiniUSB and one for MicroUSB) there is only one retractable USB. But no biggie. Lots of  newer cell phone’s wall chargers are coming with detachable USB cables so shouldn’t be a need to go and buy a separate USB cable.

The MP1860A is charged using the same supplied USB cable. However, the MiniUSB is plugged into the MiniUSB port on the charger and then the USB end is plugged into a supplied wall plug. The wall plug gave me a little difficulty in opening it to expose the metal prongs. It was a struggle to use my finger to flip it open. It would have been nice to have some kind of tab or something to help flip it open since it sits flush against itself. But that’s not a deal breaker.

For such a small battery charger that has a big charge that can last for hours, the TekCharge MP1860A from Tekkeon is a fantastic portable battery charger which can add extra life into your iPods, iPhones, MP3 players, Smartphones, e-readers, video game or any other Mini/MicroUSB devices and more.

The TekCharge MP1860A weighs 4.5 oz and is 3.5 in. x 2.1 in. x 1.1 in.

It goes for a MSRP price of $69.95.

Filed in categories: Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Battery, Charger, portable

Tekkeon TekCharge MP1860A Portable Battery Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 13, 2011 at 1:48 pm.

The ScanSnap Color Scanner from Fujitsu is one of those products that surprised me when I first used it. It surprised me because it works so well. The scanning was surprisingly fast and the scanned images were a perfect copy.  I had to stop myself from scanning any picture and document I could get my hands on. Well, almost…

The ScanSnap from Fujitsu is their portable scanner in a line of  their larger models the S1300 and the s1500.

This model is the mobile version of the three. Without the need of a power adapter, the included USB cable is the only cable needed to power up the S1100 which makes this convenient to have in your bag, luggage or briefcase. As slim as the ScanSnap is it can probably fit into a large purse with no problem. This is perfect for the business person or traveler waiting in the airport that is sitting in one of those small round table tops in a cafe with only enough room for the sugar packets and ketchup but needs to scan a document or picture and send to a colleague, family member or whomever. It’s perfect for those tight small areas.

This feature alone makes it worthwhile to construct your mobile office anywhere.

The ScanSnap scans images to a PDF file, a searchable PDF (through ScanSnap Manager), and JPEG files.  It also has a few special features.  One of the features that ScanSnap has is the CardMinder. It can scan business cards and extract and export contact information from the scanned business card. There is also the ability to convert a document into an editable Word or Excel file. And for those cloud users, the ScanSnap allows direct scanning to Google Docs and Evernote. The CardMinder was a big plus for me since I have accumulated tons of business cards that I started filing them in a business card book. I will take the time to scan those business cards and digitize them so I can archive them and free up some room on my desk. The ScanSnap can also scan plastic cards and embossed cards up to 0.76 mm thick.

The ScanSnap has an included software that allows for different choices after scanning such as scanning to email, scan to print or scan to Word and more.

With a touch of the Scan button an average scan time takes around 7 seconds from start of page to end of page. This was pretty accurate when I tested it. The S1100 can accommodate documents as long as 34 inches and allows for Continuous Document Feeding so you can scan documents one right after the other. Documents and images are scanned at 300 dpi and can go up to 600 dpi.

The ScanSnap weighs in at around 12 ounces and its dimensions are 10.74 x 1.87 x 1.33.

The ScanSnap has two doors or trays that flip open. The front/bottom tray is where the user initially feeds the document and then exits out the back of the unit. The back/top tray is more of a convenience if you have little or no room behind the ScanSnap for the document to feed out. This tray directs the document to exit out the top of the unit. It’s very handy if you have objects or a wall directly behind the ScanSnap  that will impede the document to exit. However, if you are scanning something that is hard stock  such as a postcard, or a business card or plastic card then this is not ideal to do so. The cards will simply not accommodate the bend in the tray to exit. So you’ll have to keep the top door closed so the card can exit smoothly.

I scanned a couple of 35mm pictures and noticed that the resulting scan was a tiny bit soft but not by much. It could have been the pictures to start with anyways but it was still an impressive scan. I then scanned a colored flyer and noticed it was sharper. But that could have been the difference between a photograph picture and a flyer with blocky letters.  Naturally, it seems that a document with hard edges will appear sharper in contrast to a picture with more organic and softer lines. Either way, both provided a substantial clear and proper scan.

One thing I found helpful was the fact that you can open the ScanSnap in case of a paper jam or to clean the camera and rollers since it can accumulate dust and debris over time.

So if you are looking for  an ultra portable scanner that can fit in tight spaces, save images to a searchable PDF file, and can scan at high speeds and can than look to the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1100. You’ll find that using this scanner is a pleasant delight that takes little room and scans documents with a speedy quickness.

The ScanSnap comes with a DVD (driver and softwares),  USB cable, manual, and EZ set-up guide.  It is both Mac and PC compatible.

Filed in categories: Desktop Computer Gear, Laptops and Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Cloud, Copier, Evernote, Fujitsu, Mobile, PDF, portable, Scanner, USB

Fujitsu ScanSnap S1100 Portable Color Scanner Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 23, 2011 at 10:30 am.

They say good things come in small packages and the Rock-It Portable Vibration Speaker System is no exception. However, with its surprisingly generated vibrating “pod”  it is not without its drawbacks.

The idea behind the Rock-It portable vibration speaker system is that it sends strong vibrations through a small speaker that is attached to an object and is amplified by that object.  Basically, you connect the Rock-It to a device like an MP3 player, iPhone, smartphone, or any other media player and the Rock-It acts as an external speaker. I connected the Rock-It to my HTC Evo.However, the interesting thing about the Rock-It is that you attach it to an object such a tissue box, picture frame, jar, or even a book. And the pod, as the company calls it, sends out strong vibrations to the object and amplifies the sound causing the volume to be louder.

The Rock-It did a very good job turning ordinary objects into a speaker however, the tone was a little flat but overall a decent sound. Keep in mind though this is not gonna give your media player a Digital Dolby type sound. It is what it is. It is an external add-on speaker system. But the cool thing about it is that you can choose what you want your speaker to be.

However, choosing the right object makes a difference in sound quality. I found the best objects being a hollow cardboard box such as tissue box, cereal box. I even tried it on a box of Jif  To Go. It had a nice sound and it’s great for dipping…..

I tried it on other household items but got a lot of varying sounds from different things. The sounds ranged from shallow to muffled to low and high tone.  When I got the Rock-It and saw and heard what it did I went crazy and tried it on many things. I tried it on a wall picture, a metal can, a glass jar, several cups, my refrigerator and even on the side of my daughter’s cheek. Don’t worry, it was her idea. Doesn’t work anyways…..

The Rock-It is attached by a little sticky pad on the bottom of the pod. It has a nice low tack to it but still can hold firm. The sticky pad did accumulate some debris as you can probably see in one of the pictures but I just took a dab of water on it and wiped it as clean as good as I could and let it dry and it was good as new. Just don’t get the pod wet if you try this. It could short it out.

The Rock-It is a nice portable speaker system that you can carry around with you since it is pretty much self-contained and it is not that bulky at all.

It is operated by two AAA batteries and has a power switch that you just slide to turn on and off. It would have been nice to have an adapter to plug into a wall socket as well.

It comes with an extension connector for your media player device as well as a USB connector to plug into a computer’s USB port or a  USB plug adapter in case you don’t have batteries.

The Rock-It also comes with a few extra sticky pads in case the other ones get too dirty and over used.

As fun as the Rock-It is to use it is just as much fun to see what ordinary object one can use it on. As an external speaker system the sound was decent depending on what object you attached it to.

This is a handy little speaker system that you can take with you on a trip or just keep with you. And if you have limited space like in a dorm room or office cubicle and you want decent sound but don’t need to crank up the volume super high then this is a good external speaker to have.  I think the average person will be happy with this system but audiophiles may be a little nit-picky. Just don’t stick it to your cubicle wall. It could turn your cubicle into a self-contained speaker and I think Enrique Iglesias’ I Like It on your iPod is getting played out….

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Reviews

Tagged: MP3, portable, Speaker

Rock-It Portable Vibration Speaker System Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 21, 2010 at 4:52 pm.

How do you judge a pair of headphones in this pristine, digital age when you’re listening to a new track from Jónsi and Alex that has analog noise added for effect? I have no idea, but boy, does it sound ethereal and haunting. The track is “Daníell In The Sea”, which may not be your your preferred style of music or even what you might call a “song”. But I like it and on the Bowers & Wilkins P5 headphones, I like it even more. That added analog dirt sounds like a badly scratched vinyl record, but the mystery and the ambience come through like a fog rolling in off the coast. Murky and beautiful (the music, not the headphones).

For those of you who may not be aware, Bowers & Wilkins make some of the most audaciously designed speakers available and they are priced accordingly. They have now applied that expertise to the iPod/iPhone market with the incredible Zeppelin speaker and the newer MM1 computer speakers (to be reviewed soon – stay tuned).

They have also entered the personal audio market with the P5 headphones. Unlike headphones such as the Grado 325i for instance, the B&W P5s take a completely different approach to personal listening. It’s important to understand this difference as you consider shelling out big bucks on headphones. The Grados (and some other brands) are what is known as open-backed. And the P5s are closed. This simply means that someone sitting next to you can hear what you are listening to with the Grados and not so with the P5s. And truthfully, neither approach is better. Each one has its pros and cons. It comes down to preferences. So rather than compare the different approaches, I am going to concentrate on the closed design P5s.

Right away, you’ll notice that you can’t get past that packaging before you unearth the headphones. And unboxing the P5s clues you in on what lies ahead: Pure quality all the way. A thick, foam-lined, beautifully printed cardboard box opens up to the headphones packed in a form-fitting carrier. Underneath this carrier is a gorgeous manual/history booklet of B&W, as well as a quilted, suede-lined carrying bag. Also included is a 1/4” jack adapter and a mic-enabled cable. With this mic-cable, you can listen to your iPhone and then accept a call without removing the headphones, then resume your music when the call is ended. Two cables are included – one with a mic and one without.

As with any headphone, comfort ranks almost as importantly as sound quality. When you wear the P5s, you’ll notice that they hug your head without squeezing your temples or pressing down on the ears themselves. And because the pads are leather, they can breathe, which helps reduce sweating, which can be a real problem in more humid climates. Incidentally, that leather is sheep’s leather… from New Zealand. Neat. The well-padded headband is also covered in soft sheep’s leather. There is little to no downward pressure to the top of your head.

The construction is solid and well thought out. Even though the P5s are expensive, brushed metal and chrome accents – along with all that leather – make them look like they cost even more than they actually do. The ear pads are held in place magnetically and separate from the housing with little difficulty, which is clever because it allows for complete cable removable and replacement should something bad happen. So, if your dog chews through the cable, no problem.

Of course, it all comes down to the sound. Do the P5s sound as good as they look and feel? Let’s find out.

Some companies really stress the bass in their products. In most cases, this over-emphasis on bass masks all sorts of shortcomings in speaker quality. What may sound impressive on first listen will give you a headache after 20 minutes. Not fun. Don’t be fooled by heavy bass.

The B&W P5s sport plenty of bass, but are tuned to a more neutral setting. What that means is you can comfortably wear them for hours with no ill effects or ear fatigue. A good example of this is the Annie Lennox song, “Why”, on her “Diva” album. It’s a song that has a perfect balance of bass and midrange synths which contrast beautifully with her vocals. The P5s accentuate all the right stuff with little coloring of the music.

The P5s lean to the warm side, meaning that they are not too bright sounding. Sometimes, that can make the headphones a little less “accurate” sounding. But sometimes, accuracy at the expense of comfort is not a good thing.

A high resolution version of Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” from his album, “So” proves the warmth over accuracy point. This song has some brass sounds that on lesser headphones have sounded downright harsh and unpleasant. Here, the sound is just… smooth. Gabriel’s vocal histrionics come off as good-natured fun rather than grating.

Another good test of sound quality on the P5s is Brian Eno’s “Under” from “Another Day on Earth”. There is a lot happening in this song, from complicated percussion to random sounds haphazardly thrown in for effect. But the way the fast percussion seems to go completely against the slower rhythm of the music shows how quickly the P5s react to all the sonic barrage. It has become one of my favorite headphone songs.

The “Ninth Symphony, Fourth Movement, Abridged” on the Clockwork Orange soundtrack is completely artificial – all analog synthesizer – as could only happen in the 70s. With the P5s, Wendy Carlos’ score comes through with a menacing beauty  absent from earlier listenings. The synthetic chorus at the end will give you shivers. Play this one loud.

Vocals on the P5s can be intimate bordering on the uncomfortable. I don’t mean aurally, but emotionally. Some of the reason for this is again, the closed design as opposed to the open-back design. Jennifer Warnes version of Leonard Cohen’s “Joan of Arc” from her excellent “Famous Blue Raincoat” album puts her right in your space (or face). Close your eyes and she is singing just to you. Its realism to the max. Add in the snap of the static pounding drum in the background while she croons la da da, and you are there.

The Bowers & Wilkins P5 headphones handle anything I’ve been able to throw at them.

You can not only use the P5s for personal listening where isolation is imperative, but they are also something you can just listen to for extended periods of time, if for no other reason – because you can.

For those close to an Apple retail store, you can actually audition the P5s before you decide if they are right for you.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Reviews

Tagged: Audio, Headphones, iPad, iPhone, iPod, portable

Bowers & Wilkins P5 Headphones Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 25, 2010 at 12:00 pm.

Lately you have probably been exposed to at least a few media covering portable hard drives.

The Gadgeteer has reviewed 3 portable external hard drives since the end of October. You might have purchased or received one as a gift for the holidays. They are a great investment as a backup tool or as a way to transport the valuable information stored in our computers.

This review will cover the Western Digital My Passport Essential 320 GB portable external hard drive. I actually received this device as a gift and thought I would share my findings in a product review.

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Capacity: 320GB (Available: 160, 250, 320, 400 & 500 GB)
• Color: Real Red (Available: Midnight Black, Real Red, Intense Blue, Vibrant Pink, Arctic White, Brilliant Orange, Cherry Red, Deep Viola, Raindrop Blue, Super Sunny Yellow & Ultra Mint)
• Interface: USB 2.0
• Powered directly from the USB port
• 128-bit encryption (Windows only)
• Compatible: Windows 2000/XP/Vista and Mac OS X 10.4.11+
• Transfer Rate: 480 Mb/s (Max)
• Physical Dimensions: 0.590” (H) x 4.967” (L) x 3.130” (W)
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.

IN THE BOX:

• Portable hard drive
• USB 2.0 cable
• Quick install guide

To be honest, my initial impression of the drive was the eye-catching color. My drive is the Real Red color, which is extremely vibrant and definitely stands out in a sea of the normal bland grey and black tinted gadgets that I own. Western Digital offers the My Essential drive in eleven colors with the majority being extremely bright.

After I overcome the pleasant blur from the flamboyant color, I refocus on the physical characteristics of the unit. It is small, compact and light. I continue to become amazed at how electronic manufacturers are able to provide consumers large storage options in petite apparatuses. You can easily carry this portable hard drive in a pant or shirt pocket.

The majority of the edges on the drive are rounded. These soft edges and the fact that three of the sides are white instead of red give the illusion of a book or maybe a passport.

Examining the shell of the drive does not uncover much. A small Western Digital logo resides on the lower-right corner of the top and the USB port is just below that on the bottom edge.

Upon concluding my inspection of the unit’s exterior, I connect it to my PC (Windows XP) via the USB cord. My available USB ports are limited so I appreciate the fact that the My Passport Essential only requires one for data transfer and power. The SimpleTech Signature external hard drive I have requires two ports to operate and that drives me nuts.

The unit is immediately detected by my PC and initiates Windows Explorer.

The drive detected, I launch the software and start the initial set-up.

The WD Sync interface is very user-friendly in layout and content. I quickly created a profile and a password.

For those of us who are occasionally forgetful, the developers did us a favor and included a hint to remind us if and when we forget our password.

The WD Sync also includes a section to fill out personal information in case you lose the drive and a good Samaritan finds it, this information is viewable without the use of the password.

The Options section is where you can select what to synchronize between your PC and the Western Digital My Passport Essential drive. You can even go as far as synchronizing your desktop’s wallpaper so it visible when using the WD Sync on another PC.

Using the advanced settings you can drill down and set specific directories or sub-directories and even file extensions to sync.

Set-up complete, it is time to actually use the drive. Using the software, I encountered no issues. In fact, it was very easy and the interface is informative in displaying the status of the migration of data.

In terms of performance, the Western Digital My Passport Essential drive delivers average read and write speed. In comparison to the Toshiba Portable External Hard Drive that I reviewed months ago, the transfer rate difference was so small it would not be something to separate one from the other.

In conclusion, I really like the Western Digital My Passport Essential drive. The sleek and compact shell with its bright and colorful options is eye-catching and is a great way to let your gadgets express your individuality.

The software is user friendly and includes options like password protection, lost and found personal information and the ability to specify specifics such as file extensions, directories and sub-directories. The added ability to sync email account information, internet browser favorites and even your desktop wallpaper serve as icing on the cake.

Comparing the external hard drive options available on the market in terms of capacity to price, other options might seem more appealing to consumers.

I definitely think the Western Digital My Passport Essential 320 GB external hard drive is a great option if you are looking to expand your PC’s memory capacity or extend your mobility.

Filed in categories: Desktop Computer Gear, Laptops and Gear

Tagged: external, Hard Drive, portable, USB

Western Digital My Passport Essential 320GB Portable USB Hard Drive Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 28, 2009 at 10:45 am.