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Buy a giant battery during Jackery's giant anniversary sale
15% off on all of Jackery's batteries and solar chargers
We've left behind the summer months, but that doesn't mean many of us aren't still heading out for long camping weekends, fishing trips, hunting, or just about anything else that takes us away from the humming comfort of the power grid. If your array of gadgets can't be trusted to survive the long trips out without some assistance, check out Jackery's anniversary sale to save 15% on your next huge battery.
The worst thing about living in the future is all the cables, and I'm not just talking about the extra dongles OEMs make us carry around now. Every new gadget, whether it uses a nice easy standard like USB-C or not, is another electronic mouth to feed come bedtime. From phones to wearables and all your day to day accessories, how many devices do you have to charge at night?Personally, I hate having to charge more than one device. That's at least part of why I dislike wearables such as Android Wear-powered smartwatches. At least my Pebble only needed to be topped up once a week, the last thing I want is yet another device to plug in each night. Add in the fact that we're all being forced to switch to Bluetooth headphones or accept the #DongleLife, and bedstands in 2017 are becoming a very crowded place.For some of our readers, that might just be the start. There are plenty of other accessories or duplications like separate work and personal phones that can further compound the cables and connections required. As I'm fond of saying, it's all about your workflow. Based on yours, how many devices do you need to plug in and charge up at night?
I admit that we're all pretty nerdy here at AP and we obsess over things that most people don't even consider. But we do it for all of you. One thing that some of us, especially Artem, want to know is how fast a particular charger/cable combination charges. Power meters were designed just for people like us, but I am here to show you what the folks at Satechi have cooked up.This one is a USB-C power meter (model number ST-TCPM), which was designed to complement the increasing number of Type-C devices hitting the market. What's nifty about this little guy is that it takes advantage of the bi-directional power flow in the Type-C spec, which means it can meter the electricity from both directions.So if you've wondered at what rate exactly your USB-C phone, tablet, or whatever is charging, then this is for you. Just remember that if you are planning on purchasing one of these, this power meter does not function as a protection circuit. That means that terrible, unsafe accessories will still be terrible and unsafe. Continue to exercise caution and good judgment to preserve your devices.
Does your home have a lot of mobile devices? I mean a lot of them? Maybe you're a modern-day Brady Bunch, and every adult and kid has a phone, tablet, smartwatch, and external battery? Or alternately, do you run a bar or work for a gadget blog? Then you'll probably be able to find a use for the Yubi Universal USB Family Charging Tower Station With Surge And Overload Protection For... you know what, I'm running out of words here. They're big hunks of plastic with a ton of USB charging ports, and today they're cheap at Amazon.
How many USB ports are enough? Five? Ten? A million? You can get somewhere in the middle of that with the Yubi Power 40-port USB charging hub, which can be yours for a mere $43.95, down from a list price of $69. It's available with free Amazon Prime shipping too.
Power! Unlimited power! Okay, technically the Skiva PowerFlow Octofire limits us to charging eight devices at once, but in a world of plugging devices into power outlets one at a time, this sounds like a gift from the gods. Users can charge two families' worth of devices (or, for the sake of imagination, half of a college class, every phone in a very small office, or all the handsets that can fit in the pockets contained within a clown car). If the Octofire were a vehicle, it would be the Bugatti Veyron, capable of speeding halfway across a state in the time it takes most drivers to fumble for their EZ Pass.
People who have received a OnePlus One through one means or another are now receiving an over-the-air software update that addresses a charging issue affecting the device. Sometimes the phone would think it's plugged into USB when it's actually plugged into AC power and, as a result, charge only half as fast, if not slower. The handset would display Charging (USB) instead of Charging (AC). This information is available in the Status screen under settings, which is visible at the top of the third screenshot below.
Battery life on Android has been a bit of a sore spot for many users, mostly because it's simply not good enough. Most devices can make it a day on moderate use, and a few can even do so comfortably, very few phones can hit two days without some time on the charger. The Android "L" release is making several improvements to power efficiency via Project Volta, but there are also ways to improve 3rd-party apps, and that's where the new Job Scheduler comes in.
At Google I/O last week, Google announced Project Volta, its effort to change and drastically improve how Android manages battery life. Since then the folks over at Ars Technica have downloaded the publicly available L developer preview build and put it through its paces. Is there a noticeable difference? Yes, apparently. They were able to get an an extra two hours of battery life out of their Nexus 5, an improvement of thirty-six percent. Regardless of how exact these numbers are, the difference suggests good things.
If you've been looking for an easy way to get into the home automation craze, Belkin has a series of plug-and-play accessories that will let you control lights and other electronics without any major home modifications. The WeMo series is relatively cheap and controllable with your phone or tablet via the Android app. Amazon's daily deal portal Gold Box has select WeMo accessories and switches on sale for today only.
In a post to Google+, CyanogenMod has announced "the death of Power Widgets," offering up an explanation of CM's new solution: a Quick Access Ribbon.
Good light meters are expensive. The other problem with light meters is that they're often clunky and outdated in appearance. Pricey and ugly as they may be, they're a hugely convenient tool for photographers looking to get their exposures right the first time.
Fulton Innovation, a pioneer of wireless charging, is no stranger to showing off their tech at CES. This year, though, they've got something a little unusual – a prototype technology that allows a tablet to charge a phone wirelessly.
You remember this little guy? Of course you do. He's freaking cute, how could you not remember? Don't act like you don't want one. Everyone does. However, if you've loved the idea but were holding out for one in white, today's your lucky day. Right now, the useful bugdroid buddy has gone on sale in a new 'Chill' flavor. Perfectly white with a nice silver accent along the neckline. Fantastic.
If you need as much juice as you can get while on the go, then this 10,000mAh portable charger should fit the bill perfectly. This massive battery pack features dual USB ports (one 2A, one 1A) so you can charge two devices at one time, enough juice to charge most smartphone at least four times, and compatibility for "tablet PCs."
Remember the days when your smartphone could last multiple full days without needing a charge? Haha, neither do we. But you could pretend it can if you have a portable charger. The New Trent iFuel 5000mAh charger is on sale today for $40, but with coupon code CONGRATS, you can get a second charger for free. Carrying around 10,000mAh of spare electricity for your gadgets has never been so cheap!
In the endless components arms race of the Information Age, cheaper, faster, and smaller are the mantras that perk up the customers' ears and line the tech giants pockets with cash. The latest innovation in one of the key areas of electronic components is DDR4 memory. The spec is said to reduce power consumption by 20-40% based on a maximum 1.2 volts of power use.
The stakes for the ZAGGsparq 2.0 aren't low -- after all, the 6000mAh charger won not one, but two innovation awards at CES 2010, and its claim to charge a smartphone up to four times is downright stunning. But underneath the shiny black exterior and all the fancy marketing prose, is it really all that? Well, not quite...
The unstoppable GO dev team keeps pumping out amazingly polished products seemingly almost every week - they've already won me over on the launcher side with the GO Launcher EX (and its gorgeous Calendar widget), and yesterday they've added Switch GOWidget to their arsenal.
Last week, Artem took the Primo Power Core 8200mAh portable battery pack for a spin, and he really liked it. But as good as it may be, for some, 8200mAh may be overkill. With that in mind, I took on the Scosche 5000mAh goBAT II portable charger and backup battery to see how well it would fuel my devices during everyday use.