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CHOETECH 19W dual-port USB solar charger (Review)

Derrick Miyao
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I live in sunny San Diego, CA. which is perfect for the CHOETECH 19W solar charger as sun is something we get year around. It was 83 degrees, with full sunlight today and it is not too far off from what winter will bring too. Why not use the sun to power up my devices if it is providing the energy for free?

Design

The beauty of the CHOETECH 19W solar charger is in the simplicity and durable folding design. It comes with a pouch on the back for keeping your devices out of direct sunlight. It is super light-weight and folds up to a very manageable size, making this charger perfect for throwing into a backpack or automobile glove box as a backup plan.

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The solar panels themselves are made from a polymer that is much lighter than a typical silicone panel, and is sewn into canvas material for extra durability. In reality, it looks like a few sheets of thin sized dark plastic on the backside of black canvas and could pass for a folding binder. On the last panel there are magnets which keep the folding panels from opening on their own.

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On the backside there is a mesh bag sewn into the panel which is there to hold USB cables and the devices you are charging. The energy converter is also on the backside as CHOETECH knows that mobile devices are not designed to be left in direct sunlight.

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Overall the design is fantastic and will be a perfect source of energy for when I go on camping trips or when I am out at the beach all day with my pup who can’t get enough of the water.

Usage

The CHOETECH 19W solar charger really is one of the easiest accessories you will ever use. You plug your USB cable into the power converter, which you can plug up to two devices simultaneously, and you zip up the devices in the mesh back to keep them secure. Then open the panels and put in direct sunlight and your devices will start charging immediately.

In sunny San Diego sun, my devices were charging at 2.4 amps which isn’t quite the power needed to drive Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0. But it was enough to charge my phones quicker than standard chargers we were used to from devices from just a year ago. Once I let my phones charge for free using the sun, I simply pulled my phones out, which were slightly warmed from the sun but not at all hot, and folded up the charger and was on my way.

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On other days when I experimented with the charger in cloudy conditions, the charger could not draw enough energy from the sun which made it ineffective. So be aware, this charger will need full sunlight to operate properly.

The CHOETECH 19W solar charger is a must have accessory for the outdoor types and who get a lot of sunlight.

Specs

Solar Power: 19W solar panel
Transformation efficiency: 22%-25%
Output 1: 5V2.4A(Max)
Output: 2: 5V2.4A(Max)
Compact Size: 10.2×6.3×0.7inch
Opened Size: 20.9×10.2inch
Weight: 0.48kg/16.9oz

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Summary

I know not everyone is fortunate to have sunlight year around like we do in San Diego. But the CHOETECH 19W solar charger is definitly a great accessory for the summer months if you’re an outdoors type of person. It is super lightweight and can recharge your devices countless times for years to come. While I’m not on backpacking or camping trips, the CHOETECH 19W solar charger is going to live in my truck’s glove box as you never know what can happen.

If you would like to purchase the CHOETECH 19W solar charger, head on over to Amazon.com. It has 92 customer ratings with an average 4.5 stars out of 5. CHOETECH is a brand you can trust and they back up their solar charger with an 18-month warranty.

Inateck MercuryBox: A decent Bluetooth speaker for a decent price

Austin Hyde
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I love music, but I’m an audiophile with wine tastes on a beer budget. I’m always on the look out for audio equipment that provides a good value. When I ordered the Inateck MercuryBox I had high hopes. Read on to see how it stacks up.

Inateck MercuryBox overview

The first thing that I noticed about this speaker was the quality of the packaging. I felt that it was something that I would expect to see from a much more expensive speaker. Inside the box was a case, a lanyard and a USB cable and a 3.5mm auxiliary cable.

The speaker itself is fairly compact and portable. It’s about 6 inches long, 1 inch thick, and two inches tall. It’s encased in metal with five lighted and rubber covered buttons on top. You can find a lanyard on one end and your charging and auxiliary ports on the other.

Specs

  • Bluetooth 4.0 Speaker (fully backward compatible) with up to 33ft/ 10m Bluetooth signal
  • Dual 5-watt precision-tuned drivers
  • IPX5 water resistant speaker
  • Built-in 1800mAh rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery offers up to 15 hours of play time.
  • Built-in high sensitivity Microphone, hands-free telephone calls.
  • 3.5mm audio port

Inateck MercuryBox setup

The speaker is easy to setup. First, make sure to fully charge the speaker. Then place the speaker in pairing mode by pressing the Bluetooth button for a few seconds. Finally, search for the speaker from your device and viola, the speaker is ready to go.

Inateck MercuryBox usage

Of course, the first that that I did after pairing my phone was to crank it up. It was here that I found a fairly major problem. When playing audio at the highest volume, certain tones would make the metal casing vibrate. Piano music, in particular, seemed to have this effect. By applying pressure to the metal case, I was able to stop the case from vibrating. I guess it could have been a defect unique to my speaker, but the buyer should at least be aware.

The tiny vibration noise was nonexistent at lower and mid volume levels. The actual sound quality at these levels was actually pretty good. The mid to high range sounds is really where the speaker excels.

One of my favorite features is that it is IPX5 water resistant. That means splash proof, not dunk proof. This makes it ideal for listening to music in the shower. I personally love to listen to podcasts in the morning while I shower and I found that it works great for that.

Another great feature is just how portable the speaker is. Because of its diminutive size, it will fit just about anywhere. A purse, murse, satchel, backpack, or even non-skinny jeans pockets should have more than enough room to store the Inateck MercuryBox.

One thing that I was impressed by was the fit and finish of the speaker. Not only are the materials high quality, but they all come together with a high-end feel. Even the USB and auxiliary and 3.5mm audio cable have a higher end feel to them. They come encased in a gray braided material, which has a much better feel than the more traditional rubber encased cables.

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What we liked

  • Small form factor
  • Metal casing
  • IPX5 water resistant

What could be better

  • Bass response
  • Vibrations in the metal

4 out of 5 stars

This really turned out to be a great little speaker. The only knock that I can give it is that certain tones resonate with the metal case at louder sound levels. I found that it sits perfectly and handsomely on my desk at work. If you’re looking for a Bluetooth speaker that will look and sound good, but you don’t need to crank it up to the maximum volume levels, then I recommend that you consider this speaker. It normally runs $99.99, but you can pick it up for $45.99 on Amazon with free shipping for Amazon Prime members.

 

How to back up your contacts to your Google account [Android 201]

Jack McNenny
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Managing contacts on your phone can be a nightmare, especially when switching to another phone. The disastrous process of importing contacts from one phone to another can be easily avoided if your contacts are backed up to your Google account. This way, as soon as you sign in to your Google account on your Android phone, contacts will be synced by default and you’ll be good to go. This approach to managing contacts is much easier than backing contacts up to your SIM card and having your carrier manually import contacts to your new phone. Here’s how you back up contacts to Google:
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       1. Go into your Contacts appContacts2

Although there are many different Android phones, all of them will have a “contacts” or “people” app to view your entire address book. This is my Contacts app, and I’m going to tap the three-dotted action menu button to view options. Your menu button may be in a different location depending on your phone.

      2. Go into the ‘Accounts’ section

Tapping the three-dotted menu button gives you the option of going to your Accounts section, where you’ll be shown all the accounts you have logged in to your phone (Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) and this is where you want to go to your Google account.
You may have multiple Google accounts on one phone, but choose the one you’d like to backup contacts to.

This will take you to the Sync page within your Google account that shows everything that’s synced up with your Google account. One of these is contacts, where you can activate and Google will sync all of your current contacts with your Google account. After several seconds later, your contacts will be backed up.Accounts

Backing up contacts to Google is an easy way of knowing your contacts will be ready for you on your next Android phone once you sign into Google on that one. Similar to backing up photos and music to the cloud, keeping your contacts synced with Google is becoming the best way of managing your address book.

 

Samsung ON5 and ON7 renders have arrived

Jack McNenny
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Samsung continues to offer a wide range of Galaxy phones outside of its traditional Galaxy S and Note line. More and more leaks have appeared online of it’s upcoming On5 and ON7 mid-range smartphones heading to India and possibly other markets. Now, we have official press renders of the phones from all angles.

The images show the smartphones in white and gold color options, with a very similar Galaxy design we’ve all come to expect from the company. The devices look to sport aluminum sides with a plastic removable back. According to the source, hardware specifications for the phone include 720p Super AMOLED screens and powered by the Exynos 3475 quad-core SoC running at 1.2GHz along with 1.5GB of RAM. One of the main differences is the screen size, with the ON5 offering a 5 inch screen and the ON7 offering a 5.5 inch size.

The backside of the ON7 will sport a 13-megapixel camera and a 5-megapixel camera on the front, and the smaller ON5 sporting an 8-megapixel primary shooter instead. To power the phones, the source states a hefty 3,000mAh battery will accompany the ON7 and a 2,600mAh battery in the ON5. Internal storage comes offers 8GB, however to please a great number of people, the devices will allow for expandable storage via micro-SD slot inside the phone.

The two devices will run Android 5.1.1 with TouchWiz on top. Exact release dates and pricing are not yet known, or if this device will be available internationally.

via AndroidHeadlines

 

Looks like Android users may be getting in on the new emoji action

AndroidGuys
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Noticed any weird squares or random characters from your friends with Apple devices lately? It could be because of a recent update for iOS that has introduced 184 brand new emoji characters.

For those of us with Android phones and tablets, we may not have to wait too long to start using the taco emoji. Android executive Hiroshi Lockheimer has posted on Twitter, announcing that his team is working on some new emoji due to popular demand.

While Lockheimer did not detail what exactly the new emoji are or when it will be available on Android, the most likely candidates for new emoji are the new characters introduced in Unicode 7.0 and 8.0, which range from hot dogs and popcorn food items, to middle-finger and Vulcan hand gestures.

Let’s hope we all reach emoji parity sooner than later, I know I will love to use the unicorn and popcorn emoji. ???

Source: @lockheimer, Android Authority

TLYT Energi Sliding Power case for Samsung Galaxy S6 review

Scott Webster
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For all the great things that come in the design of the Samsung Galaxy S6, one thing has proved to be bothersome for some users. Indeed, I’m talking about the non-removable battery. For reasons known only to Samsung, this generation of device includes an internal battery. Sure, the phone looks downright gorgeous and feels really nice in hand, but users are confined to a very specific amount of juice.

For some of us, we like to add an extended battery or swap in a secondary battery as the need arises. This was quite easy in past generations of Samsung but not so much for this year.

Thankfully, we have companies like TYLT who make products that work with practical solutions regardless of whether your phone has an internal or removable battery.

We recently spent time with the Energi Sliding Power Case for the Samsung Galaxy S6 and found it to be in line with other products from TYLT. Namely, it’s quality device that provides peace of mind.

The inner layer protects the Galaxy S6 but doesn't have any extra battery.
The inner layer protects the Galaxy S6 but doesn’t have any extra battery.

This product comes in a two-piece setup. For the first part, it’s a protective case that protects the edges of your screen. It fits snugly around the phone and provides a moderate amount of protection against scuffs and scrape.

As you might expect, there are cutouts for the charging port, speakers, headphone port, camera and other items. Buttons can be pressed easily and the response is still just about the same as what you’d find on the phone itself.

The second part, which is where the extended battery is housed, is where you’re going to find the bulk. Once you slide your phone down inside of this second unit, you’ve added a second 3400mAh battery. In other words, this more than doubles the life that you will get out of your phone.

The rear of the outer shell has a five-light indicator so you can quickly tell how much power is left in your reserve. Each light represents 20 percent of juice.

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The device itself is prone to pick up oil and scuff a little bit easier than we’d like but it wasn’t unsightly. We expect these to get natural wear and tear over time; it can be wiped down easily. In short, there’s nothing here that bothered us more than any other, similar product we’ve tested.

It is not required that you use this battery at all times, of course, so feel free to carry just the phone itself. But, for those who do not expect to be near a charger for an extended period of time, you’ll want to take both pieces with you.

tylt_case_apartIf there is one area of concern it is that the two pieces do not come apart very easily. For some people this will not be a problem. For others, it could be quite the pain in the butt if you need or want to pull your phone out and keep it slim. Some users may wish to keep the extended battery in a car or somewhere where they can grab it on the go and juice up the phone. If that is you, prepare to work your hands quite vigorously to get this apart. We did find that it got easier over time but it’s still a snug fit. There could be worse problems, though.

One feature we’re particularly fond of is the built-in support for Qi wireless charging. So, if you’ve got a wireless platter or dock, you can drop your Galaxy S6 on it and not worry about fussing with cords. This is the sort of flexibility and freedom you need and expect in a flagship such as the Samsung Galaxy S6.

You can score the TLYT Energi Sluding Power Case for $79.99 directly from TYLT. Other places that offer the device include Best Buy and Amazon; both had the same price as of the time this review was published.

Spotify now works with the original Chromecast!

AndroidGuys
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If you are like me and were disappointed that your first-generation Chromecast was not compatible with Spotify, the update we have been waiting for is here!

Users on Reddit have noticed that a firmware update to the first-generation Chromecast has made it possible to cast Spotify to it from your Android device. To get the update, all you need to do is reboot your Chromecast to force the download. You can do this from inside the Chromecast app or by unplugging the micro USB from the back of the Chromecast and plugging it back in.

Owners of second-generation Chromecasts and the Chromecast Audio have enjoyed this feature for a while, and when it was first announced, many original Chromecast owners were worried that they would be left behind. Now that Spotify is working on all the Chromecasts, maybe we will see it coming to the Nexus Player soon, too.

Now go cast your Spotify tunes to whatever Chromecast you want!

Source: Reddit Via: Engadget

Nexus 5X gets torn down, scores well on repairability

Justin Marden
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CaptureThe Nexus 5X, one of Google’s latest pure-Android devices, got the teardown treatment from the folks at iFixIt, and it scored surprisingly well overall. The device can be disassembled with a Phillips screwdriver, and almost all the internal parts are user-replaceable with the exception of the USB-C port and the display, which are fused to the motherboard. You can replace the camera, battery, and even the fingerprint sensor that is used in Android 6.0 to unlock the device.

Overall, the iFixIt team gave the Nexus 5X a 7 out of 10 on their “repairability scale” (with 10 being the easiest to repair. This is good news for Nexus 5X owners, and it likely makes that $379 price tag even sweeter. If you want to see the full teardown, check out the video above and the more extensive written teardown with photos!

Source Engadget

Fairphone 2 to be world’s first modular smartphone

Justin Marden
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fairphone_2You may remember the Fairphone 2, which we showed you back in June. Today the company behind the device is announcing that it is ready for pre-order. The Fairphone 2 will officially be the world’s first modular smartphone to be sold on the market. Based on what we can see from their official website, the company is using materials that come from “ethical” sources, and the workers who produce the phones are paid a fair wage. Beyond the ethics of building a device, the Fairphone 2 will hold the crown as the first modular smartphone, despite the progress we’ve seen from Google’s Project Ara over the last few years.

The Fairphone 2, which is now up for pre-order, will have a Snapdragon 801 processor, a 5-inch full HD display made with Gorilla Glass 3, dual-SIM support, 2GB of RAM, 32Gb of internal storage, and a microSD card slot. There will be an 8MP camera on the rear of the device, and the whole package will run Android 5.1.1 on a 2,420 mAh battery. The photos on the website indicate a front-facing camera as well, although no specs are available for that just yet.

As far as the modular aspect is concerned, Fairphone made this new device easy to disassemble, which means users will be able to swap out parts as needed. You can see what that looks like in the promotional video above. This feature gives the phone a usage life of around five years, according to Fairphone. While it isn’t the configuration that Project Ara has been teasing, this is still a very big step in creating phones that last longer for users.

Unfortunately for American users, the Fairphone 2 will be initially launched in select European countries, with plans to expand next year. At launch it will cost €525, or around $583. Pre-orders can be placed here, and Fairphone has registered over 20,000 reserved devices already.

Source Android Authority

Kickass deals on smartphones, accessories, and more (October 23)

AndroidGuys
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In the hunt for some new accessories for your smartphone? We’ve got some incredible promotions, deals, and coupon codes to share with you. Moreover, we’ve also got some great bargains for Android smartphones from a variety of outlets. Let’s hop right in!

Unlocked Android Smartphones

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No-Contract/Prepaid Android Smartphones

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Smartphone Accessories

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Apps, Games, Services, and More

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