[Review] Charge your robot boyfriend with a Blitzwolf battery

The Blitzwolf charger is a sleek, aluminum portable battery that I was sent to review. Of all of the battery packs I’ve reviewed so far, this one is my favorite. Let’s find out why.

First Impressions

The aluminum curves of this battery pack would make Jony Ive swoon. This is a beautiful piece of tech, and one that I love to use. Like an iPhone, this battery pack is prone to picking up scratches here and there, but I find that this gives gadgets more character.

Features

• Model: BW-P1
• Capacity: 10400mAh/37.44Wh
• Battery Type: LG 2600mAh Li-ion battery x4
• Input: 5V/2.1A 9V/1.8A
• Output: 5V/2A (Universal), 5V/2.1A, 9V/1.8A, 12V/1.35A (for Android QC2.0), 5V/2.4A (for Apple)
• Size: 102 x 76.8 x 21.5mm / 4.02 x 3.02 x 0.85in
• Weight: 270g
• Certification: CE, FCC, CEC, Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0

Usage

The power bank holds roughly four full phone charges, unless of course your Android phone has a ginormous 3000mah+ battery. Like most chargers and power banks, it’s a breeze to use. Just plug it in and go. It only has one USB output port, which is kind of limiting. If it had one more port I’d say the battery would be 100% perfect.

“I had a baby battery! And it was perfect, in every way!”

-Mad Max: Fury Road (or something)

I’m deeply sorry for forgetting that apostrophe but I’m too lazy to go back and edit. Although a small thing, one of my favorite things about this power bank is that when I unplug my phone after a good charge, the battery automatically turns itself off. With some battery packs I’ve used, you have to manually press a button to turn it off and on.

On the front of the device you’ll find the button, LED light indicators, a micro USB port to charge the power bank itself, and a USB 3.0 port to charge your gadget. As you can see, it’s a 10400mAh battery. My love of symmetry wishes it was an even 10000 or 11000, but I’m not complaining.

Conclusion

I love this thing and I recommend it everyone. I’m not just saying that either, I personally tell my friends and family to buy one. You can pick one up for $21.99 at Banggood.

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MSQRD: Take selfies to the next level [Review]

Overview

It’s time to take selfies and videos to the next level with all sorts of fun filters that MSQRD has waiting for you. It has what you need to make your friends and family laugh with at you

Developer: Masquerade Technologies

Cost: Free

How To Use

There are two options, you can shoot a 30-second video or take a selfie with the many different face filters. Once you have taken your snap you are then given the option post to Instagram, Facebook, or just about any app you can think of to share it on. The video or picture is also saved to your photo gallery.  That’s it. That’s all there is to this app.

Review

This is probably one of the simplest apps in the Play Store. MSQRD has 23 different filters that you can use including Pee Wee Herman, Daredevil, and even Jimmy Kimmel. Though I’m not sure why you would want to have Jimmy Kimmel’s face.

What makes this app great is how well it recognizes your face and adapts to it. I have played with a few apps that attempt this same thing and have fallen short. But, the folks at Masquerade Technologies have really nailed it on this one.

Conclusion

This sort of app doesn’t appeal to everyone and I get that, but honestly my family and I must have sat around for 45 minutes tinkering with this app and having fun with it. This app doesn’t do much, but what it does do, it does it well. I’m sure at some point they will add some filters for a premium, but for now, it’s 100% free. It’s worth the download.

Download MSQRD in the Play Store

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Punch Up: How long can you last? (review)

If you’re a fan of Flappy Bird and the innumerable clones that have come into the Play Store market since, you may really like Punch Up, a newer game from the French developer M.Pomme Studio. It can be downloaded for free in the Play Store.

Gameplay

You play as ‘Punchy’, a small square ninja-in-training. That’s not terribly important; what is important is that you can only move Punchy left-to-right given a certain mechanic offered by each level. For example, the 1st level allows you slide along the ground left or right in short bursts. The 2nd level allows a similar burst, but at an angle governed by a constantly-rocking arrow.
Through each level there are coins to collect for several purposes: the main one being buying new lives (more on that in a bit), with others being customizing your Punchy character.

The danger in the game comes from a multitude of sources. In the 1st level, it’s stalactites quickly growing out from and falling from the ceiling. These things are so dangerous because getting struck from just a single falling stalactite equals instant death, requiring a re-start from the beginning of your current level. The added trouble is that these fallen spikes can quickly become additive….meaning that as more and more spikes pile up on the ground, it becomes more difficult to move against these; making staying alive that much more difficult. On each level you’re given a certain amount of time (1st level is 30 seconds) in which to simply survive. Get to 0, and off to the next level you go! After completing the 1st level, you go to a memory-style mini-game. Several different shapes of varying colors flash before you. You’re then asked to pick the color of a certain shape (i.e.; what color was the star?). Guess right and off you go to the next level. Guess wrong and you’re given two choices:either buy a new life to retry for 300 coins, or choose die and start over 1 level back.

Throughout the game there is never a moment to relax; you are always fighting to stay alive. That is probably the biggest compliment I can give to a game that is aiming to provide just that kind of experience.

What We Liked

• Spot-on controls: your character goes exactly where you want when you want. Zero perceptible lag is visible.
• Simple but addicting gameplay: In the traditional vein of Flappy Bird, you will die often, and each time you will tell yourself “I can do this; one more try!”.  But you likely won’t.
• Pleasing arcade-style graphics: Nothing crazy here; just good colors, detail, and animation that fit the game’s overall style.

What Could Use Improvement

• Difficulty: I know, I know: it’s supposed to be hard. But good grief….
• Sound: Maybe a little more punch with sound effects, but I’m nit-picking here.

Download Punch Up here for free in the Play Store.

Lynktec’s Reeljuice 5X external battery chooses function over portability

Eight hours. That is the amount of battery life I typically get out of my Galaxy S6 in a normal work day. Battery longevity is the one thing that has not been able to break out into “the next level.” Due to this fact, portable battery packs have become very common in the lives of those like myself who rely heavily on their mobile devices. With that trend, Lynktec has seen fit to jump into the game with the Reeljuice line of portable batteries.

There are four versions of the Reeljuice charger that can be purchased; the 3X comes with a 5300mAh battery and the 5X comes with an 8000mAh battery (naming coming from the assumption that a phone could be charged up to five times with the 8000mAh full charge). Each of these can be purchased with either a 10 Watt wall charger or a standard USB charger. Lynktec sends the Reeljuice with a built-in microUSB cord but did not forget about those iOS users; they provide a microUSB to lightning adapter with every device. They even added a nice little storage spot for the adapter so it does not get lost.

Specs

• Battery: Li-Polymer
• Capacity: 5300mAh/8000mAh
• Input: 10W wall charger or 5V USB charger
• Output: 2.1A microUSB
• Size: 6.125 x 3.125 x 0.77 inches
• Weight: 10.3 oz
• Warranty: 12 months

Usage

Every charger out there has something that attempts to set them apart from the competition. The Reeljuice is no different, having two unique features that set this charger apart from the other options. First is the modular charging method which allows you three methods of charging your battery pack: the 10 Watt wall charger (which also has a passthrough USB output for convenient charging), the USB input charger (can be used with any wall charger or USB port), or a microUSB cable can be plugged into the module connector on the bottom of the device. The second, and most notable, distinction of the charger is the built-in charging cord that “reels” back into the body of the charger.

I was pleasantly surprised with the performance of the battery pack. The 2.1V charging speed is definitely not QC 2.0, but it is fast enough to get your device charged in a timely manner. It takes about an hour and a half to charge my Galaxy S6, which has a 2550mAh battery. An empty battery pack charges in about an hour with the wall charger, which means that you can charge your 8000mAh pack faster than it charges your phone.

The cord that is built into the charger is a nice quality, braided, microUSB cord. It is a welcome feature to not have to carry a cord around with me. This feature comes with a pretty hefty trade off, size. It is pretty obvious that the reel feature increases the width and girth of this charger making it more difficult to transport than other 8000mAh chargers. I would say it is nearly impossible to carry in your pocket and would only be transportable in a bag of some sort, perfect for students or professionals who often carry a medium to large bag.

The real “gotcha” with the Reeljuice is the price tag. The cheapest version of the device rings in at just under $100. Comparing that to some of the other chargers of comparable size, we can see that there is a major difference in cost. If they were to add a few features like Quick Charge or wireless charging then the price wouldn’t seem so steep.

Summary

The Reeljuice 5X is a great charger, built on a solid foundation of innovative ideas. If Lynktec could find a way to bring the cost into the realm of other comparable chargers, I think this would be a great device for those tech-heavy users. You can pick up the Reeljuice 3X or 5X with USB charging module on Amazon right now for $20 off the MSRP.

Poncho: Let this cute cat be your weatherman [Review]

Overview

In the world of weather apps, there are many to choose from. Many present you with every measurement that you could want and then some. There are also many that give you a minimum information for a quick reference. Poncho leans more towards the minimal side of the spectrum, but it’s how the information is presented that makes this app different.

Developer: Poncho Inc

Cost: Free

Review

Poncho was first developed as text and email-based weather service, but quickly realized they needed to develop an app since people were using it as an alarm of sorts. It first launched on iOS and became available as a beta application for Android during Google I/O. So what makes this one cool app? Let’s find out.

Poncho

First, Poncho is a cat weatherman. Yes, a cute little cat that will deliver your weather updates when you want them. He (not sure of the cat’s gender) allows you to set up what time you want the weather delivered to you in the morning, afternoon and once a day on the weekends. I have encountered one hiccup, though I haven’t received an afternoon one yet, not sure why.

There are a few different settings for your weather report. They include pollen count, barometer, and wind speed. There are some more neat little features like “Hair”, which lets you know if the weather will mess up your hair. Alternate side parking (which is only available in New York City currently) shows you where available parking is, and information on your public transit (if you’re in one of the supported cities).  All these settings can be turned off if you wish.

Poncho then takes all your settings and creates a report for you which is delivered at the times you wish. You may also pull this report at any time by simply going in the app. He always has some silly Gif or picture with something clever. It also has the current temp, hourly forecast, five-day forecast, and anything else that you have turned on in your settings.

It also is packing a couple extra features. It comes with a built-in alarm clock that you can

Yes, that’s my referral code. Feel free to use it, wink wink.

set up for as many days of the week as you wish. They also have a free stuff section. That’s right, free. They offer sunglasses, water bottle, and a backpack. All you have to do is refer people. Five people get you the sunglasses, ten gets you the water bottle and fifteen lands you the backpack.

Conclusion

This app isn’t super loaded with tons of weather information, but it does give you a good overview of the day, in a cute way. One thing I think they are missing out on is a widget. This cat is too cute not to be able to have him on your screen giving you weather, so I think they do add that.

I also need to mention that it’s in open beta for now so you will need to opt in to get the app. I’d be amiss if I didn’t mention you can also use Poncho in Facebook Messenger just by giving him your town name or zip code. It’s fun, it’s free, and you get the chance to get free stuff so you have nothing to lose.

Join the Beta for Ponch

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Vimtag P1 Smart Cloud IP Camera: Step up your security and have peace of mind (Review)

Everyone is looking for more and more security in today’s world and home security is a big one. Lucky for us, we can get security cameras for our homes much cheaper than they once were, and they are much easier to install. Vimtag has quite a few options when it comes to IP Cloud cameras that can suit your needs. Today, we have Vimtag’s $130 P1 Smart Cloud IP Camera.

There are so many different areas this camera can be used for besides the obvious security. For example, baby monitoring. I can tell you from recent experience, shopping for a regular baby monitor can be expensive and the quality of the feed isn’t always great. But with the P1 Camera, you can get a quality feed plus once your baby doesn’t need a monitor it can be used for other things.

Set Up

Getting the Vimtag P1 setup is a simple process that it can’t really even be classified as a process. Plug in your new shiny camera and let it do its calibration. Note: If you are using Ethernet, there is an adapter that you need to plug in that comes in the box. You can set up the camera through either the app or the website; I chose the app. Once you’ve opened the app, you must create a username and password then log in.

After you’ve logged in, you are taken to what I call the hub. This is where all your Vimtag devices live. You click the add device button and a QR Code Scanner pops up. Scan the code on the bottom of your camera. Once that is complete, you will be given a QR Code on your phone to scan with the camera, and then wham bam thank you, ma’am, your camera is ready to rock and roll.

Review

I have played with lots of different kinds of tech devices over the years, and I can honestly say that this is one of the simplest products I have seen. Set up is a breeze and just basic monitoring is easy; of course, there are many setting for advanced monitoring. I have to make one tiny comment about the operation of the camera. While it is true that operation is simple, it’s not obvious how to make the camera move around. I went to the monitoring website to look for extra settings, and I scrolled over the feed while it was playing. I noticed arrows at each edge. That’s how I discovered how to maneuver the camera up, down, and a complete 360 degrees, which is awesome. I believe they should include that in the pamphlet that comes with it since some may not discover it on their own.

Let’s start off by discussing the camera feed. We all have seen convenience store videos where the video is choppy and grainy. It’s hard to make anything out. What’s even crazier is you know they spent a ton of money for the equipment and installation. The P1’s video is clear and has the ability to zoom in 4 times. The audio is equally clear, and it has the added feature to talk from the app or website through the camera to whoever is in the room.

There are a ton of settings that you can use to configure each camera. In fact, there are so many that I won’t be able to cover them all, but I will hit a few highlights. One big feature I like is being able to schedule recording. You can set up to four schedules for as long as you want and whatever days you want, or you can simply choose to record 24/7. For that, you will need extra storage which is discussed later.

Motion detection is one of my favorite features this device has. You have quite a few options when it comes to using this one. A quick snapshot can be taken and stored, or you can record what is happening when the camera detects motion. Alerts can also be set up so that you get a notification on your computer or phone when something trips the sensor. This is great to have when away from your house on vacation or just at the store. Make sure you use the notifications only when you’re away because if your camera is in a high traffic area, your phone will be going off every few seconds when people move.

The last thing is mounting your camera. It comes with a kit that allows you to mount it if you choose to do so. You can mount it with two simple screws which will give you free range of motion to record with. If you choose to mount your camera upside down, you go into the settings under Others and toggle the flip switch, or your feed will be upside down.

Other Features

• Multi User Support
• Night Vision
• 360 degree audio pickup
• SD Card support

S1 Cloud Box

I said we would discuss storage later and here it is…the bonus review. If you have one camera that you are only using for minimal recording or perhaps only doing snapshots of motion, then you probably don’t need extra storage as it will just save to your phone or an SD card in the camera itself. But if you are using the camera for a business or are really hardcore about your security, then you may want extra storage. That’s where the S1 Cloud Box comes into play. The S1 comes with 1TB of storage for $150 so you can record 24/7.

The S1 can handle four feeds at one time which means you can store for up to 60 days. You can retrieve the data from the box via the internet whenever you want. So make sure this item is tucked away out of site so any thieves can’t find it.

Setting this device up is just as simple as the camera, if not more simple. After you plug in the device and connect it to your router, you go into the Settings menu in the app and navigate to storage. Click the QR Code button and scan it with your phone, and just like that, it’s ready to go.

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Conclusion

The need for security is definitely much higher than it use to be. We don’t live in a Leave it to Beaver society where you can leave your doors unlocked and be fine. You need something to monitor your house while you’re gone. But if you’re not really worried about that, there are still other uses such as monitoring elderly loved ones or even keeping up with your dog while you’re away. No matter your reason, the Vimtag P1 Smart Cloud IP Camera and S1 Cloud Box are fantastic options for you.

*As of June 2 the P1 Smart Cloud IP Camera is on sale for $109.95*

• Vimtag Website
• Buy Vimtag P1 Smart Cloud IP Camera
• Buy S1 Cloud Box
• Download the app in the Play Store

[Review] Charge six devices at once with Choetech

Yeah that’s right, a sextuplet of devices. The Choetech multi-port USB charger has quickly become one of my most useful gadgets. It’s annoying to keep track of each devices’ individual cable and charger. While I haven’t been able to cut down on the amount of cables I have, I can now use the Choetech charger for most of my power needs.

Features

• Input: AC100-240V
• Total Maximum Output: 5V/10A
• Charging Port Output: 5V/10A (max)
• Dimension: 88.4 x 29 x 71.5mm / 3.4 x 1 x 2.8 inches
• Weight: 158g

Only two of the USB ports are USB 3.0; the rest are USB 2.0. Similar to the VoltIQ car charger I previously reviewed, the Choetech has an “auto detect” technology, which means that it automatically identifies the device you plug in and delivers the fastest possible charge for it. There’s also a circuit protection system, which is really neat. It shuts down in the case of overvoltage, overcurrent, overheating or short circuits. The charger comes with a 12-month warranty.

Oh, and did I mention that the two USB 3.0 ports are certified as Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0? I’ve used it for a while now and I haven’t come across any problems yet. I don’t have any phones that have quick charge technology, so I couldn’t test how fast it was.

The charger itself has a slim profile, and it’s smooth to the touch with a matte black plastic that almost feels like velvet rubber. With the amount of portable battery packs I’ve been sent to review, I tried to set up a “daisy chain” where I plugged Battery A into the charger, Battery B into Battery A, and both Battery C and my phone into the charger.

I didn’t test how long they were all able to charge because I was afraid of all that electrical power collapsing into a black hole, but suffice it to say that I think it would work. Also, while charging devices the Choetech does get slightly warm, but not so warm that you would start to worry.

Conclusion

I definitely recommend the Choetech charger for any person with a bunch of USB-powered gadgets. It works as great (and sometimes better) than the individual chargers that are sent with each device. You can buy the Choetech 6-port charger for about $20 on Amazon.

Backdrops review: Material to the max

Overview

There’s a wide variety of quality wallpaper apps on the Google Play Store, and there’s even no shortage of wallpaper apps that feature the Material Design style in their offerings. These apps are typically well designed with a modern “Material” interface, offering sleek animations and a fluid UI. Within the wide array of wallpaper apps, Backdrops attempts to best them all.

Backdrops offers hundreds of wallpapers made in-house by the Backdrops team, as well as many more from the user community. Users can upload wallpapers themselves to be approved by the Backdrops team and shared with others. Backdrops updates the wallpaper offerings daily and offers a “Wall of the Day” which is hand-picked daily by the Backdrops team.

User Interface

As we have come to expect from most wallpaper apps, Backdrops is developed with Material Design in mind, and allows the user to navigate the app with three sections located at the top. The first section is Community, offering a pool of third-party wallpapers uploaded by the users themselves. After extensively checking many of the wallpapers I liked, I was pleased to see all of them were offered in very high resolutions which can take advantage of today’s sharpest screens. While scrolling, users can tap the heart on the bottom right of the image to save to the user’s Favorite collection, or tap the image to dive into further options like saving it to the device or setting it as your homescreen wallpaper.

The Explore tab features the “Wall of the Day” followed by all of the Backdrops exclusive wallpapers, created by the team themselves. I must say, there should be a wallpaper for everyone in here. There’s a wide variety of pictures including minimal, Material, abstract and more for just about anybody. I immediately added quite a few to my favorites after moments of scrolling.

Scroll over to the last tab brings you to your Favorites, and gives you the option to use Muzei to cycle your favorites on your homescreen periodically.

In-App Purchases

Yikes, we all hate those words. Backdrops does need to support itself though, as it displays ads throughout the app and offers certain collections of wallpapers only available through purchasing them. The Collections tab, which can be accessed by the app’s hamburger menu on the left, offers the “Trinity” collection, “Be Together”, and “Pro Pack”.

The Trinity collection is really just for Pink Floyd fans, or users who really like having a colorful triangle as their wallpaper. Be Together offers pictures for die-hard Android fans that mostly feature the Nexus logo and the Android mascot, but this collection is free anyway. The Pro Pack… is nice and all, but don’t purchase the pro version of this app just for those. It’s a bonus, but they aren’t much better looking than the ones you’ll find in the rest of the app.

Conclusion

Backdrops offers the best of what a modern wallpaper app should be, from a beautifully designed interface to an arsenal of eye-pleasing content. I liked the design of this app so much that I purchased the pro version just so the ads wouldn’t ruin it for me. Backdrops definitely takes the spot as my go-to wallpaper app.

Download Backdrops for free from the Play Store here