Grace Digital GDI-EGSCM Suction Cup Mount

I am using Grace Digital suction mount to mount ECOROX Bluetooth Speaker. The speaker is 5.5"L x 3.5"W x 2.5"H. Its weight is 10.6 oz. The mount holds this weight easily.



I mounted suction mount with the speaker in my shower. It has been installed over a week ago and it still holds well without needing any adjustments. The mount attaches with a vacuum seal mount and has a quick release/lock lever. The mount allows the speaker to be pivoted 360 degrees. The suction mount and the pivot give me a lot of flexibility of where to place the speaker. I put it right inside of the shower stall, so I have great acoustics when I am in the shower.



I received this suction mount from the manufacture for testing and an honest review be it positive or negative. The mount works great, the hold is very strong. It will mount well on any smooth surface.



I am posting a photo of the suction mount holding the bluetooth speaker. The photo can be located by following 'customer photos' link under the main photo.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.







AshopZones review ★★★★★

Bolse® M2 10000mAh Dual Port External Battery Pack

I tested Bolse M2 (10,000 mAh) Power Pack with Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet (running ICS 4.0.4) and iPad Mini. This external battery has exceptionally good behavior with iPad Mini and average performance with Galaxy Tablet.



I received this power bank from the manufacturer for an honest review be it positive or negative. Top reviewers are often asked to review new battery packs and one of the benefits of being asked to test different power banks is that it gives me an opportunity to compare them to each other using the same charging test, so I can compare them using "apples to apples" comparison. This set of tests allows me to provide unbiased results as the numbers speak for the performance of each unit.



My methodology is to charge each mobile device on each port of the unit for 10 minutes and measuring how much each unit was charge in that 10 minute period. In addition I tested charging two mobile devices at the same time. Each line in the table below represents a separate 10 minute test.



I use Battery App by Elvison to determine how each device recognized the charging source. 'AC' status means the charging is at full charging rate. 'USB' status indicates charging at a lower charging rate. 'Discharging' status means that the charging rate is below the power that the device is consuming so it slows down the discharge rate but does not re-charge.



➨ General features:

======================



Bolse M2 external battery weighs 8.7 oz. Its size is 2.5" x 5.125" x 0.75".



The pack has two USB output ports. The package include 3 tips, among them mini USB and iPad. The package also contains a micro USB cable. Galaxy tab connector and lightening cable for iPad Mini were not included and I used my own charging cables for the tests below. Some external batteries include a small flashlight, this external battery does not.



➨ Test Results:

======================



✔ Samsung Galaxy 7.7 tablet (using my own Galaxy tab connector cable)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1A: AC ~~~~~~ 2% change in charge in 10 minutes

2A: AC ~~~~~~ 2% change in charge in 10 minutes



✔ iPad Mini tablet (using my own lightening connector cable)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1A: AC ~~~~~~ 3% change in charge in 10 minutes

2A: AC ~~~~~~ 6% change in charge in 10 minutes



✔ iPad Mini and Samsung Galaxy 7.7 tablet at the same time

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1A: AC ~~~~~~ 1% change in charge in 10 minutes (Galaxy Tablet)

2A: AC ~~~~~~ 5% change in charge in 10 minutes (iPad Mini)



➨ Key finding:

======================

✔ This external battery has a very good behavior with iPad Mini, and an average performance with Galaxy Tablet. Overall it earned a 4 star rating.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link



AshopZones review ★★★★☆

URBAN TOOL sport Holster Ergonomic Shoulder Holster for Sports

This is a very convenient holster for your music player and a few other small items while you exercise. I usually wear a small fanny pack with my mp3 player and keys when I exercise outdoors. This holster provides a better alternative.



I am attaching a collage of 4 photos  which I will be referencing to illustrate this review.

 



1. Photo #1 shows how this holster is worn.

2. Photo #2 shows the holster on 1" gridded mat for size reference. In the back the holster has a nylon pocket, where you can carry your MP3 player or a phone, and some other small items like keys or chap-stick. The size of the pouch is 6" by 4".

I ordered size S1 (female XS-L, male S). In my photo you see my Sansa Clip MP3 in the pouch. The pouch has velcro closure so your items are securely trapped within the pocket.

3. The left front strap has a retractable key ring (photo #4). This key ring is removable and is attached to a loop that can be used to hold something else. The right front strap has another built-in loop.

4. Photo #3 shows the closure mechanism for the straps. It is an adjustable Velcro strap which is 6 inches long. That means in total you can adjust the arm opening by 12 inches.



If you find that the fit is not too small, the straps can be further adjusted to be larger by sewing on an extension of your own strapping with a bit of Velcro material on the end of each strap. I found that when I wear a thicker fleece I was more comfortable adjusting the arm opening to be bigger than the largest setting. The key to working with strapping is to singe each edges so the edges don't unravel. The strapping material does not burn, it melts. The melting forms a protective coating on the edges so you don't need to worry about them coming apart. Also it allows you to connected the two straps with minimum bulk, you don't need to fold them under. Adjusting the size of holster in this way allows me to wear it for both indoor and outdoor exercises.



I received an evaluation copy of this holster to test and write an unbiased review.



Overall, I really like wearing this holster when exercising. It gives me a better balance than wearing a fanny pack or sticking my mp3 into my pockets, and I am less likely to get caught on a cord, since it is out of the way and goes a very short distance between the pocket on my back to my ears.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★

SimplyVibe SV-X6U1-Black Rechargeable FM, MP3 Player and Portable Speakers

SimplyVibe a mini boom box that can tune FM radio and as well as play the content of USB flash memory stick or SD memory card.



To illustrate my review I am attaching a video and a collage of 4 photos. The video demonstrate FM reception for voice and music, as well as SimplyVibe's ability to play MP3 content from a memory stick.

1. The first photo shows the content of the entire package. Besides the unit itself, the package includes a USB charging cable, an audio cable, a rechargeable lithium battery, and instructions. The unit's size is 6.41 " x 1.50" x 2.30". The photo of the unit show is on 1 inch gridded mat for size reference, I also included a pen in the photo for relative size.



2. I found FM tuner to be a bit weak and a number of stations sounded a bit hissy. The attached video will give you a good idea of the reception I get on two different stations, one station will demonstrate speaking voice, the other will demo music. It is acceptable, but not as good as a larger receiver (I compared it to CC Crane radio FM reception). Photo #4 shows the display during an FM radio broadcast. The display is fairly small, and stays on only for a few seconds. As you see in the video I had to touch the button many times to keep the display active. The unit has a mode which displays a clock, but because the display turns itself off so quickly SimplyVibe cannot function as a general purpose clock. The controls take some getting used to, they are not totally intuitive and the display is faint and might be hard to read for people with presbyopic eyes.

3. Photo #2 show the side of the unit where you plug in USB memory stick, a charging cable, and a SD memory card. The speaker performed much better when playing MP3 music from a memory stick. The sound was louder and it was very clear. It even did a reasonable job with the base for a unit of such small size.



4. Photo #3 shows the back of the unit - the battery compartment and the audio plugs. You can attach headphones to the unit, or attached the unit to a laptop as an external battery.



I found this speaker to be a nice size to stand on my night table. The bottom of the unit is flat and it balances well.



My main use for this unit is when I want to have an mp3 player which has an external speaker instead of headphones. I listen to a lot of audio books, and when I am sick I like listening to the audio books in bed. I don't like falling asleep with the headphones in my ears so SimplyVibe gives me a nice alternative.



I was provided an evaluation unit for testing and review. I noted the pluses and the minuses of my experience in this review, and if you have any questions about the features I have not covered I am always happy to answer comments.





You can find it on Amazon by following this link.







AshopZones review ★★★★☆

PowerGen PGMPP12000 12000mAh External Battery Pack High Capacity Power Bank Charger Triple USB 3Amps output for Apple and Android Nexus

I tested I 12000mAh PowerGen external battery pack with Nexus 7 Tablet, Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet, and Samsung Galaxy Nexus cell phone, and SanDisk Sansa Clip+ player.





I am attaching a video and a photo that I will be referencing in this review.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the package is that juice pack looks slick and well made. The photo shows a close up of the power pack on a gridded mat, next to a ruler and a pen for size reference. Its dimensions are 3.25" width x 3.75" by 0.88" thick. It weighs 8.9 oz (without cables).



The box contained two USB cords 7" and 27" and 5 adaptors to fit different devices (Nokia 2mm round, Playstation Portable 4mm round, mini USB, two micro USB). The adaptors are a weak point of the design, they feel a bit flimsy and it is easy to loose all the small pieces. The minimum number of adaptors needed for each of my devices is two: one that goes into the AC plug to charge the external battery and the second (mini USB) that goes into the devices for charging.



The blue lights on top of the battery pack indicate the level of power in the battery: 4 lights indicate full charge, 3 lights indicate 75% and so forth. To turn on the device you need to press the button on the side of the unit. To turn off the device you need to press and hold the button for a few seconds (this is not documented, I found it by experimenting).



The video shows turning the juice pack on, charging the juice pack, charging a device, and turning the juice pack off.

The power pack also has an LED light, which generates a pretty good bright light and can be used a flashlight.



The 12000mAh PowerGen has three USB outlets: Out A 2 Amp(best for iPad or any Apple device), Out S (best for non Apple devices), Out 1 Amp (best for iPhone and iPod). I tested my four electronic devices using both my own USB cable as well as the manufacture cable + adapter. In the documentation booklet PowerGen states that PowerGen cables provide better performance for non-Apple devices on the 2Amp (Apple port) and I wanted to see the difference between the cables.



The manual says that non-Apple devices for which adaptors are provided will charge at full speed. The provided adaptors fit Samsung Galaxy Nexus phone, Nexus 7 tablet and Sansa Clip MP3 (as they take regular USB-to-micro USB cable) but none of the provided adaptors fit Galaxy Samsung 7.7 Tablet so my in my tests for Samsung Galaxy I used the cable that came with my tablet.



I used Battery App by Elvison to determine how each device recognized the charging source. 'AC' status means the charging is at full charging rate. 'USB' status indicates charging at a lower charging rate. 'Discharging' status means that the charging rate is below the power that the device is consuming so it slows down the discharge rate but does not re-charge.



The key findings:

================

(1) 2 Amp and 1 Amp outlets is aimed at Apple devices but worked fine with Nexus devices, and did not charge Samsung Galaxy 7.7 tablet (but slowed its normal discharge rate).

(2) S outlet worked for all Android devices, including Samsung Galaxy 7.7 tablet

(3) Using PowerGen cables vs generic charging cables made a positive difference.



Difference between a power cable and a data cable:

Charging cables short the two data connections together (rendering them useless for data transfer), but this fools devices to see them as an AC power connection, and thus accept the higher current of the charging source. Both my generic cable and PowerGen cables used in my tests are charging cables.



Description of my tests:

-------------------------

I tested each devices by charging each unit for 10 minutes and noting how the charge % change.

Note that I have been running the same tests with several PowerGen Juice packs, so if you are interested in the difference between the juice packs you can compare these test relative to each other.

The tests were run with the following permutations:

--- on 2A Apple port, 1A Apple port, and S port

--- using PowerGen cable and using my own charging cable

--- For Samsung Galaxy that was discharging attached to PowerGen on two Apple ports, I compared the discharging rate attached to PowerGen and normal discharge without the juice pack



The table below summarizes my findings.



Nexus 7 Tablet

-----------------------------------

1Amp Apple port ..... generic cable .... AC source .... 2% charge in 10 minutes

1Amp Apple port ..... Powergen cable ... AC source .... 2% charge in 10 minutes

S port .............. generic cable .... AC source .... 3% charge in 10 minutes

S port .............. Powegen cable .... AC source .... 4% charge in 10 minutes

2Amp Apple port ..... generic cable .... AC source .... 2% charge in 10 minutes

2Amp Apple port ..... Powergen cable ... AC source .... 5% charge in 10 minutes



Samsung Galaxy Nexus Phone

-----------------------------------

1Amp Apple port ..... generic cable .... AC source .... 3% charge in 10 minutes

1Amp Apple port ..... Powergen cable ... AC source .... 5% charge in 10 minutes

S port .............. generic cable .... AC source .... 5% charge in 10 minutes

S port .............. Powegen cable .... AC source .... 5% charge in 10 minutes

2Amp Apple port ..... generic cable .... AC source .... 5% charge in 10 minutes

2Amp Apple port ..... Powergen cable ... AC source .... 5% charge in 10 minutes



Samsung Galaxy Tablet 7.7

-----------------------------------

1Amp Apple port ..... generic cable .... discharging .... 0% discharging in 10 minutes

S port .............. generic cable .... AC source ....... 5% charge in 10 minutes

2Amp Apple port ..... generic cable .... discharging .... 0% discharging in 10 minutes

not attached......... N/A................discharging..... -4% discharging in 10 minutes



SanDisk Sansa Clip+ MP3 Player

-----------------------------------

1Amp Apple port ... works

S port ............ works

2Amp Apple port ....works



The MP3 player recognized the charger on both outlet, however it behaved differently than charging from the charger it came with the player itself. When I charge Sansa MP3 with a standard AC charger, the MP3 player goes into charging mode, displaying the charging animated icon. When it was plugged into the PowerGen external battery it continued to play the content. I listen to books on my MP3 player so this caused me to move forward in my book and I had to manually reset my position by a few chapters to get back to where I was when I started charging. The positive side of this, is that is possible to continue listening while MP3 is recharging. This is very handy for Sansa MP3 player since it has built-in battery that cannot be swapped for a charged one. I used to have to stop listening to have it recharged and now I can continue to listen while it re-charges. I was very happy to have this feature during hurricane Sandy when I lost power and my books on MP3 player were my only source of entertainment.



To summarize:



I liked:

-----------------------------------

1. Good behavior with Nexus devices.

2. Galaxy tablet consistently works at AC rate on S port (some of the PowerGen packs I tested in the past did not give me consistent results)

3. Solution for MP3 player with built-in battery

4. Looks sleek, feels solid, is compact

5. Labels for the ports are now in black font so they are easier to read (Thank you PowerGen for listening to feedback!)



I did not like:

-----------------------------------

1. The multiple piece connectors are easy to loose. I prefer a one piece charging cable I bought as a replacement, even though its performance is slight slower



I received 12000mAh external battery pack for testing from the manufacturer to write an honest and unbiased review and I hope you found my tests useful.



Overall, I am pleased with this unit and recommend it.





You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

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AshopZones review ★★★★★

Video Goggles Are The New Way To Watch Movies

Video goggles may sound like a futuristic concept, like something out of your favorite science movie, but they are actually one of the most innovative ways to watch movies when you are on commuting on a plane, train, or bus, or when you simply want to watch movies around the house.

The average American spends over 100 hours a year commuting. While most of this commute time is by motor vehicle, a vast majority of business travelers also log in weekly hours on planes, trains, and buses.

The longest and shortest commute states, respectively, are New York and Montana, but when you consider that the shortest is thirty minutes, you can see that this time can really add up, and this statistic does not take into account the time spent by the business travelers and commuters.

This is time that can be spent doing work, reading, and of course, taking a much needed break by watching a favorite movie. In addition, non business travelers in the United States can expect to take at least one plane trip per year, so virtually everyone, then, can benefit from the ability to watch movies privately and on the go.

If you have a video Ipod, you know how convenient it is to be able to download movies online, and take your Ipod with you to watch them wherever you go. Less convenient, however, is the small screen and the sometimes compromised sound quality depending on the type of headphones you have.

Companies that make video goggles have addressed this problem by making eyewear that looks like regular sunglasses, but allows the wearer to watch movies in full screen format, and in some cases, with stereo quality sound. This way, if you don't like the inflight movie, or if the commute has you bored and looking for a distraction, you can literally slip on your glasses and enter your own private movie theater.

You can also use video eyewear to watch movies around the house, which is nice if you want to watch a movie that other people in the house are not interested in. Depending on the model, these glasses allow for peripheral vision correction and have an adjustable viewing range.

It may sound like a futuristic concept, but many major retailers carry these products, and people are taking notice and purchasing them for themselves and as gifts. Video goggles may just replace the way that the family watches TV, together, but separately at the same time.





For more information about video goggles and personal media viewrs visit our site.