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 ★★★★☆

Plugable 12 Outlet Power Surge Protector with Built-in Dual USB Charging Ports

Plugable 12 Outlet power surge protector provides 12 power outlets and 2 USB ports. 4 of the AC outlets are set away from the others so I could plug in my battery rechargers without covering any other outlets. The power strips measures 12" x 6" x 1", has a 6 foot cord. It claims 4320 Joules of surge protection for all 12 power outlets. The switch on the side of the power strip servers the role of power switch as well as the circuit breaker switch. Each outlet has an individual sliding cover, so you can close any outlet that is not in use or is partially obscured by another plug/charger.



I am attaching a collage of 2 photos: Photo #1 shows a variety of battery chargers, USB chargers, and a regular size small plug in this power strip. I found the outlets well spaced out to fit my needs. Photo #2 shows one minor annoyance I found in this strip. Both sides of the strip glow with green LED lights that cannot be turned on. It seems fashionable for every device to glow in the dark, I wish this was an optional light with a way to turn it off.



To test the USB ports I ran the test I use to test all chargers and power banks. The benefit of running the same test on all devices is that it allows me to compare them to each other in "apples to apples" comparison. 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. 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.



iPad Mini

_________



Port 1................ 2%.....AC

Port 2................ 2%.....AC



Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet

_________________________



Port 1................ 0%.....discharging with data cable

Port 1................ 2%.....AC with charging cable

Port 2................ 0%.....discharging with data cable

Port 2................ 2%.....AC with charging cable



iPad Mini and Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet at the same time

_________________________________________________________

Port 1................ 2%.....AC (iPad Mini)

Port 2................ 3%.....AC with charging cable (Galaxy tab)

Port 1................ 2%.....AC with charging cable (Galaxy tab)

Port 2................ 2%.....AC (iPad Mini)



These charging rates fall in the middle range of my tests, not as good as the fastest chargers but not the slowest. Given that it a bonus functionality on the well spaced power strip I am satisfied with this performance.



Plugable products offers a one year limited warranty against any defects in materials or workmanship. The warranty information can be located on Plugable web site by selecting "Support/Warranty" from the top menu of their website (and the website name is the product name followed by dot com). They state that they will repair or replace products which fail because of any defect in the first year after purchase.



Plugable provided this unit to me for testing, evaluation and review be it positive or negative. I am very pleased with the layout of the outlets. The USB ports provided reasonable speed of charging even though they were not as fast as the best rapid chargers I own. Overall, I recommend it.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★

Bolse® M3 6600mAh Dual Port External Battery Pack

I tested Bolse M3 (6600 mAh) Power Pack with Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet (running ICS 4.0.4) and iPad Mini. It showed 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 M3 external battery weighs 5.7 oz. Its size is 2.375" x 4" 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 test 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)

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

Smart: AC ~~~~~~ 3% change in charge in 10 minutes

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



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

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

Smart: AC ~~~~~~ 6% change in charge in 10 minutes

iPad: AC ~~~~~~~ 6% change in charge in 10 minutes



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

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

Smart: AC ~~~~~~ 2% change in charge in 10 minutes (Galaxy Tablet)

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



➨ Key finding:

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

✔ This external battery has exceptionally good behavior with iPad Mini, and average performance with Galaxy Tablet. Overall it earned a 5 star rating.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link



AshopZones review ★★★★☆

Yubi Power YP250ABLU 2500mAh Ultra Compact Lipstick Size Portable Power Bank

I tested Yubi Power YP250ABLU 2500mAh Ultra Compact power bank with Nexus 7 Tablet (JellyBean 4.2.2), Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet (ICS 4.0.4), and Samsung Galaxy Nexus cell phone (JellyBean 4.2.2), iPad Mini and Sansa Clip+ MP3.



I own several wall chargers and power bricks and run the same set on tests on each of them, so I can be compare them to each other 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.



These comparison tests reveal that this charger provides pretty good speed of charging and capacity (even though it is not the fastest or has the most capacity), however it is unbeaten in its compact size.



The size of the power bank is 3.75" x 0.75" x 0.75". It weighs 2.9 oz on my digital scale. It is quite compact, however I need to point that the lipstick comparison is slightly exaggerated. I am attaching a photo collage of 6 photos, and Photo #5 show this power bank next to a couple of lipsticks for relative size comparison. The photos can be located by following 'customer photos' link under the main photo in this listing.



My methodology for testing power banks is to charge each mobile device for 10 minutes and measuring how much each unit was charged in that 10 minute period. 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. Photo #1 show what the Battery App shows during one of the tests.



✔ Nexus 7 Tablet

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

chargind cable -- AC ............. 3% change in charge in 10 minutes



✔ Samsung Galaxy Nexus Phone

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

charging cable -- AC ............. 5% change in charge in 10 minutes

data cable ------ USB............. 0% change in charge in 10 minutes



✔ Samsung Galaxy Tablet 7.7

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

charging cable -- AC ............. 3% change in charge in 10 minutes



***Note for Samsung Tablet users*** Yubi power provides Samsung Tablet connector tips free on request. If you already have interchageable connector cables (this unit does not come with interchangeable tip cables) these Samsung tablet tips give me much better speed of charging then using a cable that came with my Galaxy tablet.



✔ iPad Mini

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

iPad Mini cable -- AC ............. 3% change in charge in 10 minutes



In addition to 10 minute charge speed tests, I ran two other tests:



✔ iPad Mini

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

Starting with iPad Mini discharged and Yubi Power Bank full I was able to charge iPad Mini to 29% full at which point the power bank was out of power (about 3 hours)



✔ Sansa Clip+ MP3

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

When I charge Sansa MP3 with a standard AC charger, the MP3 player goes into charging mode, displaying the charging animated icon. When it is plugged into the Yubi Power Ultra Compact power bank the MP3 continued to play the content. This is a great benefit for MP3 player with built-in battery, this means I charge and listen at the same time. I do not have to wait for the battery to recharge. Photo #6 shows Sansa next to the power bank for relative size comparison.



I received this unit for evaluation, testing, and review from the manufacture. Running a set of standard test allows me to provide unbiased numeric evaluation and comparison of different units. Based on this comparison this unit measures up very well.



➨ Overall:

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

Great size power bank to have on the go. Very good performance for a unit of such a compact size. When I exercise this is the power bank I take with me.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★

Santamedical Kneading Massager Cushion

Whenever I go by Brookstone or Sharper Image store in the mall I stop by to sit in their massage chairs. This little cushion gives you an inexpensive simulation of an expensive chair. The massaging heads work quite well, you just need to move the cushion where you want it to be by hand. It actually works better than I expected from looking at the photo.



The cushion is 12" by 7" and is 3.5" thick (at the massage heads). It comes with two cords one for AC outlet and one for the car port.  The back of the cushion has 11.5" strap.  It goes over the head restraint in the car, but does not fit the back of my chair (too narrow).  So when I use it at home I hold it in place by pressing my back against it.  That works fine.  How hard you press against it depends how much pressure you want from the massager. If you press too hard you slow it down and properly put undue pressure on the motor.  The AC cord is 78", which is a little too short for me to reach the power strip near my computer desk (an extra extension cord solves the problem, of course).  The power brick is fairly large (3.25") and takes up two slots on the power strip.



I am attaching a video shows everything included in the package, a page from instructions which shows how to position the cushion, followed by the video of the massaging heads.



I received this massage cushion for testing and review (be it positive or negative) from the manufacturer. I hope the video will help you set your expectations.  Overall, this massage cushion works better than I expected, and it feels good after a long day in front of the computer.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★

SHARKK Apple iPad Mini Keyboard Bluetooth Case Cover Stand

This is a very nice keyboard and case in every respect except that it is difficult to take off.



This keyboard is not only a bluetooth keyboard it can also serve as a stand and a case. It keeps the tablet very firmly in both horizontal and vertical orientation. In fact so firmly that I have had trouble removing it from my iPad Mini, I had to take it to work where a male co-worker with strong fingers was able to remove it after a bit of a struggle. I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I have failed in my attempts to remove the case, but figured I have to confess for an honest review.



Sharkk keyboard is 8" long and 5.5" wide. Alone the keyboard case weighs 9.1 oz. Together with the iPad Mini it weighs 1 lb 3.9 oz. Each keyboard key is 1/2" by 1/2" in size. The size of the keys is very comfortable, I did not feel I had to adjust my hand position much. Both the individual keys and the case are made out of hard plastic. The keyboard has nice feedback, I felt confident that I was making good contact.



This keyboard case fit both my iPad Mini and my Samsung Galaxy 7.7 tablet. These two tablets are almost identical in size so the case fit them both, but Galaxy did not snap in the same way iPad Mini did. I tried Galaxy first and was able to remove it. Then came the iPad Mini test and now they have become very attached to each other.



I have used several other blue tooth keyboards in the past and here are some of the major comparison points:

1. This keyboard has good balance between key size and comfortable typing

2. It has nice feedback and the accuracy of my typing was good

3. This keyboard has no back lighting, so I needed external light to use it in the dark

4. I encountered issues with removing the case



I found that I type much faster using this keyboard than on screen keyboard, especially when I have to mix letters and numbers in the text. Pairing is remembered from previous sessions even when I turn off the keyboard and the device.



I am attaching a video which shows pairing the keyboard and using it with iPad Mini. What is particularly nice is that some application do not display on screen keyboard, so you get the benefit of the entire screen containing the information without being covered by on screen keyboard. Some applications still display on screen keyboard even when the keyboard paired with the device, so it depends if the application developer anticipated bluetooth keyboard use or not.



I received the Sharkk keyboard for testing and review (be it positive or negative) from the manufacturer. I hope the video will help you set your expectations.



I liked everything about it except for trouble with removing the case. However the case fits is so nicely that the tablet feels like a super-duper netbook computer where the keyboard is part of the device, not just a tablet with a separate keyboard.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.







AshopZones review ★★★★☆

Food review: Gourmet salts from San Francisco Salt Company

I have to confess that I have not been aware of how many different flavors of gourmet salts existed prior to the offer from San Francisco Salt Company to review some of their gourmet salts. I was intrigued and agreed to review several samples. I received 5 samples and I was amazed by the variety of beautiful colors of these salts.



I decided that the best way to review them is to compare the five salt samples in appearance and flavor. I invited a friend to help me sample the salts, so we can both agree if we could tell the difference between different salts. They definitely looked different... but do they taste different? Here are the results of of our taste comparison. I am also attaching a video that I shot during our taste comparison, the numbers I am using below match the numbers in the video.



#1 Black Hawaiian Lava salt - smokey black in color,we thought it had the lightest (least salty) salt flavor of the 5 samples. This salt is harvested from pacific waters using traditional methods of solar evaporation, allowing the salt crystals to form with the much desired trace minerals intact. The salt obtains its coloring from activated coconut shell charcoal. San Francisco Salt Chef recommends it for use with desserts, and I can see why: it has a light salty flavor so it would work well for example with chocolates sprinkled with salt as I see in gourmet chocolate shops.



#2 Smoked Cherrywood Salt - rich brown in color. This salt has the strongest flavor, it was definitely very smokey. It is slightly saltier than Hawaiian, but not as salty as the other three salts that I tasted. Smoked Cherrywood Sea Salt is made with pure sea salt that has been slowly smoked above a Maine Cherrywood fire. The result is a smooth salty smokey flavor. San Francisco Salt Chef recommends recommends it for meat, poultry, and fish.



#3 Himalayan Salt - pretty pink in color and quite salty. The color does not add any flavor, just looks pretty. It could be use for any culinary use, but because it is so pretty I think using it as table salt in a shaker is how I plan to use it.



#4 Alaea Hawaiian Red Sea Salt - rich brick color, quite salty. This salt is harvested from pacific waters using traditional methods of solar evaporation, allowing the salt crystals to form with the much desired trace minerals intact. The salt is infused with Hawaiian volcanic clay called “alae", which gives it an extraordinary red color. The alae clay also adds nutritional value by providing a source of digestible dietary iron and other trace minerals. The color does not add any flavor, so it could work in any culinary use, but because the color is dramatic I think it would work best when you need to sprinkle it on something. It is widely used in Hawaii as a key seasoning for many of their native dishes including the kalua pig, poke, and Hawaiian jerky. This salt also goes well with pasta, stir-fry, poultry, eggs, seafood and grilled vegetables. It’s also used commonly for preserving.



#5 French Grey Salt - light grey color, the saltiest of the 5 salts I have sampled. French Grey Salt is formed as the sea water flows into the Guerande Marshes, in France, during high tides. The salt obtains its natural grey coloring from the salt crystallizing on clay. San Francisco Salt Company's French Grey Salt is 100% natural and carries the ‘Nature & Progrès’ certification label from France. It suits any culinary use. It is commonly used by French chefs... and who can argue with their results?



All San Francisco Salt Company salts are Kosher certified. Each of the salts is available in either coarse or fine grain. Each salt flavor came in a sealed sturdy plastic bags. The salts have a 10 year shelf live when they remained sealed in the original packaging. Once you open the package, each one has a zip lock closure so you can reseal the bag. These salts are top quality products.

Foind Hawaiian Black Lava Finishing Salt on Amazon





Find Sherpa Pink Gourmet salt on Amazon





Find Cherrywood Smoked Sea Salton Amazon





You can find Alaea Hawaiian Salt on Amazon by following this link

Find French Grey Sea Salt on Amazon







AshopZones review ★★★★★