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[Review] Bluetrek Metal bluetooth headset

A few days ago I received the Bluetrek Metal headset. I spent a whole week exploring various available bluetooth headsets and finally decided for the Metal, because it seemed like a very good balance between price / quality.
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Also, I do not like the look of 90% of headsets on the market - they're way too attention grabbing, have big blue lights flashing all over the place and are also unacceptably large.
Metal is nothing like this. I went for the black version and it's as simple looking as you can imagine. A small black bar with an ear-plug on one side and microphone on the other. Design wise, it's a perfect match for Touch HD.
Describing the size and weight of this tiny thing is really hard. You have to hold it in your hand to realize just how thin and light Metal is. Even tough the name "Metal" suggests otherwise, the device is only a few grams in weight. The housing is metallic, most likely aluminium, with a very good matte finish. Overall, Metal feels very solid and durable. There is only 1 small led, placed on the inner side of the device that can lit up blue or red, depending on different operations.
Along with the device, you get a plethora of accessories:
- 6 different silicone ear-buds (3 in ear and 3 with earloop)
- 2 different sized earhoooks
- short USB charging adapter
- 10 cm USB charging adapter (apparently needed for some USB ports, not shown in the photo above)
- belt clip
- car lighter USB charger (although this is listed as optional, it came with mine standard package)
Speaking of charging, Metal has super-cool solution for charging. With a small rubberized adapter, you plug the device itself into the USB charging port. No cables or anything. I find this very nice. The led's on the device in form you when the charging is complete. Initial charge took about 90 minutes from empty to full.
The pairing is idiot-proof. Turn on BT on the phone, turn on the headset, enter '0000' on the phone and that's it. After that, when ever the BT on the phone is turned on it will automatically pair with Metal when it's in range. The signal strength is normal for BT devices. If you don't have too thick walls, you can easily leave the phone in the other room without losing the connection.
Sound quality is okay. Nothing spectacular, probably not as good as the high-end models, but perfectly fine to understand the other person. I talked to my girlfriend over the Metal for a few days, and later asked if she noticed any differences in sound quality. The answer was straight and simple - no. She had no idea I was on a BT headset. So, I can conclude that the microphone does the job good, as well. Of course, Metal does not have noise-cancellation technology, so this is probably not a good choice if you need to make calls in very loud environments. But for normal usage (home, office, car) it's perfectly fine.
Cool thing about Metal is that you can use it without the ear-hooks attached. It may look strange that you can just plug something in your ear, without securing it in any other way, but believe me - it's not a marketing trick. I tried jumping around, waving my head in all directions, head-banging and all sorts of sudden moves - Metal stayed inside my ear firmly. So, this is a big plus for me, since I wanted to keep things as simple as possible.
While I was worried about really small buttons, in practice it didn't turn out to be THAT big of a problem. Yes, they're very, very small. Too small, to be honest. But the main button to start and end a call is slightly bigger and protruded up, so after some practice it should be ok to locate it while the headset is in your ear. Personally, I would prefer if the button size and arrangement was different, but it's usable as it is - barely.
The best thing about this device is that the price has dropped significantly. I ordered mine for 28$ from Sonicelectronix.com, which I consider to be a bargain.

Ooops! This was supposed to go into Accessories forum. Mods, please transfer the topic there

Review of Anker portable bluetooth speaker MP230 w/lots of pics!!!

This is a review of Anker portable bluetooth speaker MP230. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EURJAKK (due to this being a new product, ianker.com page hasn't been updated with a listing yet).
Portable bluetooth speakers are part of the most saturated market in today smartphone accessories. Everybody makes one, brand name or no brand name, and the prices range from anywhere under $50 and going up to over $200. After reviewing a lot of wireless speakers in different price categories, I can tell you with certainty that price range doesn't necessary translates into sound/built quality and you can actually find a decent portable speaker for a portable use at a great price. So let's take a closer took at what Anker MP230 model has to offer.
Starting with a packaging, you no longer mistake Anker product from a distance with their distinct recyclable brown box and white sleeve with a picture of the product, not even a drop of plastic in there. Along with a speaker, you will find a very comprehensive manual, usb charging cable (full usb to micro-usb), and 3.5mm male-to-male audio cable. Speaker itself is very compact and sleek. At about 9.6oz and dimensions of 4.7" x 2.9" x 2.3" it can actually fit in the palm of your hand and very portable to take with you when traveling. The shape of the speaker is actually different from most of the other ones I have tested in this price/size category where they typically look like a round can, while this one is more elegant to fit on your desk with it's glossy piano finish top. Bottom of the speaker has rubber feet-strips creating a nice friction with a surface. The main volume up/down and call controls are on the left side, and the back of the speaker has on/off button to turn it on and to pair up with a smartphone/tablet, auxiliary 3.5mm input to connect to any source which doesn't support bluetooth, and micro-usb charging port.
Pair up was seamless and blue led behind the grill works great as an indicator. When you charing the speaker, led is red. Charging should take less then 2hr from full empty and it should last 8-10hr on a single battery charge depending on your listening volume. In addition to blue/red color to indicate operation vs charging, the same led blinking also indicates when you are in a pairing mode (rapid flashing of blue led) or when battery low (red led flashing). Once paired/connected, I was actually able to walk away 50 ft from my phone through an open space before I lost a connection. In addition as a speaker, it also works as a speaker phone with an acceptable voice quality.
Now, about the sound quality. This speaker has front firing drivers behind the grill for your high frequencies and top firing sub with a bass port in the back. According to the spec, it supposed to be 2x 3W. For this price range it sounded just ok, where bass was a bit overpowering and distorted at higher volumes. I mean, its not fair to do audiophile analysis of $29 speaker, so you need to have more realistic expectations these will not be crystal clear or can be used to fill up a big room with a dynamic sound at your next party. They definitely will not sound thin thanks to the bass port in the back, and as I mentioned before you can use it wireless and wired connected through 3.3mm aux cable.
Overall its a very elegant looking speaker with a speakerphone functionality. Don't expect a stellar sound quality, but with an added bonus of extra bass, extended wireless range, great battery life, and backed by Anker's 18-month warranty, it's a great value for under $30.
Here are the pictures.
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thank for the review
look amaizing and wanna buy it

looks pretty good for the price
Thanks for the review for this - Looks like it could be a good speaker to travel with. :good:

Thanks for the review mate! Would you mind posting a video? I am about to buy that thing, but I have to see (and hear!) it in action before!
:cyclops:

Review of Anker 14W Solar Panel charger w/lots of pics!!!

This is a review of Anker 14W Solar Panel charger. http://www.ianker.com/product/71ANSCP-B145A
My obsession with external batteries started a couple of years ago after a few nasty storms we went through here on East Coast. Nothing is worse than loosing power for a week or more and figuring out how to charge your phone. Around that time, I was thinking how great it would have been to have a solar panel. Just recently, I was actually asked if I'm planning to review a solar charger. Looking around for available choices, I was pleased to see 14W foldable dual-port model from Anker. Though there were other solar chargers on Amazon, none got as many 5-star reviews as this one, so I decided to request a review sample. With a Spring finally in full effect and sun is out - I figured it will be a perfect opportunity to take a closer look at this 14W solar charger. Here is what I found.
I was pleased to see that no matter how big or small a product Anker sells, it still arrives in an environmentally friendly packaging. Once you take it out of the box, you can really feel it's hefty weight, almost 1.7lb. Unfolding the charger revealed 4 solar panels, each one about 6" x 9". Everything was packaged inside of foldable rugged construction made out of heavy polyester canvas material. The solar panels were not removable and stored inside of individual pockets covered by heavy duty clear PET plastic screen material. A lot of thought went into the design to make sure the construction is durable for outdoor use and the front of the panel, which supposed to be exposed to a sun, will remain undamaged in direct heat. As a matter of fact, once you unfold this solar charger, you will find an extra fold with a dual output USB port and a velcro pocket where you can store your smartphone or external battery to keep it away from the direct heat. It actually came very handy when I left my phone outside charging and was able to keep it out of the direct sun light inside of this pocket.
Without a doubt, this is a very compact foldable solar charger, but how does it perform in the sun? Unfortunately for a few days when I was testing it, I wasn't able to take advantage of a full direct sun (cloudy). From the spec of this charger, it can supply 5V with a combined 2A between both ports. It's definitely possible and I've read plenty of reviews with people who were able to get maximum charging speed. In my case, the first test didn't yield the greatest results because I was sitting in a shade and was only able to get 300-400 mA of charging current. The next day I was able to get better results with 800 mA of charging current, though it was still a bit cloudy outside. I'm pretty sure in a direct sunlight I will be able to get a much higher current reading. So my plan is to continue testing and posting my updates.
Overall, this was my first Solar Charger experience, and I found it to be very impressive. Of course, the big limitation is finding a perfect sunny spot to take full advantage of maximum charging speed. But even if you are stuck in a shade or the sun is down already, you can still get enough charging current to boost your smartphone or tablet battery. With a very competitive pricing and backed up by 18-months warranty, this solar charger can come very handy in a lot of places where you're away from the power outlet.
Here are the pictures.
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Which app do you use to check the charge current?
Enviado do meu GT-N7105 através de Tapatalk

Galaxy Charging Current "Lite" - it's for Samsung phones only. But you can also use this tool I reviewed here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2451375

Thanks! Now I am sure I am tuned in. I use also the Galaxy Current lite.
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External Battery Review: Lepow ADD

Having previously reviewed the LePow Moonstone, I'm glad to post this very delayed review of the ADD, another in a lineup of great backup power sources from LePow.
I would first like to apologize to our friends at LePow for the very long delay. I suffered a hand injury a few months ago that prevented me from typing effectively until just now. Though I have pictures of the 'accident', they would only be suitable for medical journals, so I'll spare you all the discomfort of having to see what happens when fingers have an unfortunate encounter with a power tool.
The LePow ADD continues in their tradition of environmentally friendly packaging, being shipped in a plain cardboard box which houses a container of... CORK! Yes, cork. Very clever, and very trendy.
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Unpackaging the ADD leaves you with rectangular bodies, the main unit and an expansion pack, along with a gray felt pouch and silicone holder which contained a color-matched USB cable. This unit does not have as many 'tchotchkes' as the Moonstone, which is fine by me. I don't need stickers or any more USB drives, I'd prefer that money go into enhancing quality and features.
I'd first like to say that I much prefer this form factor over the Moonstone, because for a business traveler such as myself, it is far easier to pack in a briefcase or even jacket pocket being flat and squared off. The Moonstone, while highly capable, is shaped in such a way that its rounded edges while very fashionable and exhibiting an excellent aesthetic design sense, make it somewhat less suited for business use.
Usage is fairly straightforward. The expansion pack 'docks' onto the main unit much in the way a Lego is stacked on top of another, and is held into place with a magnet. It's easily removable and a bump or drop will dislodge the expansion pack, but the engineering approach is so clever and the probability that the unit will become dislodged in use is so remote, that I overlook that possibility in favor of appreciating the ease-of-use. I mean, really... who doesn't like magnets? How cool is that???
To activate the ADD-on pack, a twist of the aluminum switch block 90 degrees from the main unit brings two embedded spring-loaded pins into contact, activating the secondary unit when the primary unit has expired. Recharging is likewise accomplished the same way.
There are some very cool features built into LePow units, one of which is the ability to tell when your power source needs a recharge itself. In the case of the ADD, an accelerometer (?) will trigger four LEDs to display with a bit of a shake on the unit. Very subtle, and very classy. A nice touch. I don't like a lot of 'bling' on my equipment, and this fits in very well.
Regretfully I'm not an electronics engineer, so I can't comment on the particulars of efficiency, but here is an illustration of recharging an HTC One M7:
10:30AM – 15% charge on phone
11:30AM – 49% charge
1:00PM – 85% charge
1:45PM – 100% charge
So, roughly 3 hours for a full charge from nearly dead. That might seem a long time compared to a USB or AC charger, but when the chips are down, and you're miles away from a power source, this unit can be a lifesaver. For those of you who are 'preppers', I'd suggest keeping a LePow unit in your bug-out bag. Y'never know...
CONCLUSION:
I think anyone would be very happy with any LePow backup power source. Their products have "all the right stuff"... high capacity cells, overcharge protection, ease of use features and solid build quality. A great value all around. However I'm particularly fond of the ADD for the reason stated above. Go get one!

[Mega Review] Anker PowerCore External Battery Charger 10400, 15600, 20100 (Pics!)

Hi all,
I have a lot of external battery packs. If you're familiar with Anker or even follow them on social media, you'll know they recently had a sale on their new chargers. I was able to get the 15600 and 20100 units for half price. They previously offered Power Users the 10400 unit for $9.99 which I gladly accepted. This review is in no way an obligation to these deals, but I wanted to share my impressions of these. Mostly, this will serve to compare to some of their other (older) products.
My favorite external battery charger to date is the Anker 2nd Gen Astro E5 16000. It's long and slim and fits in my front pants pocket really nicely. It's got a fabulous piano black plastic chassis, and blue indicator LEDs.
The PowerCore chargers all have a soft matte finish that slightly more of a charcoal black. The matte finish is advertised to not leave fingerprints or smudges, but I can assure you, it does pick up the oils off of your fingers. It does have a better grip than the glossy finished units.
A look at the specifications states that the new units have 4.8A output current, which is up from the 3A max that the Astro was capable of. This is awesome if you need to charge two devices simultaneously. I have a Legion USB Multimeter that I can verify that with but haven't done so yet. These chargers also boast PowerIQ tech, which is supposed to deliver the best charge type for your device. There's also protection and VoltageBoost features.
I've always admired Anker's relatively simplistic packaging and graphics design. They certainly do a nice job making you feel comfortable with your purchase decision, with reassurance that if you're not happy, they will make things right. I haven't had a negative experience yet.
Each unit includes a mesh carry bag and a USB cable (3' I think). The 10400's carry bag is a nice fit, but I think the bag included with the 15600 and 20100 is a bit too large for the size of the charger. I imagine this bag was sized to one of the larger chargers and they haven't updated the bags for the new product. I LOVE how perfect the bag fit is for the Astro 16000.
The USB cables are a great inclusion, although I wish they would include their heavier duty 28 / 21 AWG cables that you can purchase separately. I've noticed HUGE charging speed improvements using those heavier cables, especially with the longer lengths. Another point would be that if you're using these chargers with Apple devices (or anything other than Micro USB), you're going to have to source your own cable.
Charging the batteries is a matter of reversing a USB and plugging it into a charger just as you would your phone. LEDs light up with one LED flashing to indicate charge level.
Now, one difference I should point out compared to the Astro is that when these finish charging, ALL LEDs turn off. On the Astro, all LEDs stay on when the unit is fully charged. I prefer the Astro's behavior so you can see it is done charging at quick glance.
Since I've had the PowerCore 10400 longer, I've actually been using it since I got it. It performs just as you'd expect. That said, I find the wider design harder to keep in my pocket. I like the longer narrow build better.
And on size, the PowerCore 15600 and 20100 units appear to be exactly the same. The specifications say that the 15600 should weigh 341g, but according to my non-scientific OXO scale, both weigh 356g, which is what the specs say for the 20100. And the two being exactly the same size, I can't really tell them apart from each other without reading the very fine print labeling. This could be a problem of sorts should I keep them both around... I could easily grab the wrong one. Now, I'm only trading off maybe 2 charges for my Galaxy S6, but I do like to know what I am carrying. Also for reference, that Astro weighs in at 308g, so it is lighter, smaller, and has more capacity than the PowerCore 15600. I'll certainly use these newer units, but that Astro might remain my favorite.
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Thanka for the review.
I would like to know howmuch mah does they really have?
For example xiaomi 16000 mah powerbank has 10000 mah (the rest get lost at the conversion.
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