New Trent iCarrier (IMP120D) Review

New Trent iCarrier

(12,000mAh External Battery Charger for Smartphones and Tablets)

So if you haven't noticed lately I really like external battery chargers.  They're so great for on the go and I have yet to be disappointed by any I've gotten from New Trent.  The iCarrier is no exception to that and it's a beast of a battery coming in with 12,000 mAh it just keeps charging and charging and being that I love gaming I love to kill a battery and this let me keep at it while barely putting a dent in the battery.

I love the design of this one as it's something a little different than just an all black battery with a nice blue trim around the edge to give it a little something extra in my opinion.  It also comes with your standard USB cord for charging your device or the battery unit itself as well as coming with a very nice felt carrying bag to keep everything together.

The light setup on this battery is slightly different than others I've tested but it comes with a high, medium and low (so about 4,000 mAh per light) and of course the power light.  When on you can quickly check the amount of power left in the battery by simply tapping the power button and it will show you how much is left.

As with most of the larger capacity batteries I've dealt with this one also comes with the standard 1A port for smartphones and the 2.1A port for tablets.  Turning the device on and off is easier than some I've dealt with and the way the button sits it won't be turned off easily on accident though so no worries about not charging when you think you are.  Plus a nice feature I haven't noticed on many chargers I've tried is that it turns off immediately when you unplug your charging device whereas most take a few seconds or sometimes much longer which uses that precious battery power.

This is light enough you can actually carry it in a pocket which I have (although you may need a longer USB cord) especially a cargo pocket while my phone sits in my top pocket or while I just hold it and use it while it charges.  I even sometimes hook it up and play some games which is one of my biggest battery killers most days so having an extra 12,000 mAh is pleasant because even after a few days of using the battery as my only charger when I'm not home (and I just leave my device on the charger at night while I sleep) I have only managed to kill about half of the battery on this monster of a charger.

So to say I'm pleased is an understatement in this case.  Having smaller batteries can be okay but this may be the one to remain in my carryall daily bag along with my gaming controller and other random daily bits because even though this thing does take some time to recharge (and I just put it on a spare charger I have to recharge it overnight) it lasts me days and that's something I like.   So if that seems like something you need I'd definitely look into this haus...you won't be disappointed.

MOGA Pro Controller Review

MOGA Pro Controller

So I'm quite the avid gamer and have quite a few games that are quite involved.  Therefore I started looking into controllers for using with my Android devices and after searching and reading quite a bit I decided to check out the MOGA line of controllers and the Pro was the best choice for me and has proved to be quite so.  I've had it now for about two months and am always pleased to use it in gaming and others around me are always amazed when I take it out for a gaming session on the go.

It comes not only with the controller but also a charging cord and even a nifty tablet stand which I have used even with my phone although the controller itself has a mount built in for holding devices even of the Galaxy Note size.

MOGA has released their SDK so developers can develop their apps to be controller friendly and it's shown.  Some of the bigger name developers realize many people enjoy gaming on the go and the need for a controller as on screen controls really just don't cut it when it comes to games that are quite involved especially with the likes of shooter games (which are some of my personal favorites).  Not only are developers of shooting games making their apps MOGA friendly so are other gaming developers such as SEGA with games from the Sonic series that they've ported to Android and EA with games like the Need for Speed series. (MOGA developers).  All are truly a joy to play especially with the added ease of a controller.

The controller is easy to hold even with a device in the holder.  It has great grip and all the buttons work as they should without any hesitation or sticking.  It's just like holding an XBOX controller which I've always enjoyed playing.  Thanks to such an amazing controller I've been able to thoroughly enjoy and play much easier and therefore zip through otherwise very aggravating gameplay.  As I said before not all games are exactly made for ease of use on a touchscreen (albeit playable just not easily).

There are currently enough games to make the controller definitely worth the price.  There are as of right now 81 games that are MOGA compatible.  As of right now I currently have about 10 games and have tried a few others that just weren't something I saw myself playing on a daily basis and therefore deleted the app although playing with the controller was of no issue.  I look forward to getting more games as the controller has made playing games really awesome and totally worthwhile without the anger of not getting through a game because it's just not as fluid as using the MOGA Pro.

So all in all I highly recommend if you're into gaming and own an Android device whether it's a tablet or a phone or phablet that you should look into getting this amazing piece of electronics.  I almost had only wished I had held out for the MOGA Boost series.  I may end up getting one sometime in the future as it will be another great addition to my collection of Android accessories.

New Trent iTorch (IMP52D) Review

New Trent iTorch

(5,200 External Battery Charger for Smartphones)

After having received my new charger just in time for a weekend camping trip with the family and lots of charging to be done as my phone is my primary source of taking photos.  So off we went without worry as I had a new charger and while you may think that 5,200 mAh may not be enough for a weekend getaway it was definitely sufficient.

I was able to not only charge my phone twice (once for each day camping) but I got to play with another nifty feature that comes with this little charger which is the laser pointer.  It has quite the range on it and relatively no affect on the battery as I played with it for some time.  It really didn't serve me any purpose other than just something to play with but would make great for business persons in need of something to not only charge their mobile device as well as have something for a presentation in their business meetings.  The battery will shut off automatically if you don't plug something into it and once charged and you unplug you device it will also shut down automatically as well.  Also shutting off manually is quite easy compared to some other external batteries and will shut down in a few seconds whereas some take 10 - 15 at least to shut down.

With this nice little charger you not only get your typical USB charger cord but you also get an adapter for the Galaxy Tab and beyond that you get a very nice felt carrying bag to make not only keeping everything together but makes carrying everything so much easier.  Like other New Trent products it also comes with easy to read LED indicators showing how much battery is left on the charger in 25% increments.  Altogether I have to say I am very pleased with the iTorch and it served me well as I see it serving me well for much longer.

New Trent iGeek (IMP99D/NT99D) Review

New Trent iGeek
(11,200mAh External Battery Charger for Smartphones and Tablets)

I received this on May 21st and has been a great little addition to my collection.  And quite a collection it is becoming and for that I need to stay charged.  For that task I have been pointed to the iGeek and it has been great.  I've been able to charge whatever device I have with me on the go without worry of finding a plug which means being chained to a wall which for most smartphone users just doesn't work.  We need our devices to always be at the ready and that requires energy.

With this device I can charge a smartphone and a tablet and even two smartphones if you have something newer that can use a 2 A power supply.  The iGeek comes ready with 1 A and a 2.1 A charging ports and an adapter for Samsung tablets.  I've been able to charge my device a few times off each full charge of the iGeek.

It's simple to use with both charging ports plainly marked as well as the port for charging the device itself.  The button turns on the battery with ease while turning off requires holding the power button for about 10 - 15 seconds which I take as they did intentionally as to not turn it off while in your bag and therefore your device won't charge.  It's the ONLY thing I have found to be somewhat of an annoyance but something I have overcome as I don't have to worry about my phone not getting charged due to accidentally turning off the battery.  The lights on the iGeek are easy to read as each light shows a 25% incremental battery charge and the power button lights up for on and off for being off.

In conclusion if you're looking for a spare battery don't buy one specific to your device...get an iGeek and charge all your devices.  It's small and lightweight so you won't notice it bogging down your bag and you won't have to worry about changing out a battery (if you have a removable battery that is).  You won't have to worry about buying another spare battery anytime soon as this will cover all your needs.

Facebook Home

I've been playing around with Facebook Home as I found a work around to get it to work on any device (link to XDA below) and I can confirm it's working on my USCC variant of the Samsung Galaxy S2 (SCH-R760) running CyanogenMod 10.1 and while it's aesthetically pleasing and runs very well I don't see it being a permanent home replacement app.  I've used many home replacement apps and ever since 4.0 I've been using Apex Launcher (recently purchased the pro version which is amazing and totally worth the price but that will come in another blog post).  I really like the main page and swiping between posts.  Double clicking to like a post or picture is really nice and very intuitive.  However making Facebook a permanent home on my phone doesn't make sense to me as I use it mostly for groups I can see this being phenomenal for those whom Facebook takes up most of their time on their Android device.  Everything is very smooth and viewing pictures is simple by just touching and holding to view the photo in it's entirety instead of it scrolling through.  I really wish they would implement some of this amazing UI fluidity and beauty into their actual app for those of us who don't care to replace our current home apps (especially for those into using widgets and such to make their "home" not only theirs but beautiful and work for them).  Overall I believe Facebook hit a home run with this for those who are social networking junkies (most specifically Facebook junkies) whom don't do much else on their phones...but for the average user this will not take off.  Either way give it a go to at least check it out...that's how I roll at least.

~Peace~

Tree

[MOD] Facebook Home "unlocked" + *working* chat heads [NO ROOT!]

Beautiful big pictures behind status

Double click to like status/photo

Long press to see full photo

Samsung Galaxy S4 teaser

Samsung has started with a slew of commercials for the S4 showing the various new goodies that TouchWiz and the new NatureUX.  Not all the features will be used by all but they can certainly be fun.  I have to say that I am pretty excited about getting this.  I currently have an S2 which I had upgraded from the Galaxy S Mesmerize.  A few of these features require that other users have the same device (for now) but I'm sure they will be added in updates in suite packages to older feature phones such as the S3 and the Note 2.  I'm personally excited about the upgraded hardware as well as the software features.  If you're coming from an S3 it may not seem like a big bump but honestly it will be a good choice in a phone regardless of what you're coming from.  I will be enjoying the upgraded camera mostly as I take a lot of shots of the family and the kids more than anything with nature shots close behind.  Though I am somewhat limited on choice as I'm with a regional carrier (U.S. Cellular or USCC) which has excellent service their relationship with Samsung is thankfully decent now so we get phones on par with the national carriers.  I am truly looking forward to this upgrade even though my S2 is still a decent device I am, and always will be, a tech junkie but I think I will be happy with this for the full term of 22 months without feeling the need to use upgrade acceleration to get a phone earlier.  I'll want to deep inside but I won't have to.  I'll have 4G, NFC, a processor that will handle anything I can probably throw at it and a good sized battery and screen to boot.  So without further ado here's the first of many commercials to come from Samsung:

A New Blog For An Old Love (A.K.A. - Technology)

I've long loved putting my thoughts out into the world.  Whether it be on paper or via a blog or just social networking in general.  I say it's about time I started a blog for something I've been a long time fan of...technology.  It started a long time ago thanks to my father whom also loves geeky things.  I remember the family's first computer...a GE HeadStart III.  It was top notch for it's time and we loved it.  Ever since I've had an affinity for technology and my how far it's come over the years.  I've been through a LOT of computers since and a few of them were pieced together from multiple computers and over time I've given up on most of them.  Gaming systems I haven't been through as many as I had the original NES and then didn't get anything until the original XBOX although I had friends with all the systems in between.  Then came the smartphone era which I've thoroughly embraced.  I think the only thing holding me back a lot is funding...as I'm a father a lot of my money goes to supporting the family so I really only get one (maybe two) big purchases a year and lately those have been dedicated to new smartphones or a laptop.  I am hoping to finally get a tablet and a smart TV but first things first I have a certain Galaxy S4 that has caught my eye and my S2 is slightly jealous.  So this blog is a first of many involving probably mostly things Android but will try to cover other things as well.  I've tried so many apps (free and purchased) so I have a good starting place.  Plenty of posts and hopefully some videos as well to come soon.

-Tree-