Charmast charger has four cables

A lot of the newer portable chargers come with cables embedded in their cases. I I really like that concept because I have several different devices that use different connecting tips. My newer iPhone uses USB-C, an older iPad wants a Lightning tip and a flashlight and other gadgets require a micro-USB cable.

The Charmast charger can service all three plus a couple more using the charger's two USB-A ports and an in/out USB-C socket. It turns into a real octopus of a charger.

In my tests the Charmast refueled four different devices in a little over an hour. The charger is rated at 10,000mAh. That makes it the equivalent of the AC powered chargers I keep on my desk and significantly more powerful than any of the portable chargers I've acquired over the past couple of years.

The only minor concern that I have about the Charmast power bank (other than the pink color) is the several hours it requires to recharge itself. My advice is to plan to recharge it overnight.

By: Ric Manning On 3/28/2025

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Auto Face Tracking Selfie Stick Tripod

Many of the videos posted with my reviews were recorded using a camera or mobile phone mounted on a tripod. That setup generally delivers a crisp video image centered on a person. A fine arrangement, so long as that person stays "in the frame," as the Hollywood directors might put it.

But what if the dancing girls moves stage left or the kitchen maven carries her concoction toward her oven? How will the camera follow her? This unbranded tripod will, or at least it will try to.

The tripod has its own built-in camera that hones in on the face of the video actor. Once it knows who to follow, it activates a built-in motor to rotate the camera to the left or right. And it does that job pretty well, so long as the actor doesn't move too quickly.

In its resting state, the tripod is basically a chunky selfie stick with an extendable neck. It becomes a tripod when you release and tighten its four legs. Extend the nested tubes and the tripod will stand almost six feet tall.

Getting the device to do its tracking magic is fairly easy, despite its tiny and poorly-written manual. The tripod has a control panel that includes a small removable remote. You pair the remote with an Apple or Android phone by following typical pairing steps. Flipping a switch on the backside of the tripod unlocks the rotator motor and setting the phone camera to selfie mode will allow you to see what the camera sees while its recording.

I took the tripod for a test drive outdoors in my driveway and my granddaughter got it to follow her as she circled the kitchen island. The tracking system worked reasonably well, as long as we didn't move quickly or stray very far to one side.

I was pleased to note that the rotator motor was quieter than I expected. I don't think it will interfere with video recording or live streaming. And I liked how the phone mount held my phone securely, tilted up and down and adjusted to vertical or horizontal positioning. In addition to manual, the tripod's legs were my only concern. They are made of thin and lightweight plastic that undermines the tripod's stability when it's fully extended.

By: Ric Manning On 3/13/2025

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Touchpad Keyboard Case for iPad

For four or five years my MacBook Air served me very well as a portable substitute for my desktop computer at home. Then Apple started adding more muscle to its iPads so I switched to traveling with an iPad, Apple mouse and a Bluetooth keyboard. 

Now that I'm tired of juggling three different devices, I plan to travel with this all-in-one solution. The MePadKey combines a protective iPad case with a super-thin keyboard. This version is made specifically for the 10th Generation 10.9-inch iPad.

Setup went very smoothly. The keyboard paired with my iPad as easily as any other Bluetooth device. The bottom side of the keyboard has a metal surface that lets it bind with the magnet in the case flap. That magnet held the keyboard in place but not so tightly that it couldn't be easily adjusted. And I was happy to see that the case included a slot to hold my pen stylus.

The keyboard includes a touchpad that supports many advanced features such as two-finger zooming and three-finger swipes. It will also turn on backlighting for the keys, in colors or monochrome, and it supports several shortcut functions like opening a search window or selecting all items.

The case lets the iPad swivel between vertical and horizontal positions. A pair of indented channels hold the iPad in place, but not very tightly. You'll need to position the keyboard as a front stop to avoid flops.

And if you are not using the keyboard, you will have to full a bit with the case flaps to find a comfortable position. And don't expect the MePadKey to save you any weight. The whole rig weighs 2.8 pounds - just a smidge less than my 2.13 pound MacBook Air.

By: Ric Manning On 3/03/2025

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Mini Bike Pump is an Easy Fit

What a swell idea - a small and lightweight battery-powered bike pump that you can stash in your saddlebag for those times when a tire needs a boost in the middle of a ride. It lived up to my expectations, but only after a confusing tussle with the user manual.

The X-TUOTU purports to work with both of the most common Schrader valve found on most bikes and the slender Presta valve used on more higher-end bikes, including my cruiser e-bike. I needed to set up the pump to work with Presta valves.

I consulted the tiny user manual and was quickly baffled by the text and diagrams. The pump kit comes with six different pieces, some of which are needed to adapt the pump for the different tire valves. The challenge was figuring out which ones.

Here's a portion of the Presta instructions: "Insert the seal ring with the small hole facing upward into the valve body, then tighten the valve cap onto the valve body. Finally, assemble the valve body onto the inflator for use."

After an hour of attempts to follow those instructions, I tried a much simpler approach that I found on a different page. I screwed the inflator hose directly into the pump and screwed a brass adapter onto my Presta valve. That adapter allowed the hose to make a tight connection with the tire valve and it let the pump begin pushing air into the tire while clearly displaying pressure levels on its screen.

Finally, the pump turned out to be exactly what I hoped it would be: an easy way to get my tires to my desired air level before of during a ride.

By: Ric Manning On 1/24/2025

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Handlebar Camera Mount for Action Cams

I'm not an off-road biker or a dirt trail hill jumper but I do like to record some of the 20-to-40-mile road cruises that I make with friends in a local cycling club. And they like seeing themselves in my YouTube videos.

That's why this bike mount looked like a good way to attach my action cam to my handlebars. I had tried a couple of other mounting kits that served reasonably well. One featured a ball-and-socket pedestal that was easy to reposition. But it tended to loosed as I rode over bumps and bounces and that resulted in shaky video footage.

That's not an issue with this mount. Its strong suit is its heavy-duty claw and stalk that reduces a a goodly share of that jitter. The Nuobake mount demands a lot of space on my handlebars for the wide jaws and chunky tightening tabs. But the trade-off is a welcome increase in stability that shows in my video clips.

A single tab near the top of the mount lets me tilt top platform forward or back, rotate the stalk to the left or right, then lock in that position. The mounting kit also includes an assortment of other accessories, including a pair of stick-on mounts and a a couple of threaded platforms.

Among the accessories is a stiff nine-inch extension rod that lets me mount my camera (or microphone) at a higher angle. That provides a wider view of the road ahead and clearer view of my face when turn it around. That's the setup I have in mind when I launch my new career as a social media influencer.

By: Ric Manning On 1/15/2025

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Qecvec 10000mAh Cell Phone Portable Power Bank

Like many people, I’m an Apple guy caught in transition limbo. One of my phones along with my Bluetooth speaker and many other gadgets use a USB-C cable for charging. But my iPads, AirPods and back-up phone require the Lightning cable.

The Qecvec portable power bank seemed like the right device at the right time. It has two built-n cables, one with a C tip and one with Lightning. Plus there’s a spot to attach a full-sized USB-A cable for more flexibility and another for a USB C PD.

The PD wasn’t friendly with my MacBook Air - the meter went down instead of up - but the pull-out C cable delivered about 25 percent in about three hours. And the Lightning has proved to be a fine refueling option for my full-sized iPad.

Charging the laptop consumed about 60% of the power bank’s fuel tank. I know that because the charger has a digital display that gives you a percentage readout when you tap a button on the side of the unit.

The charger is a little smaller but slightly thicker and heavier than my phone. It’s small and light enough to carry in a pocket or backpack. I’ve been using it in the zipper bag attached to my handlebars of my e-bike. I can easily charge either of my phones and my earbuds on long rides. Too bad it can’t also charge the bike.

By: Ric Manning On 1/07/2025

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Baseus 65W 20000mAh Power Bank

The Baseus charger weighs almost one pound. That's pretty hefty for many situations where you need portable power. I found it too heavy to carry in a coat pocket and I would think twice before adding to a backpack.

But I can think of times when it would be welcome despite the weight, especially when you need to power a laptop computer. At a rustic campsite, for example, or even in my back yard where an AC outlet is out of reach.

The unit has three ports - two 30-watt standard USB ports that and one 65-watt USB-C outlet. I charged a MacBook computer, an iPhone 15 and a Bluetooth speaker all at once.

The unit's LED display that gives you a numeric reading of the current charge level was a welcome feature. I was less impressed by the amount of time it took to recharge the charger. Other annoyances include the need to recharge with a mini USB cable (why not USB-C?) and the lack of clear operating instructions.

By: Ric Manning On 12/30/2024

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Portable Fast Charger With Built-in Wall Plug

The gadgets in my collection of portable electronics require a variety of different charging connections. My newest iPhone wants a USB-C cable while the older phone and iPad need lightning connections. A vintage wrap-around bone headphones are still stuck in the mini-USB era.

And all of them occasionally run out of power when I'm out of reach of an AC outlet. The answer, of course, is a fill-up from a portable power bank.

The VRURC power bank plays nice with all sorts of devices. I tried using it with phones, tablets, headphones, Bluetooth speakers and other devices. The charger uses a pair of short pop-out cables to connect with almost any device that I attached. One cable has a Lightning connector at its tip, the other has both a USB-C and a mini-USB tip. There's also a USB-A output option to accommodate a BYO cable.

The charger is rated at 20000mAh, enough power to provide fast charging to gadgets that support it. In each case, it delivered a fast charge to devices that support speedy refills. I charged an older pretty quickly as well. In 24 minutes, my iPhone 11 with a Lightning input went from 79 percent to 91 percent while reducing the chargers fuel tank by just 4 percent. It connected perfectly with my full-sized iPad but it did not charge my MacBook Air.

So the VRURC is an attractive option for on-the-go charging of most small devices. But there's a trade-off involved. The VRURC is the size of a small brick and it weighs 13 ounces - almost a full pound. It's too big to fit comfortable in your jeans pocket and too heavy for a small purse. I would plan to stash it in a backpack or perhaps a laptop case.

Along with the different connector tips, the unit has two other features that I particularly like. One is the pop-out set of prongs that let you refill the bank by plugging it directly into a wall outlet. No need to keep a cable handy. The other is the little window that shows you a percentage readout of the charger's fuel level. That's much better than the typical row of lighted dots.

Now, if only it was a a third of its size and weight.

By: Ric Manning On 12/17/2024

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