Category: devil volt

10 Collectible Powerbanks We Love to Use

Abe Olandres Leave a comment

Since a year ago, we started collecting nice little powerbanks that are unique, talking pieces but great to use as well. We already have dozens but these 10 items in our list are the precious ones which we also use on a regular day.

Some were given to us, other were token during events but most of them I found and bought locally and abroad, whenever I chance upon them.

Most people look for really high-capacity powerbanks that are bang-for-the-buck (read: 12 Bang-for-the-Buck Power Banks You Can Buy).

I’d go for design and portability. When you’re carrying around a powerbank with your phone, you want it to look good yet able to carry it comfortably and still allowing you about 2 to 3 additional charges on your smartphone.

powerbanks-philippines
Click on the image to take a closer look.

(1) Valore. This 16,800mAh powerbank was a token during the World of Tank: Blitz event in Taipei last year. WoT painted their logo on it alongside Valore. It has nice, simple design with a rough, sandpaper finish. I believe it’s a white-label powerbank as I have seen another local brand (Airborne Tech) carrying the same design (see their listing here).

(2) This Xiaomi Mi Bunny 5,600mAh powerbank was bought during one of our trips to Kota Kinabalu earlier this year. It comes with its own charging cradle as well and perhaps the whole set is mostly for decorative purpose only. The folks at The Lot PH also carries the Mitu for Php1,000 each (see here).

(3) These Devil Volt powerbanks are rated at 5,600mAh and is the most talked about of the entire collection. The folks at The Lot PH also carries them for Php1,000 with 4 different designs (see here).

(4) This ParkMan powerbanks were originally seen in Hong Kong but last month, we saw a lot of them being sold in Greenhills. They come in two-tone colors and are rated at 10,000mAh each.

(5) Being a fan of Iron Man, we’d grab any chance to get a hold of almost anything related to it (Hot Toys, gaming headphones, mouse, powerbanks, etc.). This one was found by one of our senior editors in Greenhills and bought it for me.

(6) The folks from Spitze Trading are one of the distributors of Anker powerbanks (see complete line here). I really liked this 6,000mAh powerbank because it’s small and light. The IQ charge intelligently detects the optimal charging of the device so it can switch between 1A and 2.1A depending on the need of the device.

(7) If 5,200mAh is not enough, then I switch to this 20,000mAh Anker Astro2 is the better option.

(8) This Emie powerbank from The Lot PH is one that I most frequently bring along with me every day. The flat design makes it easier to pair with almost any smartphone when carrying around in your hand or pocket (it even looks like a smartphone case in itself). The unit has an 8,000mAh rating.

(9) Battle-damaged torso of Iron Man. Got this around June last year in Taipei, Taiwan. It has 5,200mAh power rating.

(10) We have several of the 5,200mAh Mi powerbank and a custom made, etched 10,400mAh Mi powerbank given by Xiaomi last month. However, this 20,000mAh Mi Powerbank we got in Thailand (or was it Kota Kinabalu?) is our favorite among all Mi powerbanks we have.

How about you? What powerbanks do you use? Go chime in at the comments section.

The post 10 Collectible Powerbanks We Love to Use appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

10 Collectible Powerbanks We Love to Use

Abe Olandres Leave a comment

Since a year ago, we started collecting nice little powerbanks that are unique, talking pieces but great to use as well. We already have dozens but these 10 items in our list are the precious ones which we also use on a regular day.

Some were given to us, other were token during events but most of them I found and bought locally and abroad, whenever I chance upon them.

Most people look for really high-capacity powerbanks that are bang-for-the-buck (read: 12 Bang-for-the-Buck Power Banks You Can Buy).

I’d go for design and portability. When you’re carrying around a powerbank with your phone, you want it to look good yet able to carry it comfortably and still allowing you about 2 to 3 additional charges on your smartphone.

powerbanks-philippines
Click on the image to take a closer look.

(1) Valore. This 16,800mAh powerbank was a token during the World of Tank: Blitz event in Taipei last year. WoT painted their logo on it alongside Valore. It has nice, simple design with a rough, sandpaper finish. I believe it’s a white-label powerbank as I have seen another local brand (Airborne Tech) carrying the same design (see their listing here).

(2) This Xiaomi Mi Bunny 5,600mAh powerbank was bought during one of our trips to Kota Kinabalu earlier this year. It comes with its own charging cradle as well and perhaps the whole set is mostly for decorative purpose only. The folks at The Lot PH also carries the Mitu for Php1,000 each (see here).

(3) These Devil Volt powerbanks are rated at 5,600mAh and is the most talked about of the entire collection. The folks at The Lot PH also carries them for Php1,000 with 4 different designs (see here).

(4) This ParkMan powerbanks were originally seen in Hong Kong but last month, we saw a lot of them being sold in Greenhills. They come in two-tone colors and are rated at 10,000mAh each.

(5) Being a fan of Iron Man, we’d grab any chance to get a hold of almost anything related to it (Hot Toys, gaming headphones, mouse, powerbanks, etc.). This one was found by one of our senior editors in Greenhills and bought it for me.

(6) The folks from Spitze Trading are one of the distributors of Anker powerbanks (see complete line here). I really liked this 6,000mAh powerbank because it’s small and light. The IQ charge intelligently detects the optimal charging of the device so it can switch between 1A and 2.1A depending on the need of the device.

(7) If 5,200mAh is not enough, then I switch to this 20,000mAh Anker Astro2 is the better option.

(8) This Emie powerbank from The Lot PH is one that I most frequently bring along with me every day. The flat design makes it easier to pair with almost any smartphone when carrying around in your hand or pocket (it even looks like a smartphone case in itself). The unit has an 8,000mAh rating.

(9) Battle-damaged torso of Iron Man. Got this around June last year in Taipei, Taiwan. It has 5,200mAh power rating.

(10) We have several of the 5,200mAh Mi powerbank and a custom made, etched 10,400mAh Mi powerbank given by Xiaomi last month. However, this 20,000mAh Mi Powerbank we got in Thailand (or was it Kota Kinabalu?) is our favorite among all Mi powerbanks we have.

How about you? What powerbanks do you use? Go chime in at the comments section.

The post 10 Collectible Powerbanks We Love to Use appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

10 Collectible Powerbanks We Love to Use

Abe Olandres Leave a comment

Since a year ago, we started collecting nice little powerbanks that are unique, talking pieces but great to use as well. We already have dozens but these 10 items in our list are the precious ones which we also use on a regular day.

Some were given to us, other were token during events but most of them I found and bought locally and abroad, whenever I chance upon them.

Most people look for really high-capacity powerbanks that are bang-for-the-buck (read: 12 Bang-for-the-Buck Power Banks You Can Buy).

I’d go for design and portability. When you’re carrying around a powerbank with your phone, you want it to look good yet able to carry it comfortably and still allowing you about 2 to 3 additional charges on your smartphone.

powerbanks-philippines
Click on the image to take a closer look.

(1) Valore. This 16,800mAh powerbank was a token during the World of Tank: Blitz event in Taipei last year. WoT painted their logo on it alongside Valore. It has nice, simple design with a rough, sandpaper finish. I believe it’s a white-label powerbank as I have seen another local brand (Airborne Tech) carrying the same design (see their listing here).

(2) This Xiaomi Mi Bunny 5,600mAh powerbank was bought during one of our trips to Kota Kinabalu earlier this year. It comes with its own charging cradle as well and perhaps the whole set is mostly for decorative purpose only. The folks at The Lot PH also carries the Mitu for Php1,000 each (see here).

(3) These Devil Volt powerbanks are rated at 5,600mAh and is the most talked about of the entire collection. The folks at The Lot PH also carries them for Php1,000 with 4 different designs (see here).

(4) This ParkMan powerbanks were originally seen in Hong Kong but last month, we saw a lot of them being sold in Greenhills. They come in two-tone colors and are rated at 10,000mAh each.

(5) Being a fan of Iron Man, we’d grab any chance to get a hold of almost anything related to it (Hot Toys, gaming headphones, mouse, powerbanks, etc.). This one was found by one of our senior editors in Greenhills and bought it for me.

(6) The folks from Spitze Trading are one of the distributors of Anker powerbanks (see complete line here). I really liked this 6,000mAh powerbank because it’s small and light. The IQ charge intelligently detects the optimal charging of the device so it can switch between 1A and 2.1A depending on the need of the device.

(7) If 5,200mAh is not enough, then I switch to this 20,000mAh Anker Astro2 is the better option.

(8) This Emie powerbank from The Lot PH is one that I most frequently bring along with me every day. The flat design makes it easier to pair with almost any smartphone when carrying around in your hand or pocket (it even looks like a smartphone case in itself). The unit has an 8,000mAh rating.

(9) Battle-damaged torso of Iron Man. Got this around June last year in Taipei, Taiwan. It has 5,200mAh power rating.

(10) We have several of the 5,200mAh Mi powerbank and a custom made, etched 10,400mAh Mi powerbank given by Xiaomi last month. However, this 20,000mAh Mi Powerbank we got in Thailand (or was it Kota Kinabalu?) is our favorite among all Mi powerbanks we have.

How about you? What powerbanks do you use? Go chime in at the comments section.

The post 10 Collectible Powerbanks We Love to Use appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

5 Things You Might Not Know About Powerbanks

Abe Olandres Leave a comment

Most people buy powerbanks based on indicated charging capacities. However, there are some details that we need to understand in order to maximize the use of these rechargeable batteries.

Powerbanks have become a huge secondary market commodity following the popularity of smartphones and tablets. It’s not a huge business that a lot of brands are coming out left and right.

In this quick guide, we explain why not all powerbanks are created equal.

1) Re-Charge Cycles and Lifespan. Powerbanks, like any other rechargeable batteries have a recommended recharge cycle. A good powerbank will have somewhere around 500 recharge cycles while sub-standard ones will have around 300 cycles only.

If you recharge your powerbank once a day, that means the lifespan can be somewhere between 300 days to 500 days. Once this re-charge cycle is full consumed, the powerbank will not longer be able to re-charge to its usual capacity and degrades to about 50-70%.

2) Power Storage Capacity. Powerbanks cannot store 100% of the full power capacity that it states it can. Good ones can give you between 70 to 80%. Great ones like Anker powerbanks can go as much as 85-90%. That means if your typical powerbank says it can do 10,000mAh, the actual capacity could just be 7,000mAh.

This is called discharge efficiency and what is wasted or lost in the process is due to the internal circuitry of the powerbank as well as how good/efficient the batteries inside are.

3) Double A Batteries. Most powerbanks use AA re-chargeable batteries connected in a series. These are easier to source, manufacture and assemble. That’s the reason why a lot of powerbanks have similar but odd-numbered capacities like 5,200mAh or 10,400mAh.

This is because they use multiple re-chargeable batteries (5,200 = 2 x 2,600mAh and 10,400 = 4 x 2,600mAh) and not just one single large Li-Ion block. Some powerbanks which have thinner profiles do use a specific rectangular-shaped batteries like in smartphones.

4) Output Voltage and Output Current. The symbol mAh does not mean milliamps as most of us refer to but is actually milli ampere-hour and means measure of electric charge. One the other hand, Watt Hour (Wh) is a measure of electric energy.

The relationship of the two is shown in this formula:

Watt-Hour (Wh) = Ampere-Hour (mAh) x Voltage (V)

The typical voltage for Li-Ion in powerbanks is 3.7V but output can go up to 5V. This is the reason why we see either of the two numbers in smartphones, laptops, or powerbanks.

The output current is measures in ampere which states how fast the current is passed thru the device. Most smartphones will use 1A while bigger tablets like the iPad might need 2.1A. Powerbanks have different ports for 1A and 2.1A while a fewer ones like Anker have intelligent sensing ports that auto adjusts the current depending on what the device needs.

Some phones like the Oppo Find 7 can handle up to 4A of current without damaging its internal battery.

5) Charging Cables. Charging cables are not created equal. Most cables have a data wire and a charging wire within the cable itself.

Typical charging cables are in the 28/28 gauge range with a wire diameter of about 0.321mm (first number represents the gauge of the data wire and the second number represents the charging wire). This is the reaosn why some cables could not charge phones or indicates slow charging.

We suggest getting a 28/24 gauge cable which are thicker. The 24 gauge ones are about 60% larger in diameter (0.511mm) and can handle 2amps of current. Of course, the cables can only transmit the same amount of power as the powerbank or power charger its giving it.

We also suggest to not attach the cable to the powerbank when it is not in use, especially in storage. It can still be feeding a small amount of current that can slowly discharge the powerbank.

The post 5 Things You Might Not Know About Powerbanks appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

5 Things You Might Not Know About Powerbanks

Abe Olandres Leave a comment

Most people buy powerbanks based on indicated charging capacities. However, there are some details that we need to understand in order to maximize the use of these rechargeable batteries.

Powerbanks have become a huge secondary market commodity following the popularity of smartphones and tablets. It’s not a huge business that a lot of brands are coming out left and right.

In this quick guide, we explain why not all powerbanks are created equal.

1) Re-Charge Cycles and Lifespan. Powerbanks, like any other rechargeable batteries have a recommended recharge cycle. A good powerbank will have somewhere around 500 recharge cycles while sub-standard ones will have around 300 cycles only.

If you recharge your powerbank once a day, that means the lifespan can be somewhere between 300 days to 500 days. Once this re-charge cycle is full consumed, the powerbank will not longer be able to re-charge to its usual capacity and degrades to about 50-70%.

2) Power Storage Capacity. Powerbanks cannot store 100% of the full power capacity that it states it can. Good ones can give you between 70 to 80%. Great ones like Anker powerbanks can go as much as 85-90%. That means if your typical powerbank says it can do 10,000mAh, the actual capacity could just be 7,000mAh.

This is called discharge efficiency and what is wasted or lost in the process is due to the internal circuitry of the powerbank as well as how good/efficient the batteries inside are.

3) Double A Batteries. Most powerbanks use AA re-chargeable batteries connected in a series. These are easier to source, manufacture and assemble. That’s the reason why a lot of powerbanks have similar but odd-numbered capacities like 5,200mAh or 10,400mAh.

This is because they use multiple re-chargeable batteries (5,200 = 2 x 2,600mAh and 10,400 = 4 x 2,600mAh) and not just one single large Li-Ion block. Some powerbanks which have thinner profiles do use a specific rectangular-shaped batteries like in smartphones.

4) Output Voltage and Output Current. The symbol mAh does not mean milliamps as most of us refer to but is actually milli ampere-hour and means measure of electric charge. One the other hand, Watt Hour (Wh) is a measure of electric energy.

The relationship of the two is shown in this formula:

Watt-Hour (Wh) = Ampere-Hour (mAh) x Voltage (V)

The typical voltage for Li-Ion in powerbanks is 3.7V but output can go up to 5V. This is the reason why we see either of the two numbers in smartphones, laptops, or powerbanks.

The output current is measures in ampere which states how fast the current is passed thru the device. Most smartphones will use 1A while bigger tablets like the iPad might need 2.1A. Powerbanks have different ports for 1A and 2.1A while a fewer ones like Anker have intelligent sensing ports that auto adjusts the current depending on what the device needs.

Some phones like the Oppo Find 7 can handle up to 4A of current without damaging its internal battery.

5) Charging Cables. Charging cables are not created equal. Most cables have a data wire and a charging wire within the cable itself.

Typical charging cables are in the 28/28 gauge range with a wire diameter of about 0.321mm (first number represents the gauge of the data wire and the second number represents the charging wire). This is the reaosn why some cables could not charge phones or indicates slow charging.

We suggest getting a 28/24 gauge cable which are thicker. The 24 gauge ones are about 60% larger in diameter (0.511mm) and can handle 2amps of current. Of course, the cables can only transmit the same amount of power as the powerbank or power charger its giving it.

We also suggest to not attach the cable to the powerbank when it is not in use, especially in storage. It can still be feeding a small amount of current that can slowly discharge the powerbank.

The post 5 Things You Might Not Know About Powerbanks appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.