If you are building out your smarthome you will want to check out the $69.99 Amped Wireless Smartplug AWP138W. While it is a bit on the expensive side, it is an easy way to turn a standard home electrical product into something fitting for your Amazon Alexa-enabled abode. Setup is simple and using it is as easy as speaking.
As a huge fan of HomeKit products one thing that I truly longed for was an adequate surge protector. Now that Apple has begun opening up their Smart Home platform to more companies and changed their framework a bit, you’ll see more and more smart home products popping up left and right, but the Koogeek Surge Protector REALLY caught my eye.
In search of good HomeKit smart plugs that not only look phenomenal but can control all of your home appliances with ease, the iU9 Smart Power Outlet by Taiwan-based company Opro9 may be one of the best plugs I’ve used in a very long time.
Apple’s HomeKit platform has plenty of great devices that allow you to control and monitor all of the items in your home, but one thing that I longed for ever since Apple began opening up its platform was for them to allow Belkin’s WeMo platform to join the fold.
Not long ago I reviewed Nomad’s Battery Cable. I loved it. The Battery Cable combines Nomad’s amazing USB to Lightning cable with a battery. That way, your gear bag not only has a charging cable but one that doubles as an external battery. Now, with phones becoming bigger than ever, Nomad has issued a new Battery Cable with extra juice.
![Thinium Recharge[+]2.0 Review: A Wall Charger and Battery Pack in One](https://geardiary.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/ThiniumRecharge2_14-260x146.jpg "Thinium Recharge[+]2.0 Review: A Wall Charger and Battery Pack in One 6")
Even the latest phones don’t usually have enough battery to go through the entire day if you are a heavy phone user like myself. Even if you aren’t a heavy user, you likely still carry a battery and cable just in case you need to top off. Does the Thinium Recharge [+]2.0 fit the bill of convenience? Let’s find out.
If you have less than three things that require USB charging sitting on your desk, then I’m impressed with your minimalism! My electronics tend to sit in a “charging pile”; it’s neither pretty nor visually efficient. Now that I have the udoq400, there is no more charging pile; I can see and use my devices as they charge.
If you’re still throwing your keys and wallet on a countertop when you get home, you’re going to appreciate the Pitaka MagHive. Not only is it an attractive central location for you to keep the things you can’t leave home without, it’s an intelligent hub the whole family can use.
We’ve become used to seeing 10,000 and 20,000mAh portable batteries that cost anywhere from $50 – $100 (or more). But what if I told you that you could get a powerful 20,000mAh Orico portable battery that can charge everything from your laptop to your smartwatch for $35? You’d want one, right?
If you travel overseas, power strips and adapters are necessary. Since most of the devices we travel with anymore can be charged via USB cable, you can save a lot of room by packing a multi-port USB charger and a couple of standalone adapters. Oneadaptr FLIP makes that huge British 3-prong adapter slim and packable.
Here’s a gadget that sounds like the perfect thing to keep in the trunk of your car: the Norshire is not only a portable pressure washer and jump starter, it’s also a semi-portable mobile device battery and a hazard sign. All you have to do is keep it charged and in your trunk; when you need it, it’ll be ready.
We’re all used to convergent devices performing multiple duties versus needing separate devices for each job these days, and Norshire appears to be a product built on that premise. The kit can be used to power-wash your car, jump-start your car, serve as a warning sign when needed, and it can also function as a super-sized power bank.
A while back we reviewed Mophie’s wireless charging base. The Wireless Charging Base offered 7.5w of wireless charging for the iPhone X, which is as fast as the iPhone X/8 supports. Now Mophie has come out with the Charge Stream Pad+.
We’ve reviewed dozens of external batteries here on Gear Diary but few have offered the combination of simplicity, power and understated elegance of the mophie powerstation USB-C XXL. This external battery was made with the most recent MacBooks in mind but is also quite friendly with devices that employ a USB-C connector. Of course, USB-A is still present as well.
One of the things I love about the iPhone X is the wireless charging Apple finally built into its new phones. I love not having to plug my phone in. In the past months, I’ve purchased a number of wireless charging stands. All get the job done, but none comes close to the Nomad Wireless Travel Stand.
Now and then you come upon a product and can’t help but think, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Lifeproof’s LIFEACTÍV Lightning Connector to USB Cable Lanyard is one such product. Sure, my iPhone X has wireless charging, but it never hurts to have a USB to Lightning cable handy. This product makes sure you have one at all times.
Can you ever have enough plugs or places to top off your gadgets? The answer to that question is no, always no. One of the places I usually come up short is in the kitchen; the Monster Power & Charging Station has tidied up my former snarl of chargers, cables, and remedied a chronic shortage of outlets.
All car chargers are alike. Right? Wrong. Just as different USB wall chargers can push out varying amps of power, so can car chargers. The Oneadaptr EVRI 45W USB-C Car Charger has a Type-C port that is powerful enough to charge your MacBook while it charges your mobile device.
I have a Waterfield SFBags pouch I keep in whatever bag I am carrying any given day. Inside are some Nomad cables, an external battery, some adapters and a pair of Lighting earbuds. The VogDUO Charger Pro 3-Port USB Wall Charger is a new addition to the pouch. Thin and light, it has three different speedy ports.
We’ve reviewed quite a few charging stations, but never one that offered four Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 ports and a USB-C port that supports Power Delivery 2.0 Quick charge. With the Oneadaptr EVRI USB-C Charging Station, you can charge your latest-gen iPhone or iPad Pro up to two or three times faster with a USB-C to Lightning cable.
Mophie has become a leader in designing truly high quality and innovative battery packs, but until now they’ve never come out with one that could charge your laptop on the go. The new Powerstation AC has been designed to fully charge a MacBook, as well as an assortment of other devices.