Poweradd

The BRAVEN BRV-BANK is the portable power bank you always wanted (Accessory review)


At CES 2016 this year I had the opportunity to spend a good amount of time with the team from BRAVEN. My impressions from my time with BRAVEN’s representatives completely validated what I see in BRAVEN’s products which is quality, pride, being different, and letting their impressive qualities speak for themselves.

Of all of the battery packs I have, which is too many, my main go to for CES 2016 was the BRAVEN BRV-BANK. Many of the other batteries I have are great, but I trust none more than I trust this portable battery from BRAVEN. It isn’t a new release, but it is a battery that is still sold for its durability, Bluetooth connectivity, and perfect size at 6000mAh.

Design

The BRAVEN BRV-BANK is first and foremost an ultra-rugged battery. It comes with a rubberized body that keeps it protected from dirt, water, and shocks. It comes in two color options Black/Blue and Gray/Red.

To differentiate its battery from the thousands of other portable power banks, BRAVEN built a Bluetooth radio into the BRV-BANK so you can monitor the exact power levels from a free app from BRAVEN in the Google Play Store. The app is compatible with both Android tablets and smartphones and can control the power output from each of the two USB ports, while also allowing for you to control the included USB flashlight. You have the option to put the battery into “SOS mode” to flash the light or into “bear mode” which will trigger an audible alarm. If you lose your battery you can trigger the alarm from the app so you can locate it using sound.

BRAVEN also includes a well thought out micro USB charging cable that is protected by a braided sheath, and even has protective silicon covers for both ends of the cable. The included cable is well engineered and designed to live up to the ruggedness of the battery pack. There is no point in having a rugged battery without a cable to match.
BRAVEN designed and built the BRV-BANK for the active lifestyle. What’s clear is the engineers actually designed it for themselves because I know they are the outdoor types after meeting with them in Las Vegas.

Usage

When I removed the BRV-BANK from its packaging I instantly thought it was designed for the military or survivalists. It’s almost as if the CEO of BRAVEN gave the engineers carte blanche to let loose with the budget, and design the battery of their dreams. Giving engineers open access to the budget isn’t quite the best way to run a company, but give them the freedom to design the ideal product and they will.

The BRV-BANK is more than just a battery to BRAVEN. It’s BRAVEN’s ideals and values all packaged into a product. You can tell they take pride in every single detail, which is an absolute rarity these days since competition in the tech industry is so stiff.

Without a doubt, the BRAVEN BRV-BANK is the best built portable battery I have ever used. It’s not cheap with a retail price of $99, but for the price you get every penny’s worth. There are dozens of batteries you can get elsewhere with more power storage and more than 50% cheaper, but you will not get a better built battery than the BRAVEN BRV-BANK.

It comes with a 6000mAh battery power bank that holds every bit of power that is advertised. While at CES, the BRV-BANK kept me fully charged throughout an entire day of being mobile. I kept my main phone fully charged while powering accessories in my backpack every single day at CES. Of all of the batteries I own, the BRV-BANK is the one I trust most to live up to the life on the go.

And it was great that I could check how much power was remaining using the free app provided by BRAVEN. I could check the exact percentage of power remaining which gave me confidence that I didn’t need to conserve power at any point away from a wall charger. And at night, I even used the USB flashlight a couple of times to help find my way.

While I could have chosen from a wide variety of batteries in my stash, I chose the BRAVEN BRV-BANK to keep me powered during the most important conference of the year.

Summary

The BRAVEN BRV-BANK is the Swiss Army Knife of portable batteries. It comes in a rugged case with features you will not find in any other battery. While it may not be for everyone at $99, you can’t go wrong with BRAVEN. You will get an ultra reliable battery with attention to every single detail – even in the included micro USB cable which is an afterthought to other companies.

I cannot reiterate how much BRAVEN’s commitment to quality shines through its products. They are the top 1% of mobile accessory manufacturers in the world.

6000mAh is more than enough power to get you through a full day of usage on your smartphone, and more than likely, it will get you through two to three full days of usage on your smartphone. You can take it with you on your daily commute, and you can also take it out on your next outdoor adventure. You do not have to worry if the BRV-BANK will ever break down because I can assure you that it will not.

CAD images of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus/Pro recently leaked, and now, the source of those images has created a video using the renders to give iPhone fans a look at what could be coming their way in September.
Back in November, a report surfaced that claimed Apple was planning to remove the standard 3.5 mm headphone port in the upcoming iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in order to reduce the size of its next-generation flagship smartphones. While it may seem absurd to remove a port millions of people are accustomed to, it’s in Apple’s nature to remove such features in the name of style.
The iPhone 5, introduced in September 2012, was the first iOS device to abandon the dock connector for a Lightning connector, apple phone cases and Apple partially attributed the move to helping allow its designers make the iPhone 5 thinner than previous models. The company uses the same logic in its most recent MacBook, which achieves its ultra-thin profile by abandoning the standard USB ports for a single USB Type-C port that is used for charging and data transfer.
We got our first look at what a 3.5 mm headphone port-less iPhone 7 would look like when schematics for the iPhone 7 Plus/Pro leaked in April, confirming the smartphone would also pack in a rear dual-lens camera.
We just reported that render images from an Apple casing contractor were published and supposedly show the design and some features of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus/Pro. Now, the source has put a short video together to provide a closer look and compare the CAD images.
As you can see in the video below, the standard 3.5 mm headphone port is nowhere to be found, and the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus/Pro feature designs almost identical to that of their predecessors, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. The smartphones no longer have their antenna bands visible on the rear.
The 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus/Pro has what is reportedly the protruding dual-leans rear camera and Apple’s Smart Connector, which is offered on the new iPad Pro and allows the device to connect to supported accessories and charge. The inclusion of the Smart Connector port is leading some to believe Apple is planning to launch the phablet as the iPhone 7 Pro.
The 4.7-inch iPhone 7 has what appears to be a smaller protruding single-lens rear camera, and notably absent is the Smart Connector port found on its larger sibling.
As we get closer to the actual September release of iphone cables the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus/Pro, you can bet reports like these will intensify, and we’ll be sure to bring them to you as they emerge.

The nightmare of rogue USB-C cables and adapters will end soon

The wave of rogue USB-C products that poses risks to PCs and mobile devices hasn’t gone unnoticed, and the USB Implementers Forum has taken steps to eradicate the issue once and for all.

A new specification announced by the USB 3.0 Promoters Group, which is part of USB-IF, aims to eliminate rogue cables, ports and chargers. The USB Type-C Authentication protocol will verify and ensure a USB-C connection won’t fry a port or damage a device.

A host device like a smartphone or PC will first verify the authenticity of the cable, charger or power source before any data is transferred. If everything checks out, a connection will be established.

So if a smartphone or PC won’t charge from a USB port in a public place, it’s perhaps because there’s a non-compliant component.

The goal is to protect devices, said Brad Saunders, chairman of the USB Promoters Group.

There’s more to the authentication protocol, though. Policies can be established so only authorized USB-C products work with a host device. That’s useful for businesses, who want only specific thumb drives or other USB-C devices to work with computers as a data protection measure.

Problems with rogue cables were first highlighted late last year by Google engineer Benson Huang. He pointed out the risks posed by such chargers and cables; the issue was mainly related to connections between USB-C and USB Type-A or Type-B devices, which have different sizes and power capabilities.

Huang praised the release of the new specification in a blog entry on Google+.

“Future Type-C chargers and devices will verify one another before enabling charging and data connectivity in order to protect from uncertified or counterfeit chargers and other accessories,” he said.

The USB-C port first appeared in Apple’s 12-inch MacBook, which was announced in March 2015. It soon started appearing in other smartphones and PCs. Amazon currently does not sell USB cables or adapters that aren’t compliant with specifications.

The rogue cables were mainly cheap cables released by little-known companies. Prominent companies are advertising their USB-C products as being compliant with the latest USB specifications to ease buyers’ concerns.

USB-IF didn’t immediately respond to questions on when the new authentication protocol will come into effect.

Amazon recalls Fire tablet power adapters over electric shock hazard

Amazon is recalling some of its Fire tablets over fears that their power adaptors might give users an electric shock. The company said that adapters may fall apart when they are pulled from a wall socket, posing a risk to customers.

The affected equipment includes adapters bundled with Amazon’s 7-inch Fire and Fire Kids Edition tablets sold since September 2015. Amazon has now issued instructions on how customers can return their adapters free of charge until replacements can be issued.

Why advertise with us
The company said: “We have determined that, in rare cases, when the power adapter included with the UK Fire 7-inch and UK Fire Kids Edition 7-inch tablet is pulled from the wall socket, the adapter assembly may detach and create a risk of electrical shock. Affected adapters were sold only in the United Kingdom and Ireland from September 2015.

“Customer safety is our top priority, and we are proactively offering to replace these power adapters with a new adapter, free of charge. We encourage customers to exchange their original power adapters using the process below.

“Please discontinue use of your original wall adapter. Until you receive a replacement travel adapter, you can use the included USB cable connected to a computer or another compatible adapter to charge your tablet.”

Amazon joins a list of technology companies who have recently been forced to recall faulty products. In February, Apple announced it would issue new USB-C charging cables to customers who purchased select MacBooks due to a design defect affecting some models. In the same month, Microsoft was forced to recall some 2.25 million power cords following reports of units causing fires and electric shocks.

As the recent rains plunged the city in darkness, sale of power banks and candles shot up.

Due to continuous power cuts, many people were left with phones that were out of charge.

“As I don’t have much charge in the phone battery, I purchased a power bank. I am leaving for Karnataka and I will charge the mobile at the bus terminus,” said Giridhar, a resident of Nerkundram who had come to Ritchie Street, off Anna Salai, for purchasing a power bank.

Many others were also seen purchasing power banks.

The minimum price for a power bank for iphone, sold by a roadside vendor at Ritchie Street, is Rs. 350.

Deppending on the capacity of the power bank, it can go up to Rs. 750.

“Many youngsters have purchased power banks from me,” said K. Raja, who was seen selling power banks at Ritchie Street.

Meanwhile, the prices of candles had also gone up.

“Since there was no power in the house for three days,USB adapters the invertor stopped work and I had to start using candles.

As candles were in demand, people were selling them at Rs.30 per piece,” said S. Mukesh, a resident of Mylapore.

Australian wall adaptors for iPads and Macs have been recalled.

Apple devotees,ipad cables who hoard everything made by the company, will be feeling anxious now that it has instigated a massive international recall of power point adapters across its range of portable devices. A small number have been found to have broken, causing risk of electric shock.

It comes only a week after Microsoft recalled 285,000 power cord sets which shipped with its Surface Pro tablet range.

The affected Apple adapters were shipped with MacBooks and iPads, and older models of iPhone and iPod, between 2003 and 2015, including in Australia and New Zealand. Also included in the recall are adapters purchased in the Apple World Travel Adapter Kit, which includes wall adaptors for multiple regions.

It’s believed that hundreds of millions of customers have been affected as sales records show that Apple has sold nearly 300 million iPads worldwide since the product was launched in 2010. It has sold 147.7 million computers since 2003; at least 60 million of these were laptops (Apple stopped publishing standalone sales figures for MacBooks in 2013).

The company said it was aware of 12 global “incidents” however it’s not clear whether this involved customer’s actually suffering electric shocks as a result of the adapters breaking.

The affected adapters attach directly to a power brick to connect devices to the wall. New MacBooks also come with an adapter on a long cord, which is not affected by this recall. The recall does not affect smaller USB adapters which ship with the latest models of iPhone and iPod.

Consumers can take the recalled models into an Apple store to be replaced. If there is a country code written on the underside instead, e.g. AUS or EUR, then this is a newer model and is not affected.

“Because customer safety is the company’s top priority, Apple is asking customers to stop using affected plug adapters,” the company said in a statement.

The recall also affects adapters sold in Argentina, Brazil, Continental Europe and South Korea. It does not affect products sold in Canada, China, Hong Kong, Japan, the UK or the US.

Apple previously recalled an iPhone power adapter sold in some countries after it was found the prongs could snap off and expose users to risk of electric shock.
 

Today’s fast-paced world requires that you stay connected and on top of your game every time. Making sure that your phone continues to work and play with you, Ambrane India one of the leading IT brands in computer peripherals, Mobile Accessories and No. 1 in battery power bank unveils the first in India ‘Triple Output 10000mAh Power Bank P-1122’ exclusively with Paytm.

The device charges up to 3 power deprived devices at the same time with 3 built in options experiencing the better than never portability and high charging efficiency. With 180 degree rotating Torch light and LED indicatives the seamlessly splicing design and the scratch resistant finish always keeps it beautiful as new with the several choice of colours available in Green, Pink, Grey, White and Blue. Priced at Rs. 799, P1122 is designed to suit the everyday needs,solar power banks the Triple Output sports an elegant finish that looks luxurious and feels great in your palm. The product will be exclusively available with Paytm (April 19 onwards) and la