Gadgets :: September 14, 2016
by Gregg Ellman
(@greggellman)
It’s not often that I open one of my packages on the doorstep but since I had an idea of what was inside I was eager to see the Kanex portable Apple Watch charger.
Up to this point, portable chargers I’ve see for the smart watch are basically caddies to store your charging cable that came with the device.
Kanex refers the charger as the “World’s First Cordless Portable Charger for Apple Watch”, which is what caught my attention.
True to their word, it is portable (3.07-by-3.22-by-1.0-inches) with no need for any Apple Watch charging cable, theirs or yours. Just lay your watch on top of the battery, which has the charging plate just like on the end of the Apple Watch charging cable.
The system has an internal 4,000 mAh Lithium Ion Polymer battery, which should charge the watch up to six times.
In addition, there’s a 1A USB port for connecting your own cable to charge a smart phone. They can be used simultaneously.
There’s an LED indicator on the front and the battery itself is charged with a microUSB cable.
A great internal feature called Smart Priority Charging allows you to connect your watch for charging while the battery itself is hooked up to be charged. This pass-through technology gets your devices charged and then works on the battery power.
The portable charger is Apple MiFi Certified, allowing you to expect quality performance and reliability for charging all Apple Watches.
www.kanex.com $99.95
With the upcoming iPhone 7 removing the 3.5 mm headphone jack from the popular smartphones Bluetooth earbuds are going to be much more common.
Aside from cutting the cord connection, another daily chore will be added to users’ lists: charging the Bluetooth earbuds, which typically last for 4 to 5 hours before the battery needs some help.
The myCharge PowerGear for earbuds carrying case is a perfectly timed solution for charging the earbuds on-the-go while keeping them safe and easy to find when not in use.
The exterior (4.2-by-3.5-by-0.9-inches) is a hard shell material so it will protect the contents while in a pocket or backpack. The interior has a soft fabric lining so nothing will get scratched while keep the earbuds in place with a friction-fit closure.
A 1000 mAh battery is built into the case to safely charge the ear buds with Safe Cell Technology.
A built-in microUSB cable connects from the battery to the earbuds and then zip the case shut. It’s that simple.
Earbud charging is typically pretty quick; in my case Jabra Sport Bluetooth earbuds took less than an hour.
www.mycharge.com $39.99
Your iPhone, Samsung or just about any smartphone or smaller tablet model is sure to work with the Distil Union Stanley Stand.
The leather desktop stand bends to landscape and portrait angle, keeping you’re charing cable in place in a pass-through slot.
There’s really not a lot to it besides being incredibly functional and an attractive accessory with a leather and felt exterior surrounding a solid steel-core constructed base. The steel is bendable but I found the shape fine right out of the box.
A 6-foot USB extension cable is included and is compatible with the USB charging cable your device came with.
http://distilunion.com $59.99, available in aqua, clack, brown, gray, lime and red
