Lepow Poki, Moonstone and Virtue external chargers: Style and staying power

As soon as I opened the box I liked the Poki. It has a grey felt carrying wallet-like case which held the battery charger, the user guide and its charging cable.

The charger itself has a smooth ergonomic design with curved edges and rounded corners - unlike most of the box-type chargers I have seen. Three colour choices and a matte finish make a nice change to most other power banks that are available in black or silver.

To check the battery level, stroke the bar on the top of the Poki. Ten blue light segments indicate how much charge is left on the power bank. The charge output of 2.1A means that it happily charges my Lumia 1520 at full speed and the phone does not show the "slowly charging" warning.

The Poki 5000mAh weighs 4.94 ounces and the 10,000mAh weighs 7.69 ounces - about the same as the Lumia. It is a similar size too. The soft case is almost large enough to hold the phone as well as the power bank.

The short dark grey ribbon charging cable is slightly too long to fit in the carry case comfortably - my only gripe about the device.

This is a lovely charger for anyone who wants style, performance and functionality from their tech gadgets.

Lepow Moonstone 6,000 mAh - $24.99

Like the Poki, the Moonstone also has its own grey felt woollen carrying wallet to hold the charger and cable. The Moonstone white ribbon charging cable is much longer than the Poki at about 22 inches, but it coils nicely in the carrying wallet.

The Moonstone case is available in high gloss lacquer in four bright colours, white and black. Pressing a button on the case shows an LED battery indicator which shows up to four lights.

The case is nicely curved and would fit snugly in a larger hand than mine. I could just curl my fingertips around it. It weighs 8.8 ounces and feels solid and well made.

What I really like about this charger is that it will charge two devices at the same time. This is such a brilliant idea for those of us who are out with a bag full of gadgets. The downside of this is that you will need to carry two cables with you in the wallet.

Also See: RAVPOWER CAR JUMP STARTER Review

This is a great charger to have if you like brightly coloured devices that you can carry in your hand. it is also really useful for whenever you need to charge two devices at the same time.

Lepow Virtue 9,000 mAh - $24.99

After unboxing the Poki and the Moonstone, I was a little disappointed to discover that the Virtue did not also have a felt charging wallet. As the Virtue heart has just been released, perhaps this is an oversight by Lepow.

There is no carrying case which means that the cable has to be carried separately. The boxy two colour design is reminiscent of a flip top packet of cigarettes and the join between the two colours begs you to try and flip the case open.

Although angular in shape, the style is much more funky and retro than other square chargers I have used. It is also really bright orange which makes it easy to see amongst desk and 'bottom of bag' clutter.

Touching the 'Instruction Area' in the top corner above the brand name displays an LED heart blue light which shows the amount of charge remaining. This heart flashes as the power bank is being recharged showing how much more charge is needed.

Its 9,000mAh battery gave my Lumia almost three full charges each taking a couple of hours. At 11.2 ounces it was the heaviest of the Lepow chargers I tried.

This is a nice stylish chunk of a charger with an eye-catching and pleasing style.

EasyAcc 4000mAh Portable Power Bank review

EasyAcc PB4000CB Power Bank 4000mAh – Full Review

Many of the popular small capacity Power Banks are cylindrical in shape (like a tube of Smarties). I personally think the optimal design should be the same as the phone itself. This way, the phone and the charger can be placed together with a minimal amount of extra space required. The EasyAcc PowerBankhas absolutely nailed this concept. in fact it’s shape is so much like a Smartphone that it could easily be mistaken for one.

The sides and corners are fully rounded and the finish is smooth but not glossy. There are no protruding surfaces or sharp edges on this Power Bank – The ideal partner to discreetly pocket spoon your phone.

As you can from the photos above, the integrated USB cable cleverly detaches at both ends. This allows you to charge your phone or use the same cable to recharge the device. For anyone with an Android / Windows based phone, there is no need to for any other charging cables. iPhone users however, will still need to have a lightning cable or a little micro USB to lightning adapter.


The EasyAcc Power Bank (like GOAL ZERO SHERPA 50 SOLAR RECHARGING KIT )

 recharges quickly even from a PC’s USB port and charges your phone even faster, thanks to it’s 2A max output.

There are 4 pin sized LED indicator lights to display the remaining charge in increments of 25%. These cleverly display for a few seconds when you tap the device. I really like this feature, it keeps the charger button free and uncluttered



EasyAcc PB4000CB Power Bank 4000 mAh – Testing

I usually don’t spend as much time with a product before I write the review as I have with this particular PowerBank. With my two young boys currently enjoying their school holidays, it’s been a bit of a juggling act, as I’m sure most parents can relate/sympathise with.

Taking the children out for the day has afforded me the opportunity to make good use of this EasyAcc Power Bank. Once they’re off on an adventure, whether its the park, beach or some ear-splitting softplay – out comes my phones. This is a great way to kill time, but also a great way to kill the battery.

Having this lightweight and ultra thin Power Bank with me has become almost a necessity. I always do the pre-departure pat down before leaving – Keys, Wallet, Phone. Now, however I find myself doing the extended version – Keys, Wallet, Phone, Power Bank.

It’s nice to be able to leave the house regardless of how low the phone battery is and know I’m not going to have to spend the majority of the day in battery saver mode.
EasyAcc PB4000CB Power Bank 4000mAh – Verdict

The EasyAcc PB4000CB has proved to be the perfect day to day top up charger for me. The 4000mAh capacity gives it enough juice to double your phones life without having to compromise on comfort. It’slightweight ultra slim design and integrated charging cable make this Power Bank just right for anyone looking to add a little extra juice to their phone whilst on the move.

Top 6 Things You Didn't Know About Solar Energy

Installing a concentrating solar power system in Gila Bend, Arizona. The curved mirrors are tilted toward the sun, focusing sunlight on tubes that run the length of the mirrors. The reflected sunlight heats a fluid flowing through the tubes. The hot fluid then is used to boil water in a conventional steam-turbine generator to produce electricity.
The solar industry is changing rapidly as it experiences unprecedented growth. Here are 6 facts that may surprise you about this increasingly popular source of power.

6. Solar energy is the most abundant energy resource on earth -- 173,000 terawatts of solar energystrikes the Earth continuously. That's more than 10,000 times the world's total energy use.

5. The first silicon solar cell (for example: GOAL ZERO NOMAD 13 ) the precursor of all solar-powered devices, was built by Bell Laboratories in 1954. On the first page of its April 26, 1954 issue, The New York Times proclaimed the milestone, “the beginning of a new era, leading eventually to the realization of one of mankind’s most cherished dreams -- the harnessing of the almost limitless energy of the sun for the uses of civilization.”

4. The space industry was an early adopter of solar technology. In the 1950s, the space industry began to use solar technology to provide power aboard spacecraft. The Vanguard 1 -- the first artificial earth satellite powered by solar cells -- remains the oldest manmade satellite in orbit -- logging more than 6 billion miles.

3. Today, demand for solar in the United States is at an all-time high. The amount of solar power installed in the U.S. has increased more than 23 times over the past eight years -- from 1.2 gigawatts (GW) in 2008 to an estimated 27.4 GW at the end of 2015. That’s enough energy to power the equivalent of 5.4 million average American homes, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. The U.S. is currently the third-largest solar market in the world and is positioned to become the second.

2. As prices continue to fall, solar energy is increasingly becoming an economical energy choice for American homeowners and businesses. Still, the biggest hurdle to affordable solar energy remains the soft costs -- like permitting, zoning and hooking a solar system up to the power gird. On average, local permitting and inspection processes add more than $2,500 to the total cost of a solar energy system and can take up to six months to complete. The SunShot Initiative’s soft costs program works to make it faster and cheaper for families and businesses to go solar.

1. California’s Mojave Desert is home to Ivanpah Solar Power Facility, the world’s largest operating solar thermal energy plant. It uses concentrating solar power (CSP) technology to focus 173,500 heliostats, each containing two mirrors, onto boilers located in three power towers. The plant, which came online in 2014, has a gross capacity of 392 megawatts (MW). CSP technology is unique in that it allows for solar energy to be stored for use after the sun sets -- a key focus for our recent research and development efforts -- which addresses some of the concerns over delivering solar power when and where it is needed most.

Explore our projects in solar energy on the Sunshot Initiative’s project map and study up on Solar Energy Basics.

Child Support Services

Parents have the obligation to provide financial, emotional, medical, and educational support to their children, and this is only normal. However, it is also sad to think that there are some parents who do not do this, and this usually happens in single parent situations. This is a situation where child support services can help and this should be strictly enforced. Usually, the government has this duty of enforcement, and there are procedures to follow when one of the parents will seek these services for their child or children. The well being of the children is what this is about and this can also help promote parental involvement in a positive manner.

Categories in Child Support

Child custody services Seattle and support can fall into different categories. One category is one in which an order for paternity support has not been established yet, and there is a process to do this. Another category is when there is already an enforceable order for support, and collection is what is to be enforced. A category is also one where the other partner cannot be located, the place of employment is not known, or the assets that the child is entitled to are not yet known. These are the categories in which the child entitled to these services will be into.

Is Establishing Paternity Important?

Establishing paternity is important because if this will not be effectively established, enforcement will also be impossible to do. Paternity that is established will be signed and this is already enforceable, and if not yet established, the court will do this. Most often, when this happens, the court will establish who the biological father is. This usually happens when the parents are not married. Child support and custody are these that are needed, especially when the courts will be needed in this situation. In cases where paternity is not sure, a paternity test will be conducted.

How Can Child Support Services Help?

Child support services are needed especially in cases where one of the parents cannot be located. This is important to make sure that both the parents will be there to support the child. The child custody services will be there to help provide resources and information regarding where the other parent lives or where he works. The support service will also help in establishing paternity, if this is needed. This is needed to help establish child support obligation because without a child support order, collection will be hard to enforce. A legal process is needed, in cases like this, and the support service will be the front agency for this.

When the child is receiving government support, child support services are still needed because the state will need information as to the right amount of support that the child needs. The state will contact the other parent to help establish this amount. The court is also needed here, and the right amount of support will be established through the legal process. If the child is not getting any government assistance, both parents can also agree on the amount of support, and enforcement and collections can be coursed through the support services.

How to Utilise Web Scraping Tools to Bolster Real Estate Business

The real estate market can be a volatile place for the novice newcomer. Reaping the benefits of the lucrative opportunities that it offers can be a dauntingly complicated task without the right assistance. Unfortunately for many, this help often comes in the form of expensive consultancy that can add an additional price tag to an already costly venture.

When we think of real estate, the idea of online or digital tools will rarely come to mind as a source of informative advice and analytics. However, there are an abundance of rarely discussed sources of information for those hoping to reap the benefits possible with Australia’s ever-changing home market.

Buying Your Dream Home

The Dilemma

Especially for those who are hoping to live in the home they purchase, as opposed to buying potential investment properties, finding the right deal on a home that meets as many of your requirements as possible is going to be the most exhausting of all the house hunting steps. If you are making a purchasing decision on this large a scale, it’s safe to say you are planning for a long stay in your potential property, so you want to get it right the first time.

Small Business Owners: Outsource These Tasks to Succeed and Grow

What lessons can we learn from the great entrepreneurs? Was it just their incredible personalities and individual capacities that propelled them to success? Or is it something to do with the fact that they understood how to leverage the talents of others?

Seasoned entrepreneurs know that if they try to do everything, they’ll crash and burn. There simply isn’t enough time in the day, not to mention the fact that they’re not qualified to carry out half of the tasks that need doing in their business. But despite this, newbies seem to believe that they have to do everything, filling every minute of the day with one task or another. It’s a recipe for disaster.

Here, we’re going to investigate some of the ways that companies can reduce their workload and get experts in to manage certain aspects of their business. The solution is easy, outsource more, do less.

Managing Email

There’s an art to delegation, and it’s something all the top Fortune 500 CEOs do incredibly well. But despite the fact that they delegate nearly everything, they still have a special place in their hearts for their emails. No matter how high up they are in an organization, they feel the need to personally process every piece of correspondence in their inbox, causing them to waste time and money.

How to Prepare for Emergency Ahead of Time in Small Business

Things don’t always run as smoothly as you would expect in a small business. This is why you have to be able to react quickly to all kinds of situations and be ready for all types of problems and emergencies. For example, if the pizza oven breaks down in the local pizzeria he has no choice but to fix it right away no matter what the cost is. Having a good rolodex with the names of service providers who can react quickly and fix your problems on a moment’s notice is very important. Here are some of the critical service providers you need to keep handy in case of emergency.

Commercial Landscaping Company

The area outside a business needs to be maintained to a high standard. If you do this, it enhances your business and more people will be willing to deal with you. However, you need to make sure you hire a Twinsburg commercial landscaping company you can trust.

Companies like Schill Grounds Management provide a range of different grounds management and landscaping services, which may come in useful if important clients or other business associates will be visiting your business premises in the near future. This company also responds to more urgent situations by providing a snow and ice removal service during the colder times of the year.