Technology Today - April 2016 Notes

Technology Today - April 2016 - Keeping it Charged and More from CES

By Robert Sanborn

Between my daughter and me, we have quite a few personal electronic devices that we use a lot for both home and traveling and so keeping them all charged is often a challenge. With an older home and office building, you can’t always find an outlet where you are and especially on the road so charging devices that we can take with us is always near the top of our packing lists. And while traveling with the small and lightweight chargers is a nice idea, we have discovered that they just can’t keep up with the power demands of a tablet or iPad over a long period of time between charges.

	We have found a couple of solutions from MyCharge. Their newer lineup of charging devices works great for a couple of main reasons. One being the high capacity of the batteries in them, and the fact that they come with both the Apple lightning and the micro-USB cables built in for your devices. The HubPlus 6000mAh unit also has a built in AC adapter to recharge it and there are four tiny led lights to let you know the status of the unit. A very nice size, not too heavy, and great for the long trips. About $89 on Amazon.
The same time I picked up the MyCharge HubPlus, I also picked up its bigger brother, the HubUltra. It has 12000mAh power to keep you going a very long time; has the same two integrated Lightning and micro-USB cables but is charged by placing it in a small wall connected AC adapter. The wall adapter also has an iPad capable USB charging port built into it. And they have cleverly designed it so that when you plug it into the top socket of a standard two outlet wall plate, the bottom socket is still available to you. They have even put a micro-USB connector on the bottom so if you have to use a USB charging port somewhere and not use the dock, you are still good to go. So, I am thinking, why do I need such a monster charger and while I was pondering that, my daughter takes it over so that she can spend her break days watching videos or doing homework on her iPad anywhere she wants to and not worry about keeping the pad plugged into the wall. I don’t see it anymore so it is definitely a keeper. Amazon has this one for $118.
	Charging cables litter the office. Every time I get a charger it comes with a cable. Every device comes with its own charging cables so every once in a while, I go through the office and send a bunch of them off to the recycling center or give them away to visitors who are missing one. One cable I got my hands on that I am keeping is from Xcyte Cables of Australia. I have mentioned before how much I like their audio cables but this time, I got a USB high speed transfer cable and I like it. Not only does it connect my smartphone and computer very well and every time I plug it in; It is fast, and reliable so this one stays on my desk. Look for them later this year.
Ok, something else from CES. Drones were everywhere and of course, someone had to come up with one that you can sit in. eHang is the company with the eHang184 which they call their Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV). With a load capacity of 100KG (which unfortunately, leaves me over the weight limit of 220 pounds), and a cruising time of 23 minutes with an average speed of 100Km/h, it is a bit limited. You have to admit, it looks pretty cool. I didn’t ask the price.