Inateck Portable USB 3.0 Hub Review ( Model HB4008 )

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product for free so that I could provide product feedback to the company and post a product review. I was not required to write a positive review and I do not rate products higher than they should have been. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's requirements.

I recently received an Inateck 3 port USB 3.0 + OTG hub ( Model HB4008 ) for a product review.  In addition to the hub itself, it also came with a SanDisk adapter so you could use microSD cards in the SD slot.  I really appreciated this, since I had no clue where my adapter was and I only had a microSD card handy.

Inateck portable USB 3 hub

To test the hub, I used my DROK USB tester to measure the current required.  Here is the current it required for various items:

- USB hub with nothing attached pulled 0.1A
- Adding a wired mouse made it increase to 0.11A
- Adding a wifi adapter and thumb drive pushed it up to 0.25A

So even with the hub, a mouse, a thumb drive and wifi adapter the total current was only 0.25A which is under the limits for both USB 2 and USB 3.  I was even able to get an external USB hard drive to work, but when I connected two drives it started to cause problems - which is to be expected since that is too much for one port.  If you plan to use an external USB hard drive, make sure you limit the other devices to lower current devices or just get a powered hub.

Close up of OTG (USB to microUSB) adapter and memory card adapter

After that test, I put my microSD card into the included adapter and was able to read files from the memory card with no problem.  I even used the OTG adapter on my Nexus 7 tablet and was able to use my mouse on my tablet.   I didn't test any memory cards or thumb drives since my Nexus 7 is not rooted and out the box it doesn't really support mass storage devices.

To test performance, I used Ubuntu to do a benchmark on an external USB 3.0 case ( Inateck FE2005 ) directly connected and via the hub -- no noticeable impact to the benchmark.

Here are the main points I noticed about this product:

Easy to Use: As with any hub, it was pretty simple - connect it to your device (computer, smartphone or tablet) and then connected the USB devices you want to use into the hub.

Versatile: In addition to acting as the normal USB 3.0 hub, it comes with an OTG adapter for use on microUSB devices (such as a smartphone or tablet) and has a built-in SD reader (with microSD adapter) allowing you to use various memory cards.

Portable: The hub itself is about the size of a candy bar, and does not require a separate power adapter so it is easy to use as a "grab and go" device.

Bottom line: If you are looking for a portable USB 3.0 hub than can work with memory cards, and with various devices (such as smartphones and tablets) this is a great option.

Product Page: http://www.inateck.com/inateck-hb4008-3-port-usb-3-0-otg-hub-with-sd-card-reader/

Google Chrome OS Pilot Program .... Yes the one from 2010

Last year, around Christmas time, I had a bit of a geeky "remember the good ol days" moment.  I remembered back to 2010, just a week or so before Christmas.  I was sitting there with my wife, and I noticed a package near the front door.  Since it was Christmas time, I was used to her ordering things so I asked "what did you get this time" and she said it wasn't hers.

Once I opened the box, there was another box inside with this strange picture on it.  Just in case you are wondering, yes I actually kept the original box all this time.

So next I wondered what I ordered, and I looked at the sides of the box.  I saw "S/N" so I figured ok it has to be something nice, then I saw "MEID" and the "ah ha" moment started to happen.  Back then, I don't think they were using the term Chromebook - they referred to this as a Chrome OS laptop I believe ( model number CR-48 ).

Once I opened the box up, and read the instructions.  The actual instruction flyer had some pretty funny statements mixed in with the real information as you can see in the pics below.  Here were some of the ones that made me laugh a bit:

"Read this paper.  Then recycle it

Or make it into a super cool paper airplane that you can give to your nephew"

"Do not expose the device to water, moisture or rap music".

"This product contains small parts which may present a chocking hazard to small children, as well as men who have not emotionally matured"

"This device includes a lithium-ion battery, as that whole cold fusion thing
hasn't been figured out yet."

So it has just been over 4 years that I have had the Chrome OS Laptop / Google Chromebook or as we call it "baby laptop".  Like many other items, over time you consider it a tool and use it when it is the right tool for the job.  Due to the very quick boot-up time, it is a great option for when you need to browse the web real quick.  For my teenage son, it works great for projects where he can do school projects in Google Documents or do research.

So where is my Chromebook now?  It isn't sitting packed away in the box unused or damaged.  It is on the charger, ready for use.  It is used weekly, primarily by my son for school work and research.  It isn't because he has a lack of options - he has both a Moto X phone and a Nexus 7 tablet but sometimes the Chromebook is the right tool for the job.

Frankly, I have to say that I am impressed that the laptop is still working.  I believe I have it on the dev or beta channel (not the stable one) and honestly I can't remember ever having any issues with it or ever having to force a re-install of the OS.

Of course you can't purchase this specific model new, but if I was able to get 4 years (and still going) out of the CR-48, I have to imagine that any current Chromebook you purchase should give you a few years of usable service without any maintenance headaches.

Anker 2nd Gen Astro E5 16000 mAh battery pack review ( Model AK-A1208011 )

Disclosure: I received this product free on a Facebook giveaway.  There was no requirement to post a review.

Anker was doing a Facebook promotion where you could enter to get a free product, they did this a few days in a row and I was successful on the day they were giving away the Astro E4.  When the product arrived, I unpacked it and looked over the manual.  The box and manual stated it was the E4 model, but when I flipped the device over it was the 2nd Gen Astro E5 with 16000 mAh capacity.  Of course, I am not complaining but I did contact Anker to let them know about the situation.  I guess it was an early Christmas gift with a bonus for me!

Left : Carrying Pouch, Right : USB Cable
Center Top : Product Box, Center Bottom : Anker 2nd Gen Astro E5

I compared the Anker product to a RAVPower Deluxe 15000 mAh, and they have pretty much the same weight (about 1 oz difference) but the Anker was thinner/longer.

Left 2 items : RAVPower Deluxe 15000 mAh and carrying pouch
Right 2 items: Anker 2nd Gen Astro E5 and carrying pouch

To test the current output (rated at 3A) I connected two of my DROK USB testers as follows:

- Port 1: Two Nexus 7 tablets, measured at 1.1A
- Port 2: Two Motorola phones, measured at 1.5A

Based on my test the Anker battery pack was able to support a total of 2.6A, unfortunately I didn't have the right mix of devices to see if it could support 3A but considering it supported 2 tablets and 2 smart phones this should be more than enough for the average user.

Here are the main points I noticed about this product:

Design: The battery pack is slim and long, which is good (especially if you plan to put it in your pocket ) but the case is a shiny plastic which is a fingerprint magnet.  The blue LEDs that reflect capacity/charging are small and not distracting.

Ease of Use: Just like other battery pack I have tested, this one is simple to use.  Plug it into a charger to charge it or plug your devices into this pack to charge them.  The charger has 4 blue LEDs on the side to reflect charger level (25% per LED) and it blinks to show it is charging.

Other factors: The charger comes with a cloth carrying pouch which can hold the charger itself and the USB cord.  The charger also has LED flashlight which you can activate by long pressing the power button.  I have found these flashlights useful personally, even if you don't know of a reason to have one at least you have it if you need it.

Bottom line: If you are looking for a high capacity external battery pack, the Anker device is a great option to consider.  It is a solid and good looking device, and due to the high capacity and 3A output it should be able to handle multiple devices with no problem.

Product Page: http://www.ianker.com/product/A1208011

Anker USB 3.0 7-Port Hub Review ( Model AH240 )

Disclosure: I received this product free because I answered a survey Anker posted on Facebook and they randomly selected one contributor for the month.  They actually gave me the choice of any Anker product they had available, and I decided on this hub.  There was no requirement to post a review.

Just in case you didn't read the disclosure above, I won the opportunity to get any Anker product I wanted.  As I looked at the various products Anker has available, I narrowed in on this hub.  To me, the main selling point was that it essentially acts as two devices:

1) When connected to a computer, it is acts as a USB 3.0 Hub.
2) When not connected to a computer, it acts as a multiple port charger.

Anker USB 3 hub with USB 3 cable and power supply

As a USB 3.0 Hub, the Anker AH240 does the job well.  It does not specifically call out how much current it provides for normal devices, but I am sure it supports the 0.9A per USB 3 spec.  For devices that are "BC 1.2-compliant" it can support up to 1.5A even in data mode.

To test the performance as a USB 3.0 hub, I used Ubuntu to benchmark an external hard drive connected directly and via the Anker hub and the performance was essentially the same (less the 0.5% difference).  I added a USB 2.0 device to the hub to see if there was an impact, and it made no difference.  The hub worked with every device I threw at it -- USB thumb drives, USB to SATA adapters, and a Nexus 7 tablet.

As a multi-port charger, when you disconnect the computer it can provide up to 2A per port (total of 10A for the unit) which is more than enough to keep a few phones / tablets charged up.

Here are the main points I noticed about this product:

Ease of use: Basically hook up the power, hook up the USB to the computer and you are good to go.

Design: I like the look of the hub, it had a clean/simple design and I did like the fact that each port had a blue LED to indicate when there was data connectivity.  There was no indicator for power, but with most devices there is a way to know if they are getting power (phones/tablets show they are charging for example).

Bottom Line: This product acts as two products - a USB 3.0 hub and a multi-port charger.  Even if it only served one of these roles I would say it was a good product, but for it to serve both functions makes it impressive.  For the traveling tech user that has multiple USB devices, this is a great single device to not only serve as a hub but also as a charging station for your tech gadgets.

Anker Product Page : http://www.ianker.com/product/68ANHUB-BC7A

LG G ( Android Wear ) Watch Thoughts

Don't get me an Android Wear watch... 

As Christmas was coming up last year, any time I would mention an Android Wear based watch or look at one in the store I would tell my wife not to get me one.  In my mind, I wanted to research things more - I have a tendency to over think / over analyze things.  I was worried about battery life, and wondered if I should consider other non-Android options.  Well she did what wonderful wives do sometimes, she ignored me and still got me a watch and a few things to go with it.

LG G Watch
Spigen screen protector
Ritche stainless steel watch band

After getting over the initial joy of seeing the box, I opened another box that had a screen protector and another metal watch band.  I was ready to get the device setup, so once all the gifts were open I immediately set it to charge.  I started the fun (for a tech geek at least) of setting everything up, and pairing it with my phone.

Another shot of my LG G Watch

About a week or so later, I decided to write this blog entry about the watch but I didn't want to do a traditional product review there are plenty of those.  I wanted to focus on my experience after getting the watch and use it for a bit.

Here are some of the thoughts I want to share:

Battery Life: As I expected, the battery life isn't great on this watch.  I am having to keep it charged more than once a day, but that may smooth later because I am still in the mode of loading apps and playing around with settings.  (Update on battery life: On my Moto X phone, I had the LG G Watch as a "trusted device" to keep my phone unlocked but this seemed to impact battery life now that I am not using it as a "trusted device" the battery life is much better).

Charger: On the plus side, the charger is super easy to use.  You just place the watch on the charger, and it has magnets to keep it in place.  The back of the watch "sits" in the charger so it is aligned properly and the magnets are strong - I even put it up side down (just to test) and it held the watch in place.

Charger (Left) and back of LG G Watch (Right)

Watch Faces: There are a huge amount of watch face options for Android Wear.  I have tried a few different options, even used an app called WatchMaker to play around with making my own.  Bottom line, if customizing your watch face is important you will have plenty of options.

Watch Strap: I haven't installed the Ritche watch band I got for Christmas yet, but it seems you can use any standard 22mm watch band.  I would recommend doing a little research, although any band should work you may run into some issues (for example it may not sit in the charger properly.

Ritche 22mm Stainless Steel Bracelet Watch Band Strap

Pairing Limits: Apparently Android Wear devices can only pair with one device at a time, and to change devices I believe you have to reset the watch completely.  For me, I have a smartphone and tablet so I was hoping to pair with both but honestly it isn't an issue.  If you have two Android phones (for example, one for work and one for personal) you will have to choose which one to pair with.  I think this is a minor limit for most users.

Here are some of the software capabilities / apps I have found useful so far:
Note: The app name is a link to the app in the Play Store

At Work: Let's you clock in / out of work, and even gives you a reminder when you have worked you hours - pretty useful if you have a work schedule which allows a flexible start time.

Baby Time : Android Wear Lock: My daughter is the reason this app is important for me.  Anytime she is near me and notices my watch, she feels the need to touch the screen.  You wouldn't expect a baby to be able to use Android Wear but somehow she manged to run the IFTTT app and trigger a test action I had that caused my phone to ring.  Not even 2 years old, and she is already using technology!

Google Keep: You can make notes for yourself that are stored in Google Keep.  This is very useful, for example the other day I was thinking about watching Dave Chappelle and I just said to my watch "note to self Where can i watch Dave Chappelle online" and it saved my message to Google Keep.  Sometimes it may get a word wrong, but in this case it didn't.

IFTTT: If you aren't aware of this app, read up on it here ( https://ifttt.com/wtf ).

Reminders/Alarms (Built-in): Another very handy feature is the ability to set alarms and reminders quickly using voice.  For example, you can set a reminder for a certain amount of minutes if you are cooking or doing laundry.

tinyCam Monitor Pro: I use it as a baby monitor, but it could also be used for other situations where you need to see video from an IP camera on your watch ( security system for example ).

WatchMaker: One of the many apps for loading and even creating watch faces, as I mentioned earlier there are many options for faces so try things out and read reviews.

Wear Apps Tracker: On your phone it lets you see the apps that have an Android Wear aspect, and on your watch it will give you notifications when Wear apps are installed, removed or updated.  I like knowing what is going on with my apps -- in fact I use Changelog Droid on my phone to see what changes when apps are updated, before I had that app I hated using auto-update because I wanted to see what changed.

Wear Battery Stats: Track your watch battery life.

Wear Mini Launcher: Great way to launch apps on your watch, and much faster than using the built-in option.  It also gives you a way to chance a few settings on your phone, and even check the battery status of your phone and watch.

Wear Party Mode: This is one of those apps that is good to use to show off how cool your watch is.

Closing Thoughts / Other Resources

Overall, from a geek side of things I really like this watch and plan to keep trying out various applications to see what other capabilities exist.  I will probably get a 2nd charging base for work, that way I can use it without worrying about battery life.  I have had the watch less than two weeks, and have already had a chance to figure out everything I used to pull together this post and I am sure this is just the start.  I didn't really mention the Spigen screen protector, but I did install it (which was fairly easy as long as you follow the directions).

I would recommend the following resources to anyone who just purchased a LG G Watch, or any Android Wear watch:

1) Join online communities for information and help:

- On Google+ Communities, I joined one for Android Wear and another specific to the LG G Watch
- Reddit has good information /r/AndroidWear
- XDA has good information, some of it is more focused on "expert" users

2) Consider getting SquareTrade warranty ( www.squaretrade.com/smartwatch-warranty ).