Inateck USB 3.0 HDD Enclosure + 3 port Hub Review ( Model FE2007 )

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 USB 3.0 HDD Enclosure + 3 port Hub ( Model FE2007 ) for a product review. In addition to the enclosure itself, a USB 3.0 cable and another USB cable for power were included.

I have tested various enclosures before, but this is the first one with a built-in USB hub.  Installation of the hard drive was very simple and didn't require any tools - just remove the cover and insert the drive.

Top Left : Enclosure Top Right : USB 3 cable Bottom : USB power cable

No tools required to install the hard drive, just remove the cover

To test the performance of the enclosure, I used a LiveCD version of Ubuntu to perform a benchmark tests.  Using the same 2.5" laptop hard drive in the enclosure and installed in the laptop itself, the benchmark tests for average read/write and seek times showed minimal ( less than 1% ) variance.

To test the performance of the hub aspect, I used the Ubuntu system again to compare the performance of a different external USB hard drive connected directly to the laptop against the performance of the same drive connected via the hub in the FE2007.  Again, there was minimal impact to performance but I did have to use the 2nd USB cable (for power) which is understandable since I was having to power a hub and enclosure.

USB power port, on/off switch, LEDs, and 3 USB ports for the hub

I also did a few tests to see what sort of current was being pulled - I do want to note that the device I use to measure current only supports USB 2.0 mode so I don't know if the true power consumption is different when the drive is in USB 3.0 mode.  Based on those quick tests, I noted the following:

- With the hard drive off, the hub itself uses about 0.24A
- With the hard drive on, the enclosure + hub uses about 0.56A when idling ( jumping up to almost 1A when it is turned on, and about 0.85A when in use).
- Using the 2nd USB power cable put about 0.56A on the main USB 3 data cable, and 0.25A on the second power only cable.

Considering USB 3.0 is rated for 0.9A, you probably should use the 2nd USB power cable if you are going to attach anything to the hub.

Size Comparison Left to Right:
FE2005, FE2007, 2.5" HD

As a real world test, I used this drive with my Xbox One without any problems.

This enclosure would work well for situations where you would need both an HDD enclosure and a USB hub.  However, if you don't need the hub then I would suggest looking at other Inateck options such as the FE2005.

Here are the main points I noticed about this product:

Easy to Use: Installing the hard drive doesn't require any tools, and everything worked fine on the Ubuntu system without any special settings or drivers.

Versatile: In addition to supporting 2.5" SATA drives, this enclosure also has a 3-port USB hub which is great if you are using a device that doesn't have many available USB ports.

Performance: As both an external enclosure and USB hub, the benchmark tests showed that this device performs well.

Bottom line: If you have a need for an external enclosure and USB hub, this device does both jobs well.

Inateck Product Page: http://www.inateck.com/inateck-usb-3-0-2-5-portable-hdd-enclosure-3port-usb-3-0-hub/
Amazon Product Page: http://amzn.com/B00T2ODFCU

Jelly Comb USB Power Muli-meter Review

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 a Jelly Comb USB power multi-meter for a product review. I was looking forward to testing this product to see if it would be a good addition to my geek toolkit.  For testing things like USB battery packs, I have a USB tester which would let me see the voltage and current but I didn't have a method to test the capacity easily.

Jelly Comb tester

The Jelly Comb tester is able to measure voltage, current and capacity.  It can store 10 sets of data, and even saves the data if the power is turned off.  I considered this a very important feature primarily for testing USB battery packs because you wouldn't want to lose your test data when the pack itself finally dies if you are doing a capacity test.

Easy to read display

For my first test, I used a 5 port 8A USB charger as a power source and tested 3 different USB meters to see the voltage:

Jelly Comb : 5.15V
DROK unit 1:  5.11V
DROK unit 2: 5.17V

As you can see there is variance between the 3 but I would consider it minimal for my use.  I also tested all 3 devices with a 1A load and they all measured about the same current.

For my next test, I wanted to test the ability to measure capacity.  I used a fully charged USB battery pack, the Jelly Comb tester and a 1A load.  Once the battery pack died, I connected the Jelly Comb (without load) to another USB source and looked at the measured capacity.  Here are the numbers I came up with on that test:

- Rated capacity per product info: 6000 mAh
- Measured capacity: 3870 mAh

So the measured capacity was about 65% of the rated capacity.  I plan to test a few other battery packs to get an idea of what sort of loss I see on average.

Testing the capacity of one of my battery packs

For the average user, I would see this as a great tool to make sure your devices are charging at the voltage and current expected.  You could also use it to help measure the actual capacity of your battery packs, and compare it over time.

Here are the main points I noticed about this product:

Ease of Use: You just plug the device up between whatever you want to measure.  The fact it only has 1 button isn't too complicated as long as you read the directions.

Features: I have other similar devices that only measure voltage and current, this one also measure mAh capacity.

Size: The device itself is small, about the size of a stick of gum.

Bottom line: If you are looking to do some at home USB testing, this is a great option to consider.  I definitely plan to use this for future tests

Amazon Product Page: http://amzn.com/B00NHHP06C

Inateck 2.5 & 3.5 Inch HDD USB 3.0 External Enclosure ( model FE3001 )

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 2.5 & 3.5 Inch HDD USB 3.0 External Enclosure ( model FE3001 ) for a product review. The product included the enclosure, a USB 3.0 cable, power adapter and some hardware ( screws, screw driver ).

Everything that came with the enclosure

To test the performance of the enclosure, I used a LiveCD version of Ubuntu to do some benchmarks.  Using the same 2.5” laptop hard drive in the enclosure and installed in the laptop itself, the benchmark tests for average read/write and seek times showed minimal ( less than 1% ) variance.

Side shot of enclosure

2.5" drive (Left) and 3.5" (Right) for size comparison

For a real world test, I had a 3.5” SATA drive sitting in another Inateck enclosure connected to my Xbox One.  I put that drive into the enclosure, and was able to use it on my Xbox One without any problems.

Inside the enclosure

Here are the main points I noticed about this product:

Easy to Setup: Installing the hard drive was very simple, and for a 3.5” drive everything you need is included.  If you have a 2.5” drive you will need some screws to secure the drive.

Easy to Use: No special software or drivers needed, just turn the power on and use it.

Works with Xbox One: If you are looking for a way to add storage to your Xbox One, this is a great option to consider.  It can handle both 2.5” and 3.5” drives giving you options, and from what I can tell even if the enclosure has the power on the drive itself will spin down when the Xbox One is off so you don’t have to worry about the drive constantly running.

Bottom line: If you are looking for an enclosure that can handle both 2.5” and 3.5” hard drives, this is a great option.  If you only need an enclosure for 2.5” drives, Inateck has some great options.

Inateck Product Page: http://www.inateck.com/fe3001-tool-usb-3-0-enclosure-aluminum/
Amazon Product Page: http://amzn.com/B00UAA4J6G

TaoTronics Ultrasonic Cool Mist Home Humidifier ( Model TT-AH001 )

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 a TaoTronics Ultrasonic Cool Mist Home Humidifier ( Model TT-AH001 ) for a product review. I immediately noticed that the top of the cardboard box could actually be folded in a way that would make it into a carrying handle -- although this may seem small, it is nice to see a vendor put thought into that sort of detail.  This isn't the normal type of product I review but I like to be open minded about what I review, and in this case my wife is going to help let me know if it seems to be working or not.

The unit itself was two main pieces ( the larger part was for the water, the bottom is where the magic happens ) and easy to put together, I would say it is about the size of a coffee maker.  The manual seems pretty good about explaining the function of this unit, and I did a few simple tests to make sure it was working.

You can easily see how much water you have left

Over the next few days, I had my wife setup the unit how she felt was best and let me know if she noticed any changes.  After testing it, she said that she noticed her nose wasn't dry and throat wasn't irritated.  She mentioned the fact it lasted long ( around 12 hours as an estimate ) and was very quiet were the main things she noticed over other humidifiers.

Close-up of controls

Here are the main points I noticed about this product:

Ease of Use: It was very easy to setup and use the humidifier.  The functions are easy to understand, and the instructions explain any details you might need to know.

Features: The humidifier has options for multiple mist levels, and can even monitor the humidity so that you can set a target level and it will run until it hits that target level.  The unit also has a night light which is useful if you are going to use this unit in the kids room.

Other factors: The large capacity lets it run for around half a day without any problem, and the unit itself is very quiet.

Bottom line: If you are looking for a humidifier with low noise and good features this is a great unit to consider.

Amazon Product Page: http://amzn.com/B00V7M9YQQ

Traveling with Technology

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received some of these products 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.  Products with a * before the name were review samples.

I recently went on travel, and took a good bit of my gadgets with me.  Some of it I found useful, some I probably will take with me again.  I decided to pull together a list of what I took with me (from a gadget perspective) and my thoughts on each item.  I don't really plan to list the details of the standard stuff people might bring - laptop, smartphone, tablet or smartwatch ( yes I had all of those with me ).

NOTE : Each item is either linked to my blog review, Amazon review, or just a generic product page.

Battery Packs

*RAVPower 18200 mAh (Model RP-PB26): This is a pretty large battery pack, and I did find it useful on the flight itself but other than that I didn't use it much.  I think it is a great high capacity pack, but I found myself grabbing the smaller one below.  I just didn't use my tablet as much as I thought I would at the airport or on the flight.

*RAVPower 7800 mAh (Model RP-PB31): I used the battery pack pretty much every day, mainly to keep my phone charged while I was using it as a hotspot.  Although it isn't a high capacity like the one above, it did the job for the day to day needs.

If I had to pick one of the two battery packs above, I would go with the larger capacity - basically it ends up being insurance just in case I do need the juice (or a coworker needs to charge their phone too).

Bluetooth Gadgets

*TaoTronics Shower speaker ( Model TT-SK03 ): I actually got this right before I went on travel, so I figured it would be great to test (no worrying about playing loud music in the morning and waking up others).  I don't know if I will take it again, but it is pretty compact so I may bring it along just in case.

Wallet TrackR: Honestly I didn't get any real use out of this - I put it in my luggage, so I was able to look at the screen and see when it was close but normally by the time the phone found the tracker the luggage (when waiting at baggage claim of the airport) it was only a minute or two away from being seen.  Neat gadget, but the way I used it didn't really provide any benefit.

*Ukonnect Bluetooth keyboard: This one is pretty simple - I planned to use my Nexus 7 tablet while on the plane, and basically I didn't do it.  I didn't really run into any other situations where I felt the need to break out a keyboard.

Chargers

*RAVPower Qi charger (Model RP-WCN13): I took this with me for my Nexus 7 tablet, but honestly in the hotel I was normally sitting near a charger or just didn't use the tablet that much so I didn't even use it.  It is pretty small so I might try it again next trip.

*Bestek 5-port 8A USB charger: I used this every day to keep my multiple devices charged, I have reviewed other multiple port chargers but this and the RAVPower 4-port (Model RP-UC07) are probably best for travel since they come with cords instead of plugging directly into the wall.

Other Gadgets

*RAVPower FileHub RP-WD02: This is a pretty unique device since it acts as a portable router and file sharing device.  I didn't really use the file sharing aspect on this trip.  For the wireless router, I was thinking I could hook it up in the room (if the hotel had an Ethernet jack) and use my own secured WiFi instead of the open WiFi of the hotel - unfortunately they didn't have network cables in the room and I was too lazy to go downstairs so I just used my smartphone hotspot instead.

I did find an interesting use while flying out - I was able to use this device to connect multiple devices (via 1 account) to the in-flight Internet.  I honestly just did that to see if it worked, especially since their support people said there was no way to do that.

One other advantage - if you are taking a device that probably can't go to the login page of hotels ( game system, Chromecast etc) this little gadget should help in that sort of situation since your devices connect to your router and that router connects to the hotel wifi (or Ethernet) - so as long as you have 1 device (laptop, smartphone or tablet) that can click on the agreement the other devices can leverage that same connection.  As a side note, there is a newer WD03 model out.

GoGo Inflight Internet: This is isn't really a gadget I took with me, but it was neat to use this service on the flight.  I learned a few interesting things from using GoGo:

1) On my Android devices, some Google apps seem to work even if you haven't paid for a pass (such as email)
2) Chat with their support, they can sometimes hook you up with a discount.

Google Chromecast: I was able to catch up on a few episodes of Blacklist using my Chromecast, and considering how small it is I don't see a reason why I wouldn't carry it along just in case the TV didn't have anything I enjoyed.

*Bestek 2 port 5000 mAh charger: This actually acts as a 2-port charger and a battery pack.  I didn't really use the battery pack function ( since I already had 2 others ) but I used the 2-port charger on the nightstand near me so I could keep my phone and watch nearby.  I don't know if I will take it in the future, the fact it supports 2 functions gives it a few extra points.

Breffo Spiderpodium: This is not exactly an electronic gadget, but it is a very useful smartphone holder.  I think it is great for travel, because you can flatten it out and easily pack it.  I used it to hold my smartphone in my rental ( which I used for navigation ) so I think it is definitely a good item to bring on travel if you are going to have a rental.

Overall, I have a good idea of how I will adjust my gadget packing for my next trip.  Some of the items that seemed like good ideas but didn't get used will likely not make the trip, of course that is probably when I will actually need them.