RAVPower 61W PD GaN Charger Review – Incredible Versatility

Generally speaking, my bag plays host to two or three chargers at a time. One for my smartphone, one for my laptop (a MacBook Pro), and one for my Nintendo Switch. That’s a lot of cabling to carry in one bag, and most certainly doesn’t do any wonders for their longevity either. The MacBook Pro charger is specifically quite bulky, and that in tandem with both the Switch and my phone charger is a lot of weight on their own to carry. That’s also before I start cramming other stuff like my actual Switch and my laptop into my bag for the day. But what if I could replace those chargers with just one charger? That’s where the RAVPower 61W PD GaN charger comes in.

The RAVPower 61W PD GaN Packaging

The RAVPower 61W PD GaN comes in a simple box with not much else to show for it. The box is basically the size of the plug, with a small leaflet with some regulatory information on the inside. You don’t get a USB-C cable in the box for use with the plug, so you’ll need to have your own. I repurposed the USB-C to USB-C cable that came with my MacBook for this review in order to charge my devices with it.

The RAVPower 61W PD GaN charges everything

As you may expect from a plug, it does indeed charge the thing that it’s plugged into. It uses the USB Power Delivery standard as well, which means that while it won’t Warp Charge your OnePlus smartphone, for example, it will charge at a pretty respectable speed. The one problem I found is the aforementioned lack of USB-C to USB-C cable in the box.

Speaking of my MacBook Pro, the size of the charging brick which comes with it is actually one of the main selling points of the RAVPower 61W PD charger. It’s about a quarter of the size of the MacBook Pro charger, and if you have the US version, the prongs will actually fold in to make it even smaller. I have the UK version of the plug (as we use UK plugs in Ireland) and that can’t fold inwards to make it even more compact.

But there is a downside to using this charger over the one that comes with the MacBook Pro. MacBook Pro models released after 2016 use an 87W charger, so this RAVPower charger will charge it slower than what you may normally expect. That’s not really an issue most of the time, but under time pressure when I’m at home before I head out I’ve had to opt to use the MacBook Pro charger instead.

However, with everything else, you’ll get more or less exactly what you expect. The Nintendo Switch charges with a USB-C compliant charger, and the dock especially can be very particular about the plugs it uses to power it. I was surprised to find that the RAVPower charger was able to power the dock without any issues, and the Nintendo Switch will charge up to full in about 3 hours.

As for smartphones that it can charge, it charges the OnePlus 7/7T series at 15W while it charges the Pixel 4 at 18W. Any device that supports USB Power Delivery will be avail of the speed of this charger in one way or another.

The RAVPower 61W PD GaN Pricing

The RAVPower 61W PD GaN comes in at £39.99 on Amazon. That may seem like a steep price at first for a plug, but just the MacBook 61W charging brick comes in at £69.99 – that also does not include a cable. When you consider that a Nintendo Switch charger comes in at £24.99 (albeit with a cable) and will only reach 15W, it’s pretty apparent that you’re getting a good deal with the RAVPower charging brick. If you needed a new MacBook Pro charging brick – or even just a charging brick for USB PD-charged devices – the RAVPower 61W PD GaN would be perfectly apt for the job. If you’re interested, you can pick it up from RAVPower’s own site or Amazon from the links below.

Amazon U.S. | RAVPower’s website

Note: We use plugins that automatically generate affiliate links.

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WiZmote Remote Control Review: The only reason Smart Lights are useful

WiZ smart lights are some of the coolest smart lights I’ve ever used. They have great integration with apps like Samsung SmartThings and Google Assistant. Smart bulbs are great for controlling your lights from anywhere, but they do leave something to be desired. There is no physical light switch equivalent that helps control the lights. WiZ looks to solve this with the WiZmote, a wireless controller for your smart home system.

The smart lights from WiZ are really my first real adventure into the world of the smart home ecosystem. Until now, all I’ve had around my house is Google Home devices. I have never had a smart TV or smart lights or something like a Nest thermostat. So getting WiZ, I was really excited because this was my first real adventure into the smart home jungle.

It was great at first. I absolutely loved playing with the lights and changing colors of the lights from down the street and watching the lights change through the window. That fun sort of wears off over time as you start using them in day-to-day life. A lot of people love that you can control smart lights from your phone, but to me, they actually become pretty annoying for that reason.

With a normal lightbulb, controlling the lights is simple. You flip the switch up to turn them on and down to turn them off. They immediately turn on and off. We all know this. With smart lights, the same thing happens, you can still flip the switch to turn them on and off. You can also use the smartphone app, Google Assistant, Bixby, SmartThings, NFC tags through Siri automation, and more to control the lights.

However, all these ways to control the lights adds another layer to them which honestly makes them feel inconvenient at times. This isn’t just talking about WiZ lights, which are absolutely amazing lights, but just smart lights in general. There are just too many ways to control the lights to the point at which I found myself just going back to flipping the switch. That was until I remembered WiZ sent me the WiZmote with the smart lights.

The cool thing about the WiZ smart lights is the color options. These colors are fun to just swap and have at random colors. I love just yelling at my Google Home “Hey Google, set the lights to lime green” and moments later I’m bathing in lime green light. You can also use the WiZ app and control the specific color or set it to one of the more fun presets. Some of my favorites are Party, Deep dive, and Ocean. They might not be in any way useful, but fun things really aren’t meant to be useful. They do have an actual useful one called “Plant growth,” which aids in the growth of indoor plants.

The WiZmote is what made the lights actually usable and smart for me. Instead of having to tell Google Assistant to turn on/off the lights or change the color, I just press a button on a wireless remote. It’s arguably easier than flipping a light switch. It makes these lights actually viable as smart lights.

WiZmote in its glory

The remote can do a couple of different things. It can turn on and off the lights, of course, swap between 4 different color profiles, change the light brightness, and enable night light. It’s just a single button for each different option. It’s simple and a perfect replacement for a light switch.

Party Mode on 4 lights

The night light, on, off, and brightness buttons are all set to those specific functions and cannot be changed, as expected. What can be changed are the 4 color profile buttons, and change them I did. I set mine to warm white (which is the closest to an incandescent bulb I could find), daylight, cozy, and party. The first three are more generic modes and are comfortable for daily use. I would use the party mode on weekends to get the experience of the parties I wasn’t invited to.

Using the controller to control the lights made it 100x more useful to have smart lights in the first place. Sometimes using Google Assistant or having to open the app just isn’t as fast as pressing a button. It really does make having smart lights an actually viable solution for your home. If you were going to get smart lights, I would highly recommend the WiZ lights with the WiZmote. The WiZmote really does make the smart home system feel complete.

Purchase WiZmote with Starter Lights || WiZ Smart Lights on Amazon

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[Update: LTE models] Samsung brings Galaxy Watch Active 2 features to the Galaxy Watch & Watch Active

Update (2/10/20 @ 11:05 AM ET): The Galaxy Watch LTE models on AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon are finally getting this update.

For the past few years, Samsung smartwatches have had physical rotating bezels as a way to control their watch UI. Sadly, Samsung removed it with this years’ Galaxy Watch Active and Galaxy Watch Active 2. Luckily, with the new Watch Active 2, Samsung introduced its new touch bezel. This touch bezel emulated the rotating bezel by allowing users to slide their finger around the display as though there was a physical bezel, even though there wasn’t one. In the latest Galaxy Watch Active update, Samsung was able to backport the touch bezel, along with a few other features, back to the first Galaxy Watch Active.

In a new update, which should be rolling out now, Samsung was able to backport the touch bezel to the Galaxy Watch Active. This lets you rotate your finger around the bezel to control the watch. You can switch between widgets, scroll through notifications, or scroll through pages. It makes using the watch easier and more natural.

While the Galaxy Watch didn’t get the touch bezel because it has a physical one, Samsung still brought the rest of the feature set back to the regular Watch and the Watch Active. These improvements include a few changes in apps like Samsung Health, like lap time tracking for running and cycling and data sync via NFC for Technogym workout equipment. They also improved the always-on display while charging or in power saver and improved the customization of the quick settings.

Samsung brought back One UI 1.5 to the Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Watch Active. With this, Samsung added a few new watch complications like a “Begin Workout” button, breathing, and more. In addition to this, Samsung added their “My Style” feature. This lets you take a picture of your clothes in the Galaxy Wearables app and the background of the watch face will match with the clothes you are wearing. Samsung has also added a new indicator to show when an app is running in the background. Clicking the icon will open the running app, letting you interact with it. Samsung has also added a few new emojis and finally added skin tones to the emojis on the watch.

It’s great to see Samsung backporting features like this. It really helps consumers not feel left out when new updates and devices are released. With these devices ranging from being from 6 months to 1 year old, getting regular updates with new features is great to see, and something very few other companies are reliably doing.

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Update: LTE models

Two months after the initial rollout for the WiFi-only models, the Galaxy Watch on AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon is finally getting this big update. It started rolling out on T-Mobile and Verizon last week and today it’s arriving on AT&T and Sprint. This is the exact same update that rolled out in November. Both 42 and 46mm models are getting it.

Source: Android Police

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This Portable Music Player Is a Must-Have for Audiophiles on the Go

You can stream music on pretty much any phone or tablet nowadays. However, the audio quality delivered by Spotify and Apple Music isn’t good enough to please true audiophiles. Thanks to a high-end chip, the AP80 Portable Music Player offers much more satisfying sound via headphones or a speaker. You can get it now for $125.10 at the XDA Developers Depot.

Unlike your smartphone, the AP80 has been designed specifically for music. The device runs on HiBy 3.0 OS, a variant of Linux that offers lossless playback and great audio features. Sounds are processed by a high-end chip from ESS, which delivers a SNR of up to 126dB and THD+N down to -113dB.

If all of those specs went over your head, it basically makes your music audio sound significantly clearer than what you’re used to.

You can connect the AP80 to headphones and speakers via Bluetooth or using the 3.5 jack. The music player also has aptX technology for better wireless sound, while Mage Sound 8-Ball Tuning provides a custom mix.

Measuring just 2.3 inches tall, the AP80 is genuinely small enough to take anywhere. You get 15 hours of playback on a full charge, and the memory can be expanded up to 1TB.

Normally priced at $139, this pocket music player is now only $125.10 with this deal.

 

AP80 Portable Music Player – $125.10

See Deal

Prices subject to change

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OPPO VP confirms the Find X2 will have a QHD 120Hz display but warns the phone may face production issues

We have been hearing about OPPO’s next flagship, the Find X2, for some time now. Last month, the device passed through Thailand’s NBTC certification website while a leak from Ice Universe shed light on some of the possible specifications of the device. In the most recent round of leaks, live images and screenshots of the OPPO Find X2 were leaked on Weibo which gave us our first look at the design of the device and also revealed some of the display features.

Now OPPO VP Brian Shen has taken to Twitter to reveal the resolution, screen refresh rate, and other display properties of the OPPO Find X2. According to Shen, the OPPO Find X2 will feature a QHD+ display with a screen refresh rate of 120Hz. Moreover, the display will be capable of reaching 1200 nits of brightness in HDR‌ mode and will also support upscaling SDR‌ content to HDR.

This is my kind of ‘Flagship’

120Hz Refresh rate
2k Resolution
240Hz Sampling
SDR to HDR conversion
HDR up to 1200nits brightness
100% DCI-P3

— Brian Shen (@BrianShenYiRen) February 9, 2020

Although the tweet didn’t mention other specifications of the device, we do know that the device will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC, will feature Sony’s new image sensor, and will support 65W SuperVOOC fast charging.

But OPPO may not be able to produce enough units to meet the initial demand. In a separate post on Weibo, Mr. Shen warned that the ongoing Cornovirus outbreak will likely impact the production capacity of the OPPO Find X2 as the factories and manufacturing plants in Hubei and other Chinese provinces are still under lockdown. How severe the impact will be, we don’t know yet but this could mean the international release may get delayed.

We expect to learn more about the OPPO Find X2 including its full specifications, pricing and international availability at OPPO’s MWC 2020 press conference which is still scheduled to take place on Feb 23.

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Source (1): @BrianShenYiRen Source (2): Weibo

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TCL and Sony cancel their MWC 2020 press conferences, joining ZTE, LG and others

The spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (nCoV) has caused a humanitarian emergency. More than 40,000 people have been infected, with the death count climbing every day (currently, it’s 900+). The city of Wuhan and Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, have been in lockdown for the past three weeks. The WHO has classified the outbreak as a global health emergency. The cause and effect of the situation has led to the global supply chain being badly affected. Smartphone vendors such as ASUS and OPPO have warned of production problems with their phones. MWC 2020, scheduled to take place from February 24-26, has also been shaken by the outbreak, as companies such as ZTE, LG, Ericsson, Amazon, and NVIDIA have withdrawn from the event. Now, TCL and Sony have also announced they are canceling their scheduled MWC press conferences, throwing more doubt on the show’s schedule.

In a press release, TCL stated that due to the recent global concerns about the spread of the 2019-nCoV virus, and out of abundance of caution and care for its staff, customers, press, and other guests, it is canceling its global press event for MWC 2020, which was planned for February 22. This does not have an impact on any other planned MWC 2020 activities and TCL specifically notes that it will still announce its latest mobile devices and showcase them at its booth (Hall 3, Stand D311) from February 24-27 as scheduled. The company noted that it will continue to monitor the situation and share further updates as necessary. This means TCL, unlike LG, isn’t completely pulling out of MWC. ZTE is also following the same approach.

On a notice posted on its website, Sony said that it is taken the “difficult decision to withdraw from exhibiting and participating at MWC 2020 in Barcelona, Spain” as it places importance on the safety and well-being of its consumers, partners, media, and employees. The Sony press conference will instead take place at the scheduled time of 8:30AM CET on February 24, 2020 as a video via our official Xperia YouTube channel to share the company’s product announcements. In effect, it will be an online announcement instead of having a booth at MWC.

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WhatsApp Pay receives regulatory approval for operating in India

Back in 2017, we first found signs of a new payments feature in Facebook’s popular messaging app WhatsApp. In India, the UPI-based payments feature was briefly rolled out to a small number of users back in 2018. However, due to data localization issues with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), a wider rollout was pushed back indefinitely. The company has been in constant talks with the government of India and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg also assured that the payments service would be launched in India soon. But late last year the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) directed the Supreme Court that WhatsApp Pay was still not compliant with India’s data localization norms and asked the NPCI to stop its deployment in the country. Now, it seems like WhatsApp has finally managed to iron out all the issues.

As per a recent report from Business Standard, WhatsApp has secured regulatory approval to launch its payments platform in the country in a phased manner. The NPCI has given the messaging platform the permission to operate WhatsApp Pay in the country, with a pilot run that will initially be extended to 10 million users. In a bid to get official approval, WhatsApp has assured the RBI and the NPCI that it will comply with the country’s data localization norms, which was the key reason behind the impending rollout. Sources familiar with that matter have revealed that, “If WhatsApp is able to fulfill the compliance requirements, the messaging platform will be able to do a full roll-out.”

As soon as WhatsApp is able to roll out its payments feature nation-wide, we believe that it will capture a huge chunk of the online-payments space. This is because WhatsApp already has a strong presence in India, with over 400 million users as of July 2019. Competitors like Google Pay and PayTM, who have invested heavily in marketing campaigns to dominate the space, might be left behind solely because of WhatsApp’s extremely large user base.

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Source: Business Standard

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