Accessories

Why a power bank that can charge a laptop is a game changer

My laptop gets twice the battery life

Published

June 24, 2018

Daniel Morial

When I first got a power bank for my phone (which I still use, by the way) about four years ago, I asked why this is not a thing yet. Power banks then became really popular with major brands selling their own models and knockoffs flying around, too. The convenience these devices brought is something I still enjoy up to this day.

Even though phone chargers are relatively smaller and lighter to carry, I prefer bringing high-capacity power banks since wall sockets are not always available. But, what if this kind of accessibility to power is also available to laptops? While bulky power banks with sockets are already in the market, they are too heavy to carry around.

The Dell Notebook Power Bank Plus is just a bit bigger than my folded wallet

This is the Dell Notebook Power Bank Plus: a 65Wh power bank that Dell claims to be the world’s first notebook power bank to charge the widest range of USB-C laptops.

Good thing most modern laptops nowadays are charged through revolutionary USB-C ports.

You could leave your charger/s at home

I had the Dell Notebook Power Bank Plus at the same time as the Dell Latitude 7390 2-in-1 laptop and they were an absolute combo. I got twice the battery life thanks to the notebook power bank, and I never had to bring the laptop’s charger.

It won’t be an issue if you have a non-Dell laptop, because this notebook power bank can charge most USB-C laptops available thanks to its high 65W power delivery. It’s practically universal and can charge USB-C laptops even from Acer, Apple, ASUS, HP, Lenovo, and more!

When there are no available sockets in the café, the Dell Notebook Power Bank Plus is a life saver

Most 14-inch laptops and below are fully compatible with its 65W power delivery. It can also be used with bigger laptops, but there’s no guarantee since bigger displays and beefier specs require higher wattage. This is why gaming laptops have really big power bricks and, obviously, can’t be charged with a power bank — at least for now.

It’s also the same principle why mobile power banks and USB-C phone chargers can’t charge a laptop despite having the same type of port. Most phone chargers are 15W and that’s just half of the required 30W power for small notebooks.

The power bank is basically a spare laptop battery that’s intelligently packaged

Dell’s power bank can also charge USB-C smartphones and tablets, so I didn’t have to bring another power bank along. It automatically changes its power output from 5V to 20V, making it safe to charge even small smartphones.

It can charge almost anything else

This power bank doesn’t just charge your everyday laptop and phones, but also other devices that can be charged through a USB port. The extra USB-A (the “normal” USB port we know and love) can deliver power even while you’re already charging a laptop using the built-in USB-C cord. The USB-A port has a charging rate of 5V=2A or 10W which is powerful enough to quickly charge a phone or even a tablet.

Not only that, the extra port can also be used as an additional USB port for the laptop that’s being charged. It can read and write data from a smartphone or flash drive — just like how a typical USB port would. That’s an added productivity feature especially for ultra-portable laptops that don’t have full-size USB-A ports anymore.

Suddenly, I don’t have to scavenge for wall sockets as much as I used to.

The Dell Notebook Power Bank Plus retails for US$ 149.99.

Related Topics:Dell Dell Notebook Power Bank Plus

Accessories

Sony WH-1000XM5 is a luxury for your ears

Improve noise cancelation and audio quality

Published

May 17, 2022

Luigi Leonardo

Sony remains one of the most important players in the noise-canceling realm. While Bose is also a force in the industry, Sony is doing what it can to improve its own audio technology. Following up its impressive flagship lineup of headphones, the company has announced the WH-1000XM5, a new pair for your discerning ears.

Much like its predecessor, the WH-1000XM5 follows the same tradition of design. The sleeker evolution makes way for a softer, more comfortable fit around your skull, bolstered by synthetic leather.

Under the hood, the headphones sports an additional processor to improve noise cancelation, especially in mid to high frequency ranges. It can also adapt to various user scenarios like those who wear glasses or have long hair.

As always, Sony is also focusing on audio quality. The 30mm driver uses a light dome with carbon fiber composite material to deliver natural sound. Plus, with Sony’s LDAC coding technology, users can enjoy Hi-Fi Audio. DSEE Extreme automatically upscales audio files to high quality. Finally, if your audio can support it, the headphones is compatible with 360 Reality Audio.

The WH-1000XM5 also worked on call quality with four beamforming microphones on the device and noise reduction.

Starting May 20, users can buy the WM-1000XM5 for US$ 399.99.

Accessories

Western Digital introduces ‘world’s fastest’ memory cards, new SSDs

Availability, capacity for memory cards to be announced

Published

May 13, 2022

GadgetMatch

Western Digital, the company behind the renowned SanDisk storage brand, introduced new innovations at their What’s Next Western Digital Event.

Included in the reveal are a new modular SSD ecosystem and the world’s fastest SD and microSD memory cards designed for professionals: the SanDisk Professional PRO-UHS.

Terabytes of storage on the go

The new SanDisk Professional PRO-BLADE modular SSD ecosystem was designed to meet the need for ultrafast portable storage devices.

The powerful ecosystem lets users swap out lightweight and high-capacity PRO-BLADE SSD mags so terabytes worth of storage may be carried easily.

The ecosystem includes:

PRO-BLADE SSD Mag
PRO-BLADE TRANSPORT portable SSD enclosure
PRO-BLADE STATION desktop SSD enclosure

Unmatched speeds

Western Digital also announced read speeds of up to 200MB/s on its SanDisk Extreme PRO memory card line (SD and microSD).

Paired with the new SanDisk professional PRO-READER (SD and microSD), the new products are poised to deliver unmatched speeds to enable users to offload content and other files quickly.

New WD_BLACK SSD

When it comes to gamers, Western Digital also revealed two new additions to its WD_BLACK gaming SSD lineup, with each storage coming with innovative features.

WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD:

Read speeds of up to 7,300MB/s

Minimized latency, predictive loading, adaptive thermals management

Downloadable WD-BLACK Dashboard for Game Mode 2.0

Optional heatsink

RGB lighting

WD_BLACK P40 Game Drive SSD:

USB 3.2 Gen2x2 interface
Read speeds of up to 2,000MB/s
Downloadable WD_BLACK Dashboard
RGB lighting

Availability and storage capacities for the SanDisk memory cards will be announced later. For more information on the newest products, visit www.WDBLACK.com.

Accessories

Lightweight king: Razer unveils Viper V2 Pro

20 percent lighter than the Viper Ultimate

Published

May 12, 2022

GadgetMatch

One of the world’s lightest gaming mice is now available in the Philippines. Razer has announced the release of the ultra-lightweight and wireless gaming mouse Viper V2 Pro.

The Razer V2 Pro sells for Php 8,990 via Razer’s official website, official Shopee and Lazada stores, and through its authorized sellers.

The package box will include additional grip tapes pre-cut to the mouse’s shape, a Razer Speedflex charging cable and 2.4GHz HyperSpeed USB dongle extender.

Peak performance at your fingertips

The Viper V2 Pro is 20 percent lighter than the Viper Ultimate, and comes with cutting-edge tech features, such as:

Razer Optical Mouse Switches Gen-3
better battery life
all-new Focus Pro 30K Optical Sensor

Determined to make the Viper V2 Pro the new standard for gaming mice, Razer designed it hand-in-hand with feedback from esports pros.

This includes 2022 VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Grand Finals MVP Jimmy “Marved” Nguyen of OpTic Gaming.

For the pro

Razer’s new Focus Pro 30K Optical Sensor helps achieve a complete resolution accuracy of 99.8 percent.

The powerful new sensor is equipped with AI functionality such as Smart Tracking, Motion Sync and Asymmetric Cut-off for the ultimate performance at the highest levels of play.

The Viper V2 Pro also features the new Razer Optical Mouse Switches Gen-3 for absolutely zero double-clicking issues and no debounce delay.

These new switches are rated for a click lifecycle of up to 90 million clicks, an increase of 25 percent from the previous generation’s lifespan.

Other aspects that will benefit gamers include support for USB-C charging and DPI control button on the bottom of the mouse.