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.

SEE ALSO: Dell Latitude 7390 2-in-1 Review: The complete business laptop

What if I told you these gems could open doors for you?

Literally, it unlocks doors!

Computex has always been a haven of great tech finds and this year, sparkly things caught my eye. This is the Smart Xring from Yokojima Co. and — there’s no other way to say it — it’s the key to your lock.

No, really. Using RFID, you can use these eye-catching rings to open doors instead of doing with a key like normal boring folks.

And because accessorizing is important, there are other jewelry options, too.

That’s not all they can do. Depending on your notification settings, these stones will light up for alerts, and in different colors. For those who like their notifications more discreet, there’s also an option to spray perfume when you get a phone call — because why can’t we look and smell good while taking a call?

Of course, some would argue that as flashy as they may be, these aren’t real stones. But then again, can your real gems do all this?

Nope, I didn’t think so.

Last year at Computex, I stumbled upon a cool smart ring and wrote about it. It was also my first year covering Computex and I had honestly never heard of bone actuator tech, hence the discovery of said smart ring that allowed me to make calls with my finger blew my mind.

This was the ORII ring, and a year later, I find them again at Computex and they have even more to offer.

When I first interviewed Emile and Kevin, founders of ORII’s Origami Labs, I only saw prototypes and one functioning ring for audio demos. These days, the rings are fully functional and are shipping to initial Kickstarter backers. More functionalities are added on, with even more features to come in the future.

What’s new with ORII?

For starters, the ORII ring is even smaller and more polished. It’s now at a size that I would actually wear for the tech.

And, as promised, it comes in more colors: There’s a red one that goes well with my hair, in addition to black, silver, and gray ones. This is a big deal to me because last year, there were only black and gray rings, and now color is finally here!

The ring comes with different ring sizes, too, so it fits every finger. It’s also splash-proof with an IPX7 rating so everyday wear is a possibility.

It comes with a charging dock, but it seems that the ring won’t be on it a whole lot as it has a whopping two days of battery standby time and two whole hours of talk time. That’s a lot considering you’ll only ever be using it for short commands and calls don’t usually last that long (we hope!).

So, how does it work?

With the ORII ring, you need only your finger to be able to hear things from your phone. The ring has a built-in mic so you can actually make calls — like a real spy.

Smart assistants are also compatible with the ORII. Using just the ring, you can send messages and issue smart commands to Google Assistant, Siri, or Alexa, without even having to look at your phone.

It has gesture commands and there’s also a button on the side of the ring that you can program depending on what you want it to do. For example, just raising your finger to your ear can activate the mic, or pressing the button can trigger your smart assistant.

At the bottom of the ring is a small LED light that’s a discreet way to give you notifications. Designed so only you can see the quick prompt, the lights are also fully customizable.

Meaning, you can change the colors depending on what app is alerting…

… or even choose which people messaging get special alerts.

Think of all the things you can do with this thing! Everything will literally be at the tip of your fingers.

Admittedly, I got sentimental when I tested out the ORII again. I personally saw the growth of this tech firsthand and it’s great to actually try out technology that only a year ago, Emile and Kevin were just describing to me. They’ve come a long way from last year and yet again I am impressed with their progress.

What I love about the ORII is how different it is to what we already have in the market. It’s great to see tech that breaks out from the usual mold of what current wearables are and what they do.

I’d totally rock this ring, and it’s not just because it matches my hair.