Jabra's first neckband-style Bluetooth headphone is almost excellent

The Good The Jabra Halo Smart is a sturdily built neck-band style headphone that performs very well as a headset for making cell phone calls, offers good battery life, and decent sound for music if you get a tight seal. Neckband vibrates when a call comes in.

The Bad You may not get a secure, tight seal from any of the included ear tips, which leads to a poor fit and a reduction in sound quality.

The Bottom Line While it doesn't do much to distinguish itself from other neckband-style headphones from a design standpoint, the Jabra Halo Smart seems sturdily built, performs very well as a headset for making calls and offers decent sound quality for music if you get a tight seal.

Visit manufacturer site for details.


Review: Romoss portable charging station for businesses that want to delight their customers

PROS

  • Inductive charging for device security
  • Powerful 10,000 mAh batteries
  • Smooth sleek battery design

CONS

  • Will only charge Romoss charger station batteries
  • Battery casing can scratch over time
  • No quick charge port

The Romoss portable charging station is a monster of a charging station. For a start, it is a lot larger than I expected. The box it comes in measures 14 x 7 x 10 inches.

The charging station itself measures 308mm x 144mm x 132 mm (12.1 x 5.6 x 5.2 inches). The station can charge up to eight 10,000 mAh battery chargers at the same time.

Each battery charger has two USB charging ports. There is no quick charge port on the battery.

If you want to charge more than eight batteries at a time you can link the portable charging stations together in series up to four stations. This will provide you with 32 batteries from one power outlet.

The batteries charge quickly in the station - although they look like disco lights whilst all eight are charging. Each battery has an four LED status indicators at the top which flash when charging.

Inside the box is one 'free charging' wall sticker and 15 table stickers.

I tested this with a group of friends at a music festival. I charged all eight power packs using the charging station overnight and took all of the batteries to the festival site.

For five days we used Romoss chargers to replenish our mobile devices and used our phones as normal. I returned with three chargers still on full charge and only one charger below 25 percent.

Romoss specialises in chargers, adapters and power banks. It positions the charging station a a way to draw traffic into the store to help you boost in-store sales. It will even provide customised charging stations for your business.

One bugbear I had with the charging station was that I could not use the station to charge any other battery. Romoss says that this method of inductive charging means that the batteries will not be stolen by users as they can only be charged in the charging station itself.

This is a really good idea if you plan to use this in a commercial setting, but not so useful if you have a stash of power banks to charge at home.

You would be better off with a multi-port wall chargers instead. Businesses with a local clientele would benefit from having one of these charging stations on-site.

Brands could offer a quick charge to their customers as they walk round the store - or loan them out at the mall. Fixed point charging stations mean that you need to leave your phone locked away whilst it charges. The Romoss gets around this issue.

Exhibitions, conferences and festivals could offer this service to their customers during the event and ensure that the power banks are returned at the end of the event by charging a small deposit.

The inductive charging contacts mean that the chargers are no use without the station.

Businesses that want to add an extra layer of customer service to their offering could use the Romoss. When I absolutely need a quick fix of power for my dying battery, I would love to know that one of these charging stations is nearby.

The Romoss brings added value to small businesses who want to build relationships with their customers. Every local business should have one.


Review: Cellularline Freepower Multi 10000 (Powerbank)

Arjan Olsder reviewed the Cellularline Freepower Multi 10000with 4.5 stars on behalf of GadgetGear .

The Good
  • Accurate LCD display
  • LCD display is illuminated
  • High capacity
  • 2 USB ports

The Bad
  • LCD display has a very limited viewing angle

Small power banks, large power banks ... they are literally available in all sizes and colors. Yet Cellularline knows how to stand out with its latest power bank. Not only the 10,000mAh capacity is enormous, but there is also a display on it.

Unboxing

The unboxing of the Cellularline Freepower Multi 10000 is not very exciting. In addition to the Cellularline Freepower Multi 10000 itself you get one micro-USB cable in a manual.

Design

The design of the Cellularline Freepower Multi 10000 does appeal to Apple . This is mainly due to the use of white and gray plastic in combination with prints in the same colors. Very 'clean' all.

Distinctive is the presence of a blue illuminated LCD display on the Cellularline Freepower Multi 10000. The majority of the powerbanks only have a series of 4 LEDs that indicate how full the battery is. The Cellularline Freepower Multi 10000 can do this on the basis of exact percentages, each percent being 100mAh.

Capacity

Striking is the print with the USB connections. Cellularline indicates which one you need for tablets and which ones you need for smartphones. Whatever you connect, the Smart IC technology that Cellularline has placed in the Cellularline Freepower Multi 10000 ensures that the powerbank will not supply too much voltage to your gadget. In fact, he will try to deliver the maximum voltage in order to shorten the loading times.

The charging time of the Cellularline Freepower Multi 10000 is also important. Therefore the Cellularline Freepower Multi 10000 can be charged with a 2 amp charger. In about five hours the battery is completely filled.

Conclusion

He sticks out. Not only because of the clean design, but also because of the enormous capacity and the handy LCD display. The Cellularline Freepower Multi 10000 is one of the most interesting power banks of the moment.


Cellularline TETRA FORCE product line awarded as Chosen Product of the Year 2018

The best protection for your smartphone! Dutch consumers have chosen TETRA FORCE from Cellularline as "Selected Product of the Year 2018". TETRA FORCE is the new product line of phone covers, chargers and cables from the Italian supplier of accessories for smartphones and tablets.

 

The products have an elegant design and are made of high-tech materials. They offer extreme protection for mobile devices: the main reason why consumers voted for these products.

The election "Selected Product of the Year" is based on an extensive survey among a representative consumer panel conducted by The Nielsen Company. In response to the awarding of Cellularline, the organization Product of the Year: "According to consumers it is important that mobile electronics last a long time and can also take a beating. This applies to devices, but also to the accessories that protect the devices. The new TETRA FORCE line meets the specific needs of the target group that is looking for innovation and new solutions: protection and resilience. "

"This award confirms that our commitment to innovation and our R & D capabilities deliver tangible benefits for users, which continues to drive the appreciation of Cellularline products."

"We are very proud of this recognition," said Marco Cagnetta, co-CEO at Cellular Italia. "This award confirms that our commitment to innovation and our R & D capabilities deliver tangible benefits for users, which continues to drive the appreciation of Cellularline products."

TETRA FORCE SHIELD: a super thin (only 0.21 mm thick) and flexible screen protector with a high scratch resistance, which is as clear as the original screen. TETRA FORCE SHIELD offers increased protection against drops and bumps and is 3 times more resistant to scratches than regular screen protectors.

TETRA FORCE SHOCK TWIST and TETRA FORCE SHOCK TECH: phone cases made of innovative materials that offer extreme protection against falls and bumps. Thanks to the IDS (Impact Dissipating System) technology, the impact of a blow is absorbed and discharged through the sides. The TETRA FORCE SHOCK TECH has a lifetime guarantee.

TETRA FORCE SHOCK TWIST: the extreme case made of soft and flexible material, combined with the internal strap, protects mobile phones from bumps and falls. TETRA FORCE SHOCK TWIST covers are available in different colors: the ideal way to give your smartphone a personal touch and protect it. Available for the iPhone 6 / 6s / 7/8 in the following colors: black, blue, white, pink and green.

TETRA FORCE SHOCK TECH: the protective case consists of a hard back combined with a soft frame, and provides triple protection against bumps and falls. Thanks to the ergonomic shape and scratch-free hard back of transparent material, TETRA FORCE SHOCK TWIST benefits both impact resistance and design. TETRA FORCE SHOCK TWIST is available for the iPhone 7/8 and also for 6 / 6s in the colors black, blue and red.

TETRA FORCE EXTREME CABLE: extra strong and flexible USB cables. Thanks to the SNAKE technology that protects the most vulnerable part of the cable, this cable is four times stronger than regular cables. The different versions EXTREME CABLES are ideal for charging and synchronizing data and are compatible with the Fast Charge technology. The special DuPont kevlar fibers make the EXTREME CABLE extra tear-resistant. The connectors are made of metal to ensure that they are more resistant to both impact and pressure. The EXTREME CABLE is available in two different lengths: 1 meter and 2 meters. The XL version of 200 cm can therefore also charge smartphones and tablets that are not directly located near an outlet!

Available in the following versions: Micro USB, MFI (Apple certified Lightning connector) and Type-C connector.

The Cellularline Tetra Force product line, the best protection for your smartphone!


The best travel adapters 2018

Keep your tech topped up on your next trip with our pick of the best power adapters for travelling, from cheap travel adapters for a single country to worldwide adapters that you can use wherever you go, and even adaptors that include USB sockets too.

Travel adapters are the sort of thing we all tend to leave it until the airport to buy - or, worse, from our hotel once we land on the other side and realise we forgot them. That’s a great way to pay inflated prices for a limited choice though, and you can save a lot of money by planning ahead and buying a couple of power adapters online before your holiday.

Adapters have come a long way over the last few years too. There’s no longer any need to build up a collection of different adapters for different countries, as it’s now easy to buy an adapter that can be, uh, adapted for just about any region, so that one piece of kit can cover you wherever you go.

You can even find some world-to-world adapters, which will take any plug type, and connect to any socket type - ideal not only for travelling, but also for any foreign tech that you end up bringing back with you from your trip and want to use back at home.

Even more useful are travel adapters that incorporate USB sockets, which mean you can use one plug to charge multiple devices, since most of the tech you travel with probably charges by USB anyway.

Just note that we’ve seen mostly adapters with USB-A sockets - some phones and laptops ship with cables with USB-C connectors at both ends now, so make sure you have a USB-A-to-USB-C cable with you to keep those topped up. But USB-C ports are appearing now, as with the Syncwire Quick Charger 3.0 USB-C 48W Wall Charger below.

If you're busy planning a trip, you might also want to take a look at the best travel gadgetswe've tested, along with our pick of the top travel apps for your phone. And if you're struggling to keep your phone and other devices charged while you travel, you might also want to check out our guide to the best portable power banks.

Regions and voltages

The most important thing to check before you buy a travel adapter is what sort of plug the area you're travelling to uses. For the sake of this article, we're going to assume that you'e based in the UK (like us), which means you'll need an adapter to travel almost anywhere in the world, with rare exceptions like Hong Kong that use the UK plug.

For the most part there are three broad regions of plug beyond the UK type: the round pinned plugs used across Europe, the flat straight pins used across America and some parts of Asia, and the flat slanted pins used in Australia and the rest of Asia. Not every country uses the sort of plug you'd expect though, so it's always worth double-checking with a quick Google search ahead of a trip, and there are a few other unique plug types out there to watch out for.

Voltage can also be an issue. UK plugs use 220-240V, which is conveniently what you'll find across Europe and Australia. US sockets only run at 120V though, while Japan offers an even skimpier 110V. For the most part this isn't an issue, but it may mean that some devices charge more slowly than you're used to, and some of the most power-intensive might not work at all if they can't draw sufficient power from the mains to run. Unfortunately there's nothing a travel adapter can do about that, as they don't convert voltage.

2-pin vs 3-pin

One thing to look out for in travel adapters is whether or not they support earth pins. While 3-pin plugs are the standard in the UK, elsewhere in the world they're either not used at all, or are only sometimes found.

Earthing helps protect both you and your gadgets from electric shock, so in general you might prefer to opt for 3-pin adapters, which offer an extra level of protection. However, be warned that this may limit where you can use them - the US in particular has both 2-pin and 3-pin sockets, so you may find that your 3-pin plug simply won't fit into some sockets, and you might wish you'd risked it with a 2-pin model.

Best travel adapters 2018

TEC UK to EU Travel Adapter Twin Pack

TEC UK to EU Travel Adapter Twin Pack

  • RRP: £4.99

Let's start with something dead simple: this is a twin pack of UK to EU travel adapters, which will let you use your UK tech just about anywhere in Europe.

They're cheap and cheerful, but they work - and for most people, that's enough. They're also an awful lot cheaper from Amazon than they would be if you bought the exact same ones in an airport newsagent.

If you know you mostly travel in Europe, or just have a specific trip coming up that you need an adapter or two for, this is the cheapest way to charge your gadgets once you're there.


Marshall Headphones’ Bluetooth speakers are getting an Alexa update

Last year at IFA, Marshall Headphones (Zound Industries’ licensed consumer version of the popular guitar amp company) updated its Bluetooth speakers with multiroom audio support. This year at IFA, the company announced another new version of its Acton II and Stanmore II speakers that — right in line with the trends for 2018 — add Amazon’s Alexa assistant.

The new speakers (dubbed the Acton II Voice and Stanmore II Voice, respectively) also have an updated design, with new grille accents and colors. But for the most part, they’re pretty much the same as last year’s version. Far-field microphones to enable Alexa have been added, along with a mute button (for when you don’t want Amazon listening) and some new indicator LEDs.

Additionally, Marshall Headphones is also working on a separate version of the Action II Voice and Stanmore II Voice featuring Google Assistant instead of Alexa that are planned for sometime in late 2018 or early 2019. Notably, the Google and Alexa versions will be entirely separate devices, so you’ll have to choose your assistant of choice upfront.

Marshall Headphones Kilburn II.
 Image: Marshall Headphones

Along with the new Alexa speakers, Marshall Headphones also announced an updated version of its portable Kilburn speaker, the aptly named Kilburn II. New on the Kilburn II is separated stereo sound, Bluetooth 5.0 audio, and a metal grate designed to evoke a stage microphone.

Preorders for the Stanmore II Voice will start today, August 30th for $399, with devices shipping on October 2nd. Preorders for the Acton II Voice will start on October 2nd for $299, with devices shipping on November 9th. The Kilburn II costs $299 and is available today on Marshall Headphones’ website.