CD-R King Mobile Power Bank 5600mAh PWB-065-R(PB-201) - Review

This is my review of CD-R King's Mobile Power Bank 5600mAh PWB-065-R(PB-201).  I had it more than a couple of months now, and had charged it more than a couple of times and used it on multiple of devices.

Here is my impressions and review of the product, after using it more extensively on a number of days:

• It retains the charge and does not drain as fast without using it for a while
• High capacity device such as a tablet (iPad mini) drains it super fast and will only charge the tablet a fraction and completely drain the power bank within an hour.
• Heats up on charging with tablets, and large capacity 2400mAh battery phones
• Its indicator is helpful in determining the charge capacity of the power bank and pretty useful in cases where you need to drain and recharge it

Pros and Cons for the Mobile Power Bank 5600mAh PWB-065-R(PB-201)

Pros

• you get a led flashlight, a quick mobile charger with power level indicator, for the cheap price of Php580.00 (around $13 USD).
• it's small and easy to put on your pocket or bag.
• it can charge phones several times without recharging for a while

Cons

• there are times it heats up a bit when charging with a phone, really heats up when charging a tablet.
• not all devices are compatible with this charger (notably the Galaxy S Duos)
• it takes about 5-6 hours to fully charge.

The verdict on this device:

It's a nice portable device that does not take much space on your bag.  It can retain it's charge for more than a month without recharging.  You may have to check the charge level at times and need to recharge it in a couple of months to maintain good battery life, when you don't usually use it.

This is a good choice for a power bank, since it has a LED flashlight that can be used in cinemas or when you need a quick light in the dark.  And the LED charge level indicator is very helpful to determine if you need to recharge it already.

My verdict: This is a good buy, just don't expect it to last long.  I'm sure after a couple of years you need to change it with a new model, depending on how much you use it over time.

Last time I was in CD-R King - SM Megamall branch, this model is still available and for sale.

iPad Mini 16.3-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery recharged using CD-R King Mobile Power Bank PWB-049-ZG 2800mAh

The title is a bit long, but these are my findings on recharging an iPad mini with a CD-R King 2800mAh Power Bank.

I ran out of power and need to be somewhere else, so I recharged my iPad mini with my CD-R King Power Bank, expecting it to be recharge at least more than half, like my Galaxy S3 (63% charge from completely drained).

I guess my math was a bit off. Galaxy S3 is 1/3 the size of iPad mini, so I should be happy getting 1/3 of the charge I got from S3.  I was surprised how fast the iPad mini drained the Power Bank.  It was empty in only 1.5 hours.  My iPad mini got a charge of 33% from 5% in one and a half hour.

So there you go, iPad mini charge test for CD-R King Mobile Power Bank PWB-049-ZG 2800mAh, it got the mini charge at 1/4 capacity.  Provided you turned the iPad mini off during the charge.

I was really surprised, the Power Bank got drained that fast by the iPad mini.

Smart offers iPad mini and iPad with retina display affordable plans

Latest news I found is that Smart Telecom in the Philippines is now offering an affordable plan for iPad mini and iPad with retina display.

There are different monthly options, the iPad offer is a wi-fi with cellular model.  Meaning you need to avail a 24 month lock-in period with their plan.  Smart is offering iPad plan 499, with 65minute internet per month, excess will be charge  P10/30mins in excess.  So you will probably be turning your mobile internet on and off and probably be using the iPad mostly in wifi at home.

Good news for some who don't have a credit card, but want to avail of the iPads thru monthly installments of 24 months.  There is no cash-out required.

Visit the smart website for more details: http://www1.smart.com.ph/Pages/ipadmini/miniplans

Read my review and recommendation on the iPad mini: http://philgadgames.blogspot.com/2013/05/ipad-mini-wifi-version-review-and.html

iPad Mini Wifi version: Review and Recommendation

My iPad Mini: Wi-fi Version Review

iPad mini in landscape orientation

Weight and Feel of the tablet

I was hesitant to get the iPad full large version, since one(1) it is heavy, two(2) hard to handle with a single hand.  But, with the iPad mini, I was right away impressed by the weight and beautiful design it has.  Even though it doesn't have a Retina Display, I still like its impressive display output and an advantage of longer battery life, compared to iPad with Retina Display.

iPad Portrait orientation

Battery Life

Battery life of iPad mini is significantly very impressive.  With minimal use (1-2 hrs a day), I only recharge once a week.  With heavy use, I need to charge it after 8-10 hrs of constant use for games such as Real Racing 3.

With movie, audio, the iPad mini charge lasted longer.  Also, the unit does not heat up as oppose to Galaxy S3, on internet browsing, where the back heats up after a few minutes of browsing.

speaker is only found at the bottom, with lightning port

Sound

The sound is in stereo, and is quite good coming from a small device.  It does not sound like it came from a tin can.  Although, the problem I have with the sound is it only comes out from the bottom of iPad mini in portrait mode.  Unlike Samsung's tablets that have their speakers on both sides in landscape mode.

I'm sure Apple thought of it, that when people watch a video; they do it in landscape mode.  Maybe they will have left and right speakers in later releases, that is just typical Apple strategy to make people to upgrade on their later releases.

Reference of iPad Mini to a sharpie and ballpen

Findings

The iPad Mini is a nice tablet to hold, light weight and sturdy.  Display is good enough, I think there are better display out there, but using the current iPad Mini does not result in any complaint on my part.  I can read my comics and books without any problems, since its size is equivalent to a standard paper notebook.  In fact, the case I bought looked like a plain notebook, and can be placed on a table unnoticed by people if I closed the front cover.

The only disappointment I have with iPad mini, is its processor.  It at times loads a bit slow.  Also, the download isn't multiple.  I notice, I can only download one at a time. Either it be a application, or a podcast, or a YouTube video.

Strong point of the iPad Mini, is its long battery life.  It really is an impressive to only charge once or twice a week on minimal use of podcast viewing, surfing the web.

iPad Mini case with cover

Recommendation

I recommend getting the 32gb (32 Giga-byte) version rather 16gb.  I was planning to get just the 16gb version, but it was out of stock.  Good thing the 16gb was out of stock and I got the 32gb version, since iPad mini does not have a memory card expansion slot support.  I could be deleting contents more frequently than I ever want to on my videos and files, if I got the 16gb version.

I have been using my iPad Mini for a month now.  I constantly download my podcast in HD, and placed some music and movies, my iPad mini 32gb is already almost full.

Although, if you only plan to put e-books and mp3s on your iPad mini, then a 16gb won't be a problem.  Good luck finding a 16gb, since most only want to try iPad and probably already bought that 16gb you want.

Another recommendation I have is pick a good case to protect your iPad.  Its price is equivalent to a laptop (P16,000 above), shouldn't you protect it?  iPad case prices ranges from P1,200 to P5,000 or more.

I haven't regret getting an iPad Mini.  Except maybe at times when I want free apps, that are not available in Apple Store.