tablet

5-Port USB Wall Charger (EasyAcc)

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USB-Charger-EasyAcc

Having accumulated several devices that charge via USB, sometimes I don’t have enough USB block plugs on hand (and other times I’m just tired of digging around to find the adapters) to charge everything up at once. Last week I purchased a couple of 5-port USB wall chargers (EasyAcc) from Amazon for less than $20 each, which have helped make this minor inconvenience less of an issue.

This particular model isn’t something I plan to move around frequently. Instead I have located them in key spots where they’ll remain most of the time. One is at my office and the other is in our guest room.

So far they seem to work well and they’re about as simple as expected (and needed). There is one thing of note that interested purchasers may need to be aware of. The USB ports do not all provide the same level of output, though it’s clearly marked on the device how much power each port provides and it’s unlikely to be an issue for most people.

  • USB1 5V/2.1A (iPad)
  • USB2 5V/1.3A (Samsung Tab)
  • USB3 5V/2.1A (iPad)
  • USB4 5V/1A (iPhone)
  • USB5 5V/1A (Android)

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 (Android Tablet as a Drawing Pad)

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Samsung-Note-8Last week I purchased a Samsung Galaxy Note 8 from Best Buy. This was a device I researched quite a bit before I decided to purchase it. Originally it wasn’t my intention to purchase an Android tablet. For a while I’ve been in search of a good drawing tablet but I didn’t just want a drawing pad without a screen. Though I understand how many have never had a problem with looking down at a drawing tablet, and then back up at a screen to view what is actually drawn (or becoming accustomed to simply keeping an eye on the screen), I’ve never cared for the process.

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Are You Lion? I Smell a Tablet in the Works

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Apple’s recent announcement of OS X Lion seemingly criticized the concept of a touch-screen interface on a notebook. However, while making it clear that a touch-screen on a standard notebook doesn’t make sense, the possibility of an Apple tablet was never actually excluded.

I believe there was a lot of misdirection presented and Lion seems to be the proof. For a desktop OS the new App Store enhancements, which oddly enough aren’t specific to Lion, don’t really make as much sense unless thrown into a tablet.

So… my guess is that Lion is laying the foundation for an Apple tablet in OS X. I also have a guess how Apple might make it work. The company is known for making elegant solutions, so if it does make a tablet it will be easy to switch between notebook and tablet modes.

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