Saturday 30 November 2013

Apple Clone Two Port USB Charger

I bought this generic 2-Port USB charger on my recent trip to KL. It costs RM 25.00 (SGD$9.80). The design is obviously a Apple rip-off but what attracted me was its USB charging output capacity. One port has an output of 2.1A. This is suitable iPad and iPhone. The other port has an output of 1A. This is suited for Blackberry and Kindle. I plan to use this for the bedroom, together with the Innergie 2-in-1 Cable Charge and Sync, which I blog about here

The unboxing photos.


The box design looks familiar.







It can charge practically the whole iDevice family.






There are 2 ports out.



It is a 2 piece device, similar to the Apple charger.




The 2 ports out are labeled



Does it look familiar?






There is a light indicator on the USB Charger. I do not think its LED though.



The 2.1 Amp output works on iPad.



It works on Blackberry but I was not able to capture it in time.

Other USB charger that I blogged about

1) The Morries Worldwide Travel Adapter with USB. Output of only 500mA.

2) 4-Port USB Charger

3) Arctic 4-Port USB Charger

Monday 25 November 2013

Fahrenheit Suites Kuala Lumpur: Reviewed

The family decided to stay at the Fahrenheit 88 Suites KL on the Deepavali weekend. It is a service apartment, located at the Bukit Bintang area. Location wise, it wins hands-down. I have placed a google map of the location below. Fahrenheit Suites is located within the Fahrenheit 88 building. It is indicated by the 'A' pin. In front of the building, is the Grand Millennium KL, indicated by the blue circle. I have stayed here before and I blogged about it here. Between the Grand Millennium KL and Fahrenheit Suites is Jalan Bukit Bintang, the main thoroughfare. Diagonally across Fahrenheit Suites is the Pavilion Mall KL. This is indicated by the red circle. The mall is a massive building. So having meals here is not a problem. Not far from the mall is KLCC Suria. It is connected by a covered overhead walkway from Pavilion.

Red Oval: Pavillion Shopping Mall
Blue Oval: Grand Millennium & Copthorne Hotel
Yellow circle: Current taxi drop-off area


Fahrenheit 88 used to be called KL Plaza. It was owned by the Berjaya Group but I read it is now owned by the Pavilion Group. It is a mixed unit comprising of retail units on the first few floors, offices and private residential. I believe Fahrenheit Suites converted some of these residential units to service apartments.

Street view. The red arrow in the picture above is on Jalan Gading
The check-in lobby to the Suites is located on the 5th floor of the building via a pair of private lifts. Locating these lifts is quite confusing. Please refer to the image above. This is the street level map. With Jalan Bukit Bintang in front, you would need to go out of the building and around the corner to a side road. It is called Jalan Gading. Go down a slope until you reach a Loading/Unloading area. The lift lobby is located behind this area.

If you are taking a cab, it is better to drop off at the main entrance along Jalan Bukit Bintang, rather than the taxi stand behind the building. Going up the slope with luggage can be quite a challenge. Or better yet, get the taxi driver to go Jalan Gading and dropped you at the lift lobby entrance. At the time of this blog, there is no entry from Jalan Bukit Bintang into Jalan Gading due to construction work. Once you are familiar with the lift lobby entrance and the various floors, you can access the lifts from the mall itself.

When we arrived, our taxi driver dropped us at the back of the building at the taxi stand. What made it worst, none of the security personnel are aware of the way to the lobby lift entrance. We were presented with 2 options, either we go through the shopping mall and locate the lifts or we go around the corner along Jalan Gading and try to find this entrance. We decided to go through the mall. Fortunately, the 2 security personnel on duty here are the only ones that know the lifts location and were able to point it to us. It is tucked away behind some shops. Again, there are no signs indicating of its existence.


This is the view of the street level entrance. These 2 boys are very helpful and hardworking. But do note that they are not always there to greet and help you with the luggage trolley. So you would still need to bring your luggage to the 5th floor on your own. The white podium you see on this picture will be tucked away at a corner. The lift to the 5th floor is located behind the glass door at the background of the picture. Do note there is also another entrance on the right. I think that goes to the office building.



Coming out from the lift on the 5th floor, you will come across this hallway. 
The 2nd door on the left is the Check-In Reception.



 This is taken from their website. This is their check-in counter. 
These 2 boys are their staff.



Around the corner from the check-in desk, is the waiting area. 
Taken from their website.


This is the actual image, taken when we checked-in


So we got our keys and we proceed to our room, on the 15th Floor. We got out from the lift to this creepy sanatorium-coloured hallway.
Towards our room.



The other way. 



The green hallway reminds me of the hallway scene in The Shining. 
I hope I dont meet anyone at the end ofthe long hallway.



Upon entry, on the left is the dining table. Next to it is the kitchenette area.



In front of the sofa, is the coffee table and TV.


The kitchenette area is quite decent.



Another view of the living area. Facing is the entrance door.


Image taken from their website. You can compare and locate the missing items
from this image and the actual photos.



The hallway to the 2 bedrooms.



The 2 twin bedroom


Another view. The toilet is sharing.


The closet. The safe is located here. I do not know why it is
 not located in the master bedroom.



The master bedroom.



The toilet door.



The toilet is decent enough.




The shower area.

The room decor could have been better. Our bed-sheets were not clean. There were numerous dried water stains on the sheets which terrified The Wife. I dread to know the condition of the pillows.

Wifi is chargeable at a ridiculous rate. It is complimentary at the common area like the lobby. That was the reason I bought the TP-Link 3G Mobile Wifi, which I blogged about here. It is a Mobile Wifi which can support up to 10 devices. So I used it for 2 iPhones, 3 Blackberries and an iPad. 

Thankfully, the aircon and water heater works fine.

Fahrenheit should set its standard much higher. The above are some areas which it should work on. One standard bearer is the It should look up to Ascott KL. I have stayed at the Ascott several times. Unfortunately for Fahrenheit, that is where we are going on our next trip.

If you have any questions with regards to the condition of this place, do let me know. Leave a comment below and I will try to help.


Saturday 16 November 2013

Jumbox Jelly Power 5200 Powerbank

I bought the Jumbox Jelly Power 5200 at the recent Consumer Electronics Exhibition 2013 for SGD39. This is for The Wife. It comes in various colours but I chose Pink for obvious reasons. It is also compact in size, making it suitable to fit into her handbags. 

The power bank is encased in a silicon-like cover and there is a light strawberry fragrance. I do not know why Jumbox feel these are selling points but to me, it is more like insignificant features rather than proper benefits to the users.

The unboxing photos:

The powerbank is enclosed in a silicon-like material. It emits a 
strawberry smell. I do not know for what reason they want to do that.


It can charge 2 devices simultaneously.


The specifications. Of interest is the smell last for 2-6
months.


3 of its selling points, which is is quite insignificant.



'First scented mobile charger in the world.' Really? And how does 
that affect the performance? Does it make it better? Anyone?



Inside the box. Contents.



2 output port and 1 input port.



The power switch. The battery level is lighted at its side.


It can also be charged and recharge simultaneously.



Testing on the iPad.



Testing on the blackberry.


The Wife carries 1 iPhone and 2 blackberries. Quite often, she forgets to charge her devices overnight. And with her travelling schedule, she does not get a chance to properly charge her devices on the road. Despite its silly features, hopefully this powerbank will provide a stop-gap measure to her problem. 

It would be good if Jumbox includes a small bag for the powerbank and its cable. The Wife will be using the Innergie 2-in-1 USB Cable, which I blogged about here. I bought the Innergie cable at Challenger for SGD29.00 in May 2012. At the 2012 year end PC show, it was sold at SGD19. On my trip to KL recently, it was sold at RM 39, which is equivalent to SGD15.

Check out my other reviews:
1) Portable Power Bank Powerocks here.
2) Mobile Wifi, supporting up to 10 devices, TP-Link 3G Mobile Wifi M5350 here


Saturday 9 November 2013

Travel Essentials: TP-Link 3G Mobile Wifi M5350 MiFi

It is common nowadays for hotel rooms to provide complimentary WiFi. But there is the occasional hotel or two that charge ridiculous rates for wifi.

I bought the TP-Link 3G Mobile WiFi M5350 at the recent Consumer Electronics Exhibition (CEE) 2013 at Suntec for SGD95 to overcome this problem. It works like a tethering device. Insert a local prepaid data SIM card which you can buy at any airport and it can support up to 10 users. 


Features:

  • Equipped with a built-in 3G modem - No other bulky devices required
  • HSPA+ supported with up to 21.6Mbps download and 5.76Mbps upload speeds
  • Supports up to 10 users simultaneously
  • 2000mAh internal battery for extended hours of outdoor use
  • Portable and cobblestone design ideal for travel use
  • Micro USB port for versatile recharging
  • OLED display provides a intuitive view of the device’s working status
  • Equipped with a micro SD card slot for up to 32GB of optional storage

Do note the the battery can be removed.

Here are the unboxing photos.



The box - Front













The box - Back.












The battery is detachable.











It uses a micro USB to charge the battery in the device.



The SIM card goes to the left slot. I am testing this with a Malaysian
SIM Card.



The slot of the right is for the micro SD card.



Put back the battery.



Turn on the device. Connecting to it is similar to 
connecting to a Wifi device.


I have used the Mobile Wifi over the weekend at Kuala Lumpur. In the hotel room, it supported an iPad, 2 iPhones and 3 Blackberries. I have also used it when I was out and about. As the device is small, I kept it in my backpack and I have instant Wifi coverage. It is a useful device and I would recommend it especially if you are travelling and need wifi for your travels.