Gadgetory

just the other day my smartphone did the inevitable it went flat and I had to plug it into the wall and well you know the rest standard stuff we've all done a million or so times in fact smartphone charging become such a popular chore that we've invented secondary devices dedicated to none other than charging our smart friends on-the-go power banks as they're lovingly referred to allow us to replenish our phone's battery capacity when away from a wall socket like when taking a leisurely walk in a rain forest for example to see just how popular power banks are search for the words power bank on Amazon and enjoy scrolling through 20 plus pages of various size boxes 99% of which is simply designed to keep your phone running longer just the other day I was on a long walk when the dreaded low battery alarm sounded and I was supposed to stop him without my power bank problem solved right well yeah kind of but then as I stood there throne and power bank in hand I saw a rare mahogany glider and I thought damn I have to get a photo with this thing of course I tried to take a quick snap on my phone only to receive a memory fool error I guess there's 200 shots at that kangaroo who filled the internal storage the glider took off and it was an opportunity missed if only I had a way to quickly back up the data on my phone so I could continue to fill it with low-quality photos that I probably won't look at ever again then it hit means just the other day I was reading a press release for a new device that could solve this very problem the curiously named MobileLite Wireless probe from popular memory maker Kingston could be what I'm after the MobileLite Wireless Pro is another power bank but it's not just any ordinary power bank this is the Swiss Army knife of power banks want to charge your phone not once but twice at maximum speed with a two amp output access USB flash drives and SD cards wirelessly perhaps make a backup copy of important photos videos contacts and calendar entries transfer files to a new phone or tablet without using a PC create a wireless access point from a wired network or maybe connect wirelessly to a PC or an SMB device or file copy well check check check check check check check because Kingston has you covered armed with 64 gigabytes of internal flash storage SD card reader for good measure the MobileLite while SPRO is the perfect mobile backup solution truth be told this is more exciting than just to backup devices it can be used to stream media to a smartphone or tablet wirelessly with support for 802 11 AC 5 gigahertz spectrum strangely there are two apps for the MobileLite at least in the Google Play Store they're quite different in terms of user interface with the blue ones seeming to be the newer app from within both applications I was able to easily stream 1080p video from an SD card and it was fast and smooth I also had some files on USB drive but I have a lot of trouble getting these files to appear in either app copying files around between the internal storage phone SD card and USB Drive was reasonably straightforward and file transfer speeds were to be as expected a single light 4 gigabyte file to just over 10 minutes while a collection of randomly sized images totaling 2 gigabytes took three minutes and 50 seconds overall the apps did do what they were supposed to do for the most part and the key file transfer functions and media streaming worked well but as mentioned I did have troubles getting files on our USB stick to display and the settings menu on the blue app seemed to just sit there stuck loading the internal 64 gigabyte storage capacity is really nice particularly given the reasonable $105 price tag of course you can easily expand the internal storage with the SD card reader which inserts the card completely inside the unit so you can leave it in there unlike USB thumb drives which naturally stick out like an appendage Kingston also provides a micro SD card adapter in the package allowing micro SD cards to be adapted to the SD slot the device supports a wide range of file systems which includes all the facts along with NTFS which is nice for those wanting to store large movies onboard additionally Kingston's provided a mini USB charging cable so the MobileLite Wireless Pro itself can be charged I should point out that the package doesn't actually include a wall charger so you will have to use the one that came with your phone or tablet you could also charge from your PC though it could take some time if it doesn't have a USB port with a high current rating with the MobileLite Wireless Pro you're of course charging a 6700 milliamp hour battery which I found provided enough juice to fully charge my completely depleted galaxy note 4 and still have enough left over to almost repeat the exercise I have to say charging a surprise five thanks for that - and output when not using the device for charging Kingston says it has a runtime of up to 16 hours so streaming data and other functions given the name you'd expect this device to be both mobile and light measuring 150 millimetres long 80 millimetres wide and just twenty four millimeters deep and tipping the scales of 194 grams I believe the MobileLite Wireless protects both boxes batteries are claimed to feature premium Japanese battery cells which kingston says improves reliability and longevity typically premium batteries also weigh a bit more so the fact that Kingston kept it under 200 grams is pretty impressive along with the micro USB type a USB and card reader there's also a wired LAN port that allows the device to function as an access point which is very cool indeed I should also point out there's also a cut-down version of the protocol wireless g3 which sells for just 50 dollars and is surprisingly similar to its bigger brother the key differences being the battery which has been reduced to a 5400 milliamp hour capacity and the internal flash storage which has been removed entirely I mean you use this have to rely solely on an SD card so if you don't acquire the internal storage and the almost 20 percent smaller battery isn't an issue then saving 50% on the g3 would be a smart choice still it has to be said for just $100 the Kingston MobileLite Wireless Pro is pretty good value for the functions it provides I can see those that like to travel light as in without a computer and take and share photos amongst the family getting the most use out of it I'd like to see Kingston put together a more robust and straightforward application I suspect this is what they've attempted to do with the second blue mobile light up but for the time being users can complete all functions between the two available applications as silly as that sounds thanks for joining me again I'm your host Mann as always and I'll see you guys next time