RAVPower 26800mAh Portable Charger review: Compact, affordable battery delivers USB-C laptop charging

RAVPOWER POWER BANK has significantly improved the efficiency of its USB-C offerings with its 26800mAh Portable Charger with Power Delivery 2.0 (PD 2.0) support. The 30W output is enough to charge and use the 12-inch MacBook and some of the MacBook Pro models, and charge all of them rapidly while in sleep mode.
RAVPower 26800mAh Portable Charger: Charging laptops

The RAVPower took about 2.5 hours to fully recharge a 2015 12-inch MacBook with a new Apple battery from empty, and a little less than five hours to recharge its internal cells. That’s substantially faster than any other USB-C battery without PD 2.0 on the market.

These higher-wattage batteries also appear to be much more efficient than previously tested USB-C packs. In the case of RAVPower, it’s a huge difference. Its 20100mAh battery ostensibly had about 75Wh, but in testing, we were only able to transfer 25Wh and charge a MacBook to 70 percent before it was fully discharged. That’s only about 33 percent efficient.

RAVPower has dramatically improved its engineering or lithium-ion cell choice, as we used roughly 60 to 70Wh of the nearly 100Wh total to charge the MacBook’s 40Wh battery to full, or about 60 to 70 percent efficient. (We relied on the RAVPower’s four blue LEDs that indicate quartile charges, as well as recharging the battery to test whether the LEDs were roughly accurate.)

The 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro models have batteries that range from slightly more to about twice the capacity of the MacBook, so you’ll be able to charge smaller models twice or nearly so and larger models fully at least once.
RAVPower 26800mAh Portable Charger: Charging an iPad Pro and iPhone

In addition to the USB-C port, the pack also has two USB Type-A jacks that can each output a maximum of 12W (5V at 2.4A), useful for both iPads and other mobile devices, which typically max out at that rate. The two ports combined can’t exceed 3.4A, or 17W. I separately tested the pack’s Type-A ports with an iPhone 7 Plus, which charged at under 1.5A, and a 9.7-inch iPad Pro, which reached about 1.8A. Both of those are about 25 percent below expectations.

While the battery doesn’t come with a USB-C adapter to replenish its charge, you can use the one that’s supplied by Apple, or a third-party charger from Google or others. PD 2.0 allows for power negotiation, so the battery can work with adapters that can delivery much higher wattage than it needs. You can also use a Micro-USB port to recharge at a very slow 10W; I’m not sure why it’s included except for compatibility’s sake.

The RAVPower kit includes the battery, a mesh carrying case, and three cables: USB-C to USB-C (power only) and two USB Type-A to Micro-USB cables, one a few inches long and the other measuring two feet. The unit’s dimensions are 6.8 by 0.9 by 3.2 inches and it weighs 13 ounces. The company offers an 18-month warranty and adds another year if you register online.
Bottom line

Because of its lower cost but similar specs to the Anker PowerCore+ 26800 PD, it’s a reasonable money-saving choice with the price difference outweighing the capacity tradeoffs.

Covert MP8 Trail Camera, Mossy Oak Break-Up Country

Low priced and considered one of the best, the MOULTRIE A-30 GAME CAMERA has 28 infrared LED’s to capture the best moments using video or photos. Since its 8MP the video is no slouch, and is supplemented with clear audio if you need it. Various settings for the camera can be changed using the color viewer, which is big enough to show you the finer details of the project without making you strain your eyes. And to better identify the photos and videos that you take, they can include time, date, temp and moon phase stamps.

This is essential if you take a lot of photos and videos at once and don’t want to spend hours sorting through them. Dimensions of the camera are 5×3.8×3 and it comes in weighing at only 12.8 ounces. Mounting it on a branch or something light shouldn’t be a hassle at all, as it is compact and light enough to go anywhere and still get a good picture. If you are going to primary use this for night vision, then feel safe in knowing that the quality is pretty good although not out of this world. But there is nothing too major that it will miss during the day or night when you use it. This is a reliable camera for both home and game hunting.

High priced and worth every penny, this particular model is an ultimate powered 12MP high definition camera that is capable of capturing 1920×1080 video. It looks gorgeous on big screens, even above 50 inches. It has automatic motion sensing up to 65ft. with multiple levels that you can adjust for better performance. So taking pictures or videos during night won’t give you the typical grainy look, but rather a strong clear view.

Trigger speed is blazing fast at 0.7 seconds, and if you pair it with a 32GB card then you’re golden for a long time, even if you’re a heavy user. Having that much capacity is a great way to test out the burst mode, which takes multiple pictures within a few seconds so you will always get the best of any moment. PIR field of View is wide angled at 100 degrees, so the camera will not miss anything important and is not set to having a narrow view of the landscape. The 3 months of stand by battery life with the 1 year warranty is more than enough for many people. For placement it is tripod compatible so you can really lean on its advanced features. Low maintenance and with a lot of power, this is a great buy for several uses.

9 Steps to Launching a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign

If you’re looking to get attention and funding for your business idea, crowdfunding might give you the initial push you need to make your dreams a reality. Launching a successful crowdfunding campaign can essentially be broken down into the following nine steps.

The Truth About Working With Asian Investors

An entrepreneur recently approached me and asked me to “tell him the truth” about working with Asian investors. In the several years that I have served as an investor and VP for a Japanese corporate innovation center, I cannot count the number of times I have answered this question. In this article, I will share with you the current status of Asian investors in the startup sector, the key investors you should know, and add a word of caution about confusing geographic culture and corporate culture.
The truth is that the distinction between a venture capitalist (VC) and strategic investors from the East as compared to their Western counterparts is not as pronounced as one may think. There is a popular narrative about cultural differences and how it impacts investing. Take the Credit Suisse report How Culture Impacts Investment Behavior, which found that culture does have noticeable impact on individuals’ investing decisions. However, these differences relate to the individual and not to the institutional investor. In fact, the study shows that investment differences across cultures become less prominent as the amount of investable assets increases.

Landing Financing Without Taking on Debt or Giving Away Equity

Serial entrepreneur Aamer Sarfraz knows that raising money to launch or grow your business is painful, and says he’s invented a better way.

Sarfraz aims to bring royalty financing to entrepreneurs. Instead of compensating investors with equity, entrepreneurs raising an R round through Sarfraz’s firm Draper Oakwood Royalty Capital will pay investors back with a small percentage of their future earnings.