Twister Reviews of Accessories and Gadgets

[twister6]

The complete list of all the links to my Reviews of various smartphone and tablet accessories has been moved to AF Accessories Section HERE. That list will be updated as I get more stuff, while the list below is for Note 2 accessories only.

Note 2 Cases

http://androidforums.com/samsung-ga...ero-shock-rugged-case-note-2-w-lots-pics.html

http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-note-2/740449-review-waterproof-bag-note-2-w-pics.html

http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-note-2/719529-review-cruzerlite-n2-tpu-cases-w-pics.html

http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-note-2/719378-review-yoobao-tpu-case-stand-w-pics.html

http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-note-2/717269-review-dba-cases-complete-ultra-w-pics.html

http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-note-2/716969-review-heavy-duty-vertical-pouch-w-pics.html

http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-note-2/709876-review-spigen-wallet-case-snap-w-pics.html

http://androidforums.com/samsung-ga...w-seidio-active-case-w-holster-lots-pics.html

http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-note-2/687623-case-mate-tough-case-review-w-lots-pics.html

http://androidforums.com/samsung-ga...n-armor-gear-case-note-2-w-lots-pictures.html

http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-note-2/689798-case-mate-pop-case-review-lots-pictures.html

http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-note-2/701195-ballistic-sg-case-review-lots-pics.html

http://androidforums.com/samsung-ga...idio-convert-combo-case-review-lots-pics.html

http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-note-2/693369-trident-aegis-case-review-lots-pictures.html

Otterbox Defender http://androidforums.com/5428257-post397.html

Rugged hybrid http://androidforums.com/5428257-post397.html

Rugged dual layer impact http://androidforums.com/5424726-post388.html

http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-note-2/662686-my-review-arkon-sport-armband-note-2-a.html

http://androidforums.com/samsung-ga...neric-pu-leather-flip-case-review-w-pics.html

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[twister6]

Upcoming reviews.

...

 

[DonB]

Great reviews and post, stickied, cheers

 

[drexappeal]

Great reviews and post, stickied, cheers

Thanks to DonB for making the wise choice on the Note 2 and cleaning up this forum!

FYI - There are many, many threads that can be merged. Lot's of duplicate questions getting 1 line responses for the same answer.

And Thanks to twister for making very thorough reviews.

 

[DonB]

When I get a little more time I will start cleaning this section out, if you see any thread and post that should be merged, simply report them and ost the link to where it should be merged with to make it quick and easy.

Twister has done a superb job on his reviews and I strongly suggest that the members here give him thanks and likes, well deserved. It is not easy doing these reviews and much work is put into them.

 

[Veritas4420]

When I get a little more time I will start cleaning this section out, if you see any thread and post that should be merged, simply report them and ost the link to where it should be merged with to make it quick and easy.

Twister has done a superb job on his reviews and I strongly suggest that the members here give him thanks and likes, well deserved. It is not easy doing these reviews and much work is put into them.

Agreed twisters reviews are super in depth and he provides a lot of great pictures. Looking forward to the 9300 battery review!

 

[twister6]

Agreed twisters reviews are super in depth and he provides a lot of great pictures. Looking forward to the 9300 battery review!

That battery supposed to be released on Monday, April 15th ($40 including TPU case). I have no doubt about it's capacity, ZeroLemon earned a great reputation with their S3 batteries. The reason why this release was delayed because of issues with TPU case. Plus they are planning to have a rugged case this summer.

 

[Veritas4420]

That battery supposed to be released on Monday, April 15th ($40 including TPU case). I have no doubt about it's capacity, ZeroLemon earned a great reputation with their S3 batteries. The reason why this release was delayed because of issues with TPU case. Plus they are planning to have a rugged case this summer.

Its here! Waiting for your full review. Amazon.com: [180 days warranty] ZeroLemon Samsung Galaxy Note II 9300mAh Extended Battery + Free Black Extended TPU Full Edge Protection Case with 180 days Zero Lemon Guarantee Warranty (Compatible with Samsung Galaxy Note II GT-N7100, T-Mobile Galax

 

[twister6]

Will have to wait 1-2 weeks before receiving a sample for review, but once I do - you will have a very detailed write up! Plus, I put together a little hardware setup to test the actual batter capacity. I have VA meter which calculates mAh, connects to external supply for keep the reading even when battery is discharged, and with input going to the battery source (I have it either with modified battery charger for a standard size battery or additional clips for extended battery) and output going to resistor load to simulates fast drain. Basically, I have a way to measure the exact mAh capacity of the battery. So far I have tested one so called "Gold" from eBay which claimed 4200 mAh and I found to be 2000 mAh. Someone else in XDA done the same test with 2 more ebay batteries claiming anywhere from 3100 mAh to 3800 mAh - and found those to be close to 2000 mAh as well. Sounds like a lot of ebay cheap stuff uses the same battery cells rated at 2000 mAh and they just put different labels on it...

 

[Veritas4420]

Will have to wait 1-2 weeks before receiving a sample for review, but once I do - you will have a very detailed write up! Plus, I put together a little hardware setup to test the actual batter capacity. I have VA meter which calculates mAh, connects to external supply for keep the reading even when battery is discharged, and with input going to the battery source (I have it either with modified battery charger for a standard size battery or additional clips for extended battery) and output going to resistor load to simulates fast drain. Basically, I have a way to measure the exact mAh capacity of the battery. So far I have tested one so called "Gold" from eBay which claimed 4200 mAh and I found to be 2000 mAh. Someone else in XDA done the same test with 2 more ebay batteries claiming anywhere from 3100 mAh to 3800 mAh - and found those to be close to 2000 mAh as well. Sounds like a lot of ebay cheap stuff uses the same battery cells rated at 2000 mAh and they just put different labels on it...

Well I went ahead and ordered the 9300 Extended battery. Supposed to get it Saturday. One thing that really annoys me is the amazon listing shows it had full support for NFC, which it does not. My Hyperion NFC works 1% of the time so that was a major reason I wanted the ZeroLemon

 

[twister6]

Well I went ahead and ordered the 9300 Extended battery. Supposed to get it Saturday. One thing that really annoys me is the amazon listing shows it had full support for NFC, which it does not. My Hyperion NFC works 1% of the time so that was a major reason I wanted the ZeroLemon

Correct, no NFC and it doesn't have a separate battery cover either. TPU case is the battery cover. I have been following ZL discussion on XDA and so far no definitive answer yet about the capacity validation. Mine supposed to arrive in a week (as part of review sample). Of course by that time we are going to have dozens of reviews already lol!!! What I did mention to ZeroLemon guys is they need to come up with external battery charger because once you run out of juice it will take you a very long time to recharge it. Not sure if it will fit with any external chargers, so you will be stuck for 8-9hr charging up your battery in the phone.

 

[Veritas4420]

Correct, no NFC and it doesn't have a separate battery cover either. TPU case is the battery cover. I have been following ZL discussion on XDA and so far no definitive answer yet about the capacity validation. Mine supposed to arrive in a week (as part of review sample). Of course by that time we are going to have dozens of reviews already lol!!! What I did mention to ZeroLemon guys is they need to come up with external battery charger because once you run out of juice it will take you a very long time to recharge it. Not sure if it will fit with any external chargers, so you will be stuck for 8-9hr charging up your battery in the phone.

Yeah, they just emailed me back about the case also being the back cover. As long as it last longer then my Hyperion, I will be a happy customer.

 

[twister6]

I just posted a review of MK809-II Android TV dongle (in Android TV section of AF) which I think some mind find interesting. I'm still trying to figure out how I can use it like a "smart" dock for Note 2, but in a meantime it's just a great gadget to turn any tv into smart tv

http://androidforums.com/google-tv/717574-review-mk809-ii-android-tv-lots-pics.html

 

[twister6]

I just wanted to make a comment. I have been maintaining a very detailed list of all of my reviews/links in the 1st message of this thread (and list of upcoming review in the 2nd message). But as time passes by, we move on to different phones and different smart devices, and not everybody will be checking Note 2 section of the forum. Who knows, maybe once N3 is released I will head over that section where I will continue posting my reviews. The point, is that I WILL CONTINUE reviewing more gadgets and accessories, and plan to keep updating this thread and it's first post with a list of all of my reviews.

So, I would recommend you guys subscribing to it (first post that is) to be notified whenever it's updated with a new review. This way, doesn't matter which section of the forum I'm posting in - index of all reviews will stay in one place, here.

 

[drexappeal]

I just wanted to make a comment. I have been maintaining a very detailed list of all of my reviews/links in the 1st message of this thread (and list of upcoming review in the 2nd message). But as time passes by, we move on to different phones and different smart devices, and not everybody will be checking Note 2 section of the forum. Who knows, maybe once N3 is released I will head over that section where I will continue posting my reviews. The point, is that I WILL CONTINUE reviewing more gadgets and accessories, and plan to keep updating this thread and it's first post with a list of all of my reviews.

So, I would recommend you guys subscribing to it (first post that is) to be notified whenever it's updated with a new review. This way, doesn't matter which section of the forum I'm posting in - index of all reviews will stay in one place, here.

One suggestion I can make, for the mods/guides, is to separate your "universal" accessory reviews from your "Note 2" specific reviews. So, for any "universal" accessories that you review, those can be placed in one centralized location in one of the general android sub-forums (for all phandroid members to see). Then, the device specific reviews can also be routed/linked/transferred to the proper forum for the specific device. Considering they were able to consolidate all your reviews, I'm sure it won't be difficult to route your different reviews.

Your reviews are so thorough, that it would be a shame for anybody to miss out on them, especially the universal accessories that could apply to all Android owners, not just Note 2 peeps. Just my .02.

 

[twister6]

One suggestion I can make, for the mods/guides, is to separate your "universal" accessory reviews from your "Note 2" specific reviews. So, for any "universal" accessories that you review, those can be placed in one centralized location in one of the general android sub-forums (for all phandroid members to see). Then, the device specific reviews can also be routed/linked/transferred to the proper forum for the specific device. Considering they were able to consolidate all your reviews, I'm sure it won't be difficult to route your different reviews.

Your reviews are so thorough, that it would be a shame for anybody to miss out on them, especially the universal accessories that could apply to all Android owners, not just Note 2 peeps. Just my .02.

Hi Drex, it's actually a very simple system I maintain. I started with Note 2 forum section, posting every review in here. Once it went over a dozen, I created this particular thread myself where I simple copied all of my links and partitioned them in more organized groups. Nobody maintains this list but me, and I have a link to it in my signature to have a better visibility to it, no matter where I post. With every new review, I go back and edit the first post with a new link.

Perhaps I should re-partition it differently. A separate index-thread with N2 related accessories that will always stay as a sticky in N2 section of the forum, and the same for Nexus 7 and S4 reviews. I believe that's what you had in mind, right? My only worry, I have been concentrating more on general accessories lately, and I have a feeling people don't visit as much "general" section of the forum. Even Note 2 section is dying out, while S4 is blooming! People tend to visit only their phone specific section.

Also, we need to create SmartWatch section as well. With my MetaWatch review, and upcoming Sony SW2 and Kreyos reviews and perhaps Pebble (if these guys ever going to send me a review sample) - would be a good section to forum in AF.

 

[drexappeal]

Hi Drex, it's actually a very simple system I maintain. I started with Note 2 forum section, posting every review in here. Once it went over a dozen, I created this particular thread myself where I simple copied all of my links and partitioned them in more organized groups. Nobody maintains this list but me, and I have a link to it in my signature to have a better visibility to it, no matter where I post. With every new review, I go back and edit the first post with a new link.

Perhaps I should re-partition it differently. A separate index-thread with N2 related accessories that will always stay as a sticky in N2 section of the forum, and the same for Nexus 7 and S4 reviews. I believe that's what you had in mind, right? My only worry, I have been concentrating more on general accessories lately, and I have a feeling people don't visit as much "general" section of the forum. Even Note 2 section is dying out, while S4 is blooming! People tend to visit only their phone specific section.

Also, we need to create SmartWatch section as well. With my MetaWatch review, and upcoming Sony SW2 and Kreyos reviews and perhaps Pebble (if these guys ever going to send me a review sample) - would be a good section to forum in AF.

You shouldn't need to do that all by yourself though, twister. The mods and guides should be able to help you out. As much as you've contributed already, with your reviews, the little 'bit of moving/editing can help significantly when you don't have to worry about your reviews getting to the right place and also be visible.

 

[twister6]

I just wanted to mention that moving forward I will be posting all of my reviews not related specifically to N2/S4/N7 in Accessories Section of AndroidForums: Android Accessories - Android Forums , just like the review of Plantronics BackBeat Go 2 wireless earbuds I just posted in there. So, make sure to subscribe to this "Index" page to you can keep up with all the future updates.

Also, I will partition my Review Index page to separate all general accessories, hopefully move it to Accessories section with a sticky