The Kensington Wall/Air Ultra Compact Notebook Power Adapter is simple; to be the lightest, most energy efficient power adapter that can also be used to charge your laptop as well as other mobile devices.  And compared to other regular 90 watt adapter, Kensington says the Ultra Compact Notebook Power Adapter is 43% smaller and 32% lighter.

In addition, the adapter also comes with over voltage, current, short circuit and temperature protection to make it an excellent long-term investment even if you switch or upgrade your machine.

As with other generic power adapters, support for various laptop brands are achieved by interchangeable power tips.  In this case, all common laptops (HP, Compaq, Dell, Acer, Toshiba, Lenovo, Sony, Gateway, Asus) should be supported, though you can take a look at the Power Compatibility Chart here to set your mind at ease.

Included with the various tips to get you started is an airline charging cable, retractable mini USB charging cable and travel pouch.  Other USB Power Tip Packs are sold separately if you require support for phones such as those from Motorola, Nokia, LG or Sony-Ericsson, among others.

Opinion

I have been using the Wall/Air Ultra Compact Notebook Power Adapter for a few weeks now, and I must say that I am very happy with its slimmer profile and reduced weight.  I was initially concerned that the adapter will not be able to handle my Sony Z series behemoth (It requires a power adapter of at least 85 watts) but I was assured by Kensington that it would not be a problem.

And who would have imagined that the simple built-in USB charger would prove to be useful; I am a convert on this now.  By using various USB cables that I already owned, I was able charge various devices such as my BlackBerry and iPhone much faster than via my laptop’s USB port.

So yes, the Ultra Compact Notebook Power Adapter has found a permanent home in my laptop bag, allowing me to leave my existing power adapter as a fixture for when I am at my workstation. Indeed, I also have the assurance that its usefulness will extend to my next laptop and beyond – simply by swapping out the tip.

The Kensington Wall/Air Ultra Compact Notebook Power Adapter is currently priced at $95.99.

Read on for the detailed walk-through.

Obligatory box shot

The power adapter

The various power cables and airline charging cable

The retractable USB cord and various tips for the power adapter

A travel pouch is included in the package

How the laptop-facing connector looks like prior to the insertion of the appropriate power tip

With the appropriate power-tip inserted

The USB port for charging your mobile devices or other USB-powered peripherals

There is a voltage selector for use with certain laptops. It involves sliding in one (of two) provided plastic "keys" and is basically a slot-in and forget activity

The Kensington power adapter accepts a standard two-prong type of power plug. It shouldn't be hard to get matching cables from elsewhere if you so desire

The power adapter switched on with a USB cable plugged into the USB charger port. Note the lit green indicator light

I personally use a retractable power cord together (third party) which I pair with the Kensington power adapter

Side-by-side comparison with the default power adapter that came with my Sony Vaio laptop. In fairness, Kensington did say that my laptop might charge slower as its power adapter is slightly less powerful than the one from Sony

Another side-by-side comparison. The Kensington power adapter has a thinner profile, making it easier to bring around in a laptop bag

Top view comparison

Everything I need packed into the included travel pouch (The retractable power cord is not part of the package)

The travel porch with everything inside

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I reviewed the OtterBox iPhone 3GS Commuter TL Series Case a couple of months back, which offers rugged protection for your iPhone 3GS without taking up too much bulk. Users who want something more basic though, be it design or price-wise, will probably want to go for the no-frills design of the OtterBox iPhone 3GS Impact Series Case.

As its name implies, the iPhone 3GS Impact Series Case belongs to the “Impact” series of casing from Otterbox. It consists of only a single silicone skin that is engineered to dissipate shock away from your beloved iPhone.

Its features look pretty similar to that of the Commuter TL Series.

• Inner coring for added protection
• Self-adhering clear protective film included
• Access to all buttons and features

Rather than rant about it, I took a number of close-up shots from various angles so as to help you decide if this is for you.

And yes, OtterBox will be releasing the iPhone 4 version pretty soon. Check out the Impact series for the iPhone 4 here.

Like the OtterBox iPhone 3GS Commuter TL Case, the package comes with a screen protector and cleaning cloth

Back view of the Impact case

Front shot of the Impact case. You can see the care that went into improving the protection against shock that OtterBox designed into the case

A closer look at the coring protection. Note the protrusion for better contact with the underlying buttons

Slipping the Impact case onto the iPhone

The iPhone snug inside the Impact case

Back view of the iPhone with the case on

While unavoidably adding a certain bulk to the iPhone, the rather stylish indentations do help to make the case appear slimmer

Another view that shows the effect of the indentations

Bottom view of the iPhone with the OtterBox Impact case

The volume keys are protected while the toggle for the ringer is exposed. No problem here, since its already deeply recessed in the first place.

Note the cutout for the light sensor on the front of the Impact case

A front shot of the iPhone in the Impact case

Another front shot of the iPhone

- End

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OtterBox sent me some of their new smartphone cases, and I took the opportunity to use on actual smartphones to check out just how good they are.

For those not already in the know, OtterBox was started in 1996 selling protective gear such as waterproof boxes. They still make them, though I must point out that the protective casings for the smartphones and many of the handheld devices are not waterproof – not that OtterBox ever made that claim.

Of course, I must say that I have been using one of their Impact Series case for my BlackBerry Bold 9000 for a while now; and absolutely love the rugged protection that it offers.  Yes, I would agree that their smartphone cases are hardly the thinnest on the market.  For the amount of protection afforded to your device though, the extra bulge is really negligible.

How does the OtterBox iPhone 3GS Commuter TL series case fare though?  To help you decide, I shall be doing a walk-through review with plenty of close-up photo shots. First, let me list out what I like about it:

• Custom molded polycarbonate shell provides impact resistance; and also makes it easy to slide case out of pocket or purse.
• Inner coring in the silicone sleeve provides additional bump and shock protection
• Silicone sleeve also protects dock connector and earphone connector against dust
• Looks really trendy to carry around; multiple colors available
• The OtterBox Commuter TL for the iPhone 3GS also comes with a screen protector (not shown here)

For today, I have put together a comprehensive gallery of the Commuter TL series case for the iPhone, which is available in seven different colors: Black, Blue, Green, Pink, Red, White and Yellow.  And as you can see, the one I got is a vibrant red.

Read on for the detailed walk-through.

The OtterBox Commuter TL series case comes in two parts: the silicone inner skin and an outer polycarbonate shell. The bundled clear screen protector is not shown in the picture

The silicone inner layer is molded to fit the iPhone 3G/3GS precisely. Note the precision and finish of the silicone

Note the high quality finish of the silicone

The inner coring helps absorb impact of dropping the iPhone onto a hard surface and is what differentiates the OtterBox from the other protective cases on the market

The outer polycarbonate layer. This makes it possible to slide the iPhone into your jeans pocket.

The iPhone wearing the inner silicone layer. You can also see the cutouts for the mute toggle and the volume control buttons.

Bottom view of the iPhone with silicone inner skin on. The bottom part of the silicone sleeve inserts into the dock connector to protect it.

Back view of iPhone with inner silicone sleeve on

Slipping the outer polycarbonate shell on. Observe how the inner silicone slide precisely into the cutouts in the polycarbonate

The polycarbonate shell snaps into place to grip the iPhone at the top and bottom

Front view of the iPhone with the Commuter TL case on. The matte screen protector is my own; the package includes a clear screen protector which I did not use

Back view of the iPhone with the OtterBox Commuter TL

The part of the silicone sleeve designed to protect the dock connector can be easily unplugged as necessary

Here, you can see the headphone connector plugged in

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In my first post of 2010 (Yes, I know it’s already February), I am proud to announce that I’ve just launched a new site over the weekend. TheTechBlogger.com is meant for me to express my views on various topics pertaining to areas such as IT, technology, and blogging.  And yes, this includes book reviews and updates on what I’m currently writing/working on too.

In a way, it’s also like a catch-all site for anything that doesn’t fit with my paid gigs, if you must peg a description to it.  Anyway, you can read more about my rational at its about page.

In any event, TechatPlay.com remains the blog for me to talk about more techie stuff on topics such as enterprise IT and mobile computing.  And yes, I promise I’ll update on a more regular basis this year.  Really.

In fact, I am typing on a review unit of the Microsoft Arc keyboard now, which I’m very eager to share about.  For now, I’ve waiting for my post for AsiaOne Digital to go live before doing a comparison of the Arc keyboard with the Apple wireless keyboard.

Well, there’s all I have to say for now, so stay tuned.

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Tech at Play was set up with a view to focus on interesting technology or trends that adds value to the business arena. I covered push mail technologies pretty extensively a couple of years ago when it was still relatively new. Now, I cover a wider breadth of enterprise technologies.

Of course, you didn’t browse to this section just to read the above paragraph. To know more about who I am and what I do.

Public relations agencies might be interested to read more on my policy on review units as well as press releases.

Editors in need of a writer for both ad-hoc articles or regular columns are welcome to contact me. I can write to required length.

For more of my thoughts and opinions pertaining to tech news and products, check out my personal blog at The TechBlogger.

You can use the following form to get in touch with me.

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Ran the Benchmark in the HD Tune Hard Disk Utility this week as part of the topic this week.  Realized that I never did post the performance of my upgraded laptop before, so here is the screenshot of it below.

The average result appears to be in the region of 30-40 MBps for most students, with an access time of about 15-20 ms.  As you can see, the “Summit” Samsung SSD however performed at 4-5 times as fast.  Observe also the extremely low access time courtesy of the solid state technology.

Convinced about upgrading to a solid state disk yet?

HD Tune Benchmark of Samsung SSD

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The HTC Tilt 2 arrived yesterday.  I haven’t had the chance to unpack it yet, given that I had an evening appointment and arrived home late.  This isn’t my first Windows Mobile smartphone, though it is my first WM 6.5 device.

Basically, I’ll be using it over the course of two weeks as a part of a challenge put together by AT&T.  The relevant site isn’t up yet, so I can’t tell you much at this point.  Let’s just say that I’ll be blogging a lot more about the HTC Tilt 2 though.  Anyway, I’ll link to the “challenge” site once its up.

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Just purchased a Microsoft wireless mouse earlier this week.  What is unique about the Wirelsss Mobile Mouse 4000 is its tracking sensor, which uses Microsoft’s BlueTrack technology.  You can see the Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000 in the photo above, shown just beside the Logitech wireless that I am currently using.

So what’s so special about Microsoft’s BlueTrack technology?  According to the Microsoft product site, BlueTrack “combines the power of optical with the precision of laser for remarkable tracking on virtually any surface.”  Of course, this isn’t Microsoft’s first mouse to use this technology, but it is the first to use a nano-sized RF receiver that started with Logitech.

So just how good is BlueTrack?  Well, that’s what I’ll be finding out.  I will be using the Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000 everywhere I go from today onwards (Actually, it was yesterday), sans my mousepad.  Do check back in a while to see how I would rate it.

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The maker of the REDFLY Mobile Companion has just announced support for the RIM BlackBerry smartphone.  According to Celio Corp, the BlackBerry solution will be offered free-of-charge for existing and new owners of the REDFLY Mobile Companion C8N and C7.

The actual launch of BlackBerry support will be mid-Q4 2009, with initial compatibility for the BlackBerry Bold 9000, BlackBerry Curve 8900 and BlackBerry Tour 9630.  Plans are in the pipeline to support additional phones as they are released by RIM.  At the moment, the REDFLY is compatible with more than 70 Windows Mobile devices.

If you are wondering what the REDFLY is, you can check out the below description which I got from the REDFLY product page:

“REDFLY is a smartphone terminal with a large screen and full keyboard with no OS, no CPU, and no storage that lets you use your smartphone like a laptop. REDFLY links to your smartphone via a USB cable or wireless Bluetooth connection.”

At this point, I’m not so sure about usefulness of the REDFLY Mobile Companion given that a new wave of ultra portables like the Sony Vaio X series – weighting 700 grams and just 15mm thick – is due to be released soon.  Then again, I’ve never used the REDFLY before, so I might find it useful yet.  As readers will know, I am a BlackBerry smartphone user, so I’ll check back with my opinion of it once I can get a review unit with the new BlackBerry driver.

A spokesman for Celio Corp told me that it might be a few weeks more before review units are available, as the company is still developing the BlackBerry solution and wants to make sure it works really well first.  In the meantime, you can see the video of the BlackBerry support in action.

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This came in the door over the weekend.  You see, it has been years since I last used a speech recognition software, and I’ve been wondering how the technology has evolved.  Well, Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional 10 by Nuance Communications Inc is considered as among the best speech recognition software around, and I was eager to give it a try.

The boxed software (no download or trial available) comes with an installation DVD, and a couple of simple installation and usage booklets.  A wired microphone rounds up the speech recognition suite.

I’ve given the product a preliminary spin over the last couple of days, and I must say that I am impressed overall.  Not that it doesn’t make any mistakes in recognizing my voice – but my out-of-the-box, skip-the-manual experience has proven to be surprisingly good.  It does look like it can help me substantially in my writing and also transcribing of interviews.

As I understand it, the accuracy is supposed to get better with time.  Anyway, I’ve hardly scratched the surface of its feature list, so do check back on my experience with it in another 3-4 week’s time.

You can get Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional 10 from Amazon. Alternatively, you can find out more from its product page here.

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