STUFF – ANKER ASTRO 3 PORTABLE BATTERY & Anker PORTABLE SPEAKER .

(Before It's News)

Joao Carlos Daily Dose

Joao with the entire team from Anker at there booth during Computex 2013 in Taipei Taiwan .

Ankers  booth at  Computex 2013 in Taipei Taiwan .

During my most recent trip to Taipei Taiwan , I attended one of the worlds largest computer trade shows , Computex . I was commissioned by memory  specialists  leaders Sandisk to create a video and a series off  images ( post to follow shorty )to be showcased at the trade show .
I travel allot shooting for magazines and brands  and I am always either taking pictures or connected to the internet ,  basically I was able to stay connected  and take pictures and videos in the morning but by lunchtime or by the end of the day my battery was dead . I  constantly would have to charge my  cell phone every time  I  would spend  more then  ten  minutes  at the same location . Taking advantage  of  the electricity to recharge my phone .This gets old fast ,  During a break from one of my presentations for Sandisk I had a walk around the floor , The Anker booth was very close and I had already noticed them . I had a good look around there booth  I even took some quick Iphone pictures so that I could later go back  and compare specs .

After all the comparisons I went back and picked up  the Anker 2nd Gen Astro3 because it is the  perfect solution for keeping your phones batteries running none  stop  - it is affordable, durable, and most definitely useful. The device comes pre-charged out of the box and only takes about 4-8 hours from my experience to gain full of charge again. One unique feature with this device is that it comes with 3 USB outs. Most external batteries only have 2, but this device has been able to accommodate 3 which allows you to charge multiple devices at once .  This is quite handy , in the following weeks I have used my ASTRO 3 on numerous shoots and its always great to be on location in the middle of no where with out electricity and be able to charge your creative directors or clients phone . 

I have also found it very useful aboard plans , trains and  basically anywhere on the go . 

The Astro 3 is going to be packed away as a permanent part of my photography  and travel kit .

Above – My camera bag of choice is the Thinktank  Airport Takeoff  I am always changing out whats in my bag , I like to customize my gear depending on the project . There are a couple of things in my Kit that never change , My Anker Astro 3 and My Anker Bluetooth speaker have become solid parts of my kit , much like my Sandisk memory cards or my BlackRapid camera strap . Here is a quick run down of the Astro 3 specs .

* Powerful 12000 mAh capacity specification
* The unit is compact in size and weighs in at 10 1/2 ounces.
* Attractively designed and covered in a rubberized coating that is easy to grip and it hides most fingerprints.
* There is no push button for starting the charging of your device or to read out the battery’s charged capacity using LED lights. You have to shake the battery to start a charging process or to read out the battery’s charged capacity.
* It has 10 LED lights in a circle that shows the battery charge.
* There is no ON button so when you plug in a device just shake the battery and that begins the charging process of your device. It is recommended that you unplug your device when it is fully charged.

* There are three USB power output ports. The Smart USB is rated at 5VDC at 2.4 Amps and it is the most powerful battery charging port I have seen so far. The other two USB ports are rated at 5 VDC and 2.0 Amps. I could charge my iPhone 5  in one port and my iPad 3 in the other port.
* You can charge three items simultaneously.
* The battery pack can output 4 Amps at one time and that is also the highest rated battery pack I have tested up to this date.
* The battery uses Lithium Ion battery technology.
* The battery pack can be recharged 500+ times
* Warranty is 18 months

Charge your smart phone anywhere even at the dinner table .

My work station the night before a big shoot on location – I have allot of camera  batteries four for the Hasselblad maybe ten for my Canon , tons and tons of Sandisk memory all archived in  my ThinkTank Pixel Pocket Rocket  and My Anker Astro 3 and The Anker Portable Bluetooth speaker .

I have been so delighted with my Astro 3 , I decided to have a better look at the Anker website . I am always on the look out for handy practical  gadgets , I have wanted a portable speaker for awhile , Music on set can really make or brake the mood , but with my shoots being all over the world its complicated to find a powerful , quality portable speaker . Until now .  This  Portable Speaker is a  boombox in the palm of your hand. 

The speaker sounds excellent for it’s size and is loud enough to fill a decent-sized room. My set has never quite been the same since I purchased the Portable  Speaker  , my team smile allot more and my models dance allot more , all in all helping me create the best mood and atmosphere  for any shoot anywhere . 

Keeping all my Anker gear safe and in one place thanks to ThinkTank

With so manny cables and wires  and adapters and chargers to keep track of , I try and have my gear as organized as possible and that means I have a specific  case or bag for all my gear . 

In my hunt for the perfect camera bag I found ThinkTank Photo , they are a great camera bag company who make bags for photographers  by photographers . 

To Keep tabs on my Anker stuff I picked up a camera bag thats normally used for mirror less  cameras.

The Mirror less Mover 5   is scaled to fit today’s compact, mirrorless cameras, this collection of bags offers the same top quality materials and craftsmanship that Think Tank is known for. 

Make up artist Alex ME finds inspiration with music  and gorgeous model  Inez from Best models  loves working to the sound of music on set or on location thanks to my Anker Bluetooth Portable speaker .

• Anker Portable speaker specs . 
• The latest Bluetooth 4.0 (fully backward compatible) for longer standby time; equipped with a 3.5mm audio jack for non-Bluetooth devices.
• Rechargeable built-in lithium battery offers 8-10 hours of playtime; iOS devices display the remaining capacity in the top status bar.
• Stylish and compact round-drum body slips easily into your bag for use on the go.
• Features clear, full sound and a built-in microphone with CVC background noise reduction for receiving voice calls.
• Package contents: Anker® Portable Bluetooth Speaker, 4ft 3.5mm audio cable, USB charging cable and user manual.

The Anker Bluetooth speaker is smaller then my Think Tank Pixel  Pocket rocket .

On route to our shoot the radio was without signal for about a hour , no problem we just plugged in my Anker Portable speaker to my phone and instantly the rest of our trip was more pleasant . The bottom of the speaker has this rubber finish which allows it to stay secure even on the most uneven surfaces .

Shooting on Location to the sound of music thanks to Anker

Inside of the box you will find;
* A beautifully designed and stylish speaker
* A charging cable that is 33 inches long
* An Audio Auxiliary cable that is 51 inches long
* An instruction manual


The speaker has:
* An on/off switch
* Auxiliary audio line input jack
* A DC charging port which is a Micro USB jack to allow you to charge the speaker’s battery with 5 VDC
* A microphone input port/hole to allow you to use the speaker as a hands free phone accessory
* A set of forward and reverse switches to allow you to skip or forward or back on your songs you are playing.
* A play pause button which is also used to pair the speaker to your Bluetooth device. This process is shown in my video.
* And a volume up and down button to allow you to adjust the speaker’s output volume.
* Bluetooth 4.0 which allows for faster and lower energy connections.
* A rechargeable lithium ion battery that provides 8 to 10 hours of music playing time. It also provides 12 hours of talk time and 1500 hours of standby time.
* You can charge the battery with your computer’s USB port or any AC USB wall charger that you own.
The speaker is so intelligent that it actually speaks to you and tells you what is going on with it and it tells you when it is on or off and when it is connected


I hope you have found this post useful , watch out  for loads of new posts each week  . until next time .Thank you for reading my Photo Daily Dose ..

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