What's In My Bag - Everyday Edition 2019

I'm updating my "What's In My Bag" for 2019 split into my everyday bag and my photography Bag.

I'm carrying a lot less now because I've switched out almost everything to USB-C and I'm using a Pixelbook Fulltime now.  I still have the Razer Stealth, but I'm finding I can do almost everything on the Chromebook.

Up first is the bag.

I'm using the Nomatic Messenger Bag.  The only way that I can describe how I feel about Nomatic is that I think someone hacked my brain and gave the OCD, minimalist portions to the founders and they ask me for money in return. Everything has a place and there is space for much more.

I made a Youtube Video just to express my initial happiness.

Mouse: Gearhead Dual Mode Bluetooth and Optical Mouse.  It gets the job done and works on all OSes with Bluetooth or USB dongle.

Power Adapter: Google 18W 3A USB-C Rapid Charger and 6ft USB-C Cable. The rapid charger came with one of my Pixels.  Not sure if it was the Pixel 1 or Pixel 3.  The 6ft Cable is for the Pixelbook.

Powerbank:  CVIDA 10000 mAH Qi Wireless and QC 3.0 Powerbank.  I'm still looking for that perfect Qi Wireless Powerbank and USB-C Power Delivery.  I don't know if I assumed that it had power delivery or it was actually on the listing on Amazon. By the time I got around to test the USB-C Power Deliver, It was too late to return.  I've stuck with it mainly due to size and that it has USB A and C output as well as 5W Qi Wireless Charging.

Miscellaneous Cables: CAT6 Cable, Ravpower USB-A to C Cable, Apple USB-A to Lightning 

More cables and Dongles:  Ravpower USB-A to C Cable
Runlink USB-C Headset and Power Delivery Splitter.
Unlocked Huawei 4G LTE Dongle: I have a Google Fi data sim in there.  It works out of the box on Windows, MacOS and ChromeOS.  It takes a little finesse on Linux.  I'll probably make a post soon about that.
Chafon 6-in-1 USB Charge Cable: Newer Generation of a cable that I previously owned.  It drops the Apple 30 Pin Adapter for a USB-C Cable.
Pen
Google USB-C Headphone Adapter: Works on all OSses
Google USB-A to USB-A Adapter: Came with one of the phones
Samsung USB-C 128 GB Drive: USB-C on one end and USB-A on the other
Hyper USB-C SD Card Dongle
Attmu 6" Cable Ties: I got them from Amazon.  I originally thought they were AmazonBasics, but is a different brand.

Another Bag that had a bunch of USB-C Cables. More on that later.

Pixelbook Stuff :
Ravpower 45 Watt GaN Power Delivery Charger: I made a blog post after Christmas about my experience here.
Pixelbook 45 Watt Charger
Google Pixelbook:  i5, 8 GB Ram, 256 GB SSD
Google Pixelbook Pen: The most expensive pen that I've ever purchased.

More USB-C Cables:
Vava 8-1 USB-C Hub:  This one is the winner with smallish size and features.  It has 100W Power Deliver, Micro SD Card Slot, SD Card Slot, HDMI Port (4K @ 30Hz), 2 USB-A 3.0 Ports and Ethernet!!!
USB-C To Lightning
Cable Matters Braided USB-C to Micro USB Cable
USB-C to Micro USB OTG Cable

Anker USB-C Ethernet Adapter: For those ethernet only moments when wireless just won't cut it

Amazon Basics USB-C to USB-C Cable

7.2 Ft USB-C to USB-C Cable

What's In My Bag - Photography Edition 2019

This is the Part 2 of my "What's In My Bag" for 2019 focusing on my photography Bag.

Bag


Flash Modifier Gear:


Kobra Flash Modifier:  It's a recently shipping Kickstarter that's a forward facing flash reflector that controls light from spraying everywhere. It stops you from being blinded  It weights 4.3 grams and folds in my bag.  It also includes these gel insert to change the light emitted. The slip into a little leatherette wallet for storage.  It's a must-have for photographers.

Gary Fong Puffer Plus Flash Diffuser: It slips over the Nikon Flash and diffuses the light.  I use it in a pinch if the flash has run too hot or I forgot to pack extra batteries.

Nikon 3400: It's a basic DSLR that does the job.  I'll probably switch over to a Sony A7 this year.  I've been using Sony sensors for nearly 20 years and I know what they can an cannot do. 

Neewer Vertical Battery Grip: Holds 2 Batteries.  That gives me some 2500 shots or 5 hours of power.

Waka Camera Neck Strap: Comes with a shoulder strap and a safety tether.  You don't want thousands of dollars of equipment crashing to the ground.

Camera Assistant:   Arsenal is touted as a Smart Camera Assistant.  It uses feedback from a camera that uses machine learning to automatically adjust exposure, shutter speed, aperture, focus.  It connects to the USB port on your camera and then over wifi on your cell phone. It also has additional features bracketing/stacking for more dynamic range. It hasn't worked exactly as I'd hope.  The timelapse feature simply just takes X shots over Y interval.  I expected that it would save images to the phone for timelapse and bracketing, but just saves them to the SD card.  You have to use your computer to stitch them together.  In my usage, most of the images come out overexposed.  Another Kickstarter miss.

Nikon Nikkor 70-300 mm Lens: Produces sharp photos with a telephoto lens.

Apeman i-TTL Speedlight:  Cheap, cheap flash that works better than more expensive lights.

DxO One Lighting Edition:  Produces high quality 20 MP images from a 1-inch sensor.  It's a great little accessory or standalone.  It captures to SD Card or your phone. I wish that I got the USB-C version as well.   The device manufacturing arm of DxO Labs has gone out of business, so no new firmware updates. 

Newest Toy:   Snap 4K Action Camera.  It's a nice tiny camera that you can mount using magnets to your person or a bike mount.  The lens can flip 180 degress. It comes with a Bluetooth remote to remotely start and stop recording.  Also, an extra battery gives you an additional 1.5 of battery for 3 hours of continuous storage.  So far the video and photos are excellent and it's a nice addition to my photo and video equipment

Update (03/23/2019: 2 months later and this thing is dead.  I noticed that it stopped showing recording status and now it's dead even with the external battery connected.  Purge garbage.

Yi Discovery 4K Action Cam:  It's meh.  It's really 2K and not 4K.  No tripod mount or image stabilization, but I shouldn't expect much from a  $50 action cam.
(Update 10/27/2019):  Replaced with a GoPro Hero 7 Black.

More Stuff:
Supon i-TTL Dual Hotshoe Bracket: For when things get crazy.  Speedlight and Arsenal
Eynpire Triple Mount Bracket: For when things get really crazy
USB-C to OTG Micro USB Cable
Google Pixel

Canon Vixia HF R80 Camcorder: It's an ok HD camcorder with an external mic input. With enough light, it performs well.  In low light, there is a great deal of noise.  It's a good camera to get B-roll material but I'm finding that my Pixel takes better video and low light photos and video.

Final thing

Frii TriLens:  A belt mount that holds 3 lenses.  Simple as that.

As I finish the entry, I see that I've left behind two batteries and a charger on a shoot. Time to hit the re-order button.

I was really saddened with the Arsenal not really working as expected.   One thing th"at I did was test qDSLRDashboard.  It's an Android/iOS App, Windows/MacOS App, and Raspberry Pi App that runs on a Raspberry Pi that remote controls cameras.  It worked using a Raspberry Pi but was a little bulky.    I connected it to a my Google Pixel and then things got fun.  I was able to perform Focus Stacking and remote control of the camera.  Removing any human shake from the camera makes a better photograph. All the functions of the Arsenal minus the machine learning that doesn't seem to work.  The app was only $8.66 plus another $7 for the OTG cable.  The Arsenal was $175 and I had to buy another OTG cable for it because the USB-Cable was bent. It's been nearly 2 months and I have not heard back from Arsenal Report on the replacement.

For those of you considering the Arsenal, hold off and try qDSLRDashboard using your phone first.   It's a cheaper alternative.

[Updated] GoSho: World's Most Powerful Mini HD Projector First Look

GoSho was described as a portable projector that could be connected wirelessly (Airplay, Miracast, DLNA) or with HDMI and USB, making it easy to view and share any kind of entertainment.

Supposed to arrive in August of 2018 but arrived on the 10th of January 2019.

Brief reasoning behind the delay:

Aug 19, 2018 - there was a project update that there were Texas Instruments DLP3435 chip shortages, would arrive in October, so November delivery on their side.

Nov 2.. they got the chips, 5 to 8 days to assemble.

Nov 23, 2018 Quality control issue. (More on that later) Yesterday our quality control team did a review of completed GoShos that revealed a number of GoShos had been damaged during transport due to insufficient strength of the packaging. Once discovered, the GoShos already in the distribution facility were immediately recovered and are currently being transported back to the factory for inspection. Parallel to this, our design team is already in the process of designing new packaging with increased strength to better protect GoSho during shipping.



Dec 6, 2018

It’s expected that tracking numbers for ALL units will be sent to backers before December 20th. This means backers will receive tracking numbers for shipping within the next 2 weeks.

So what has been happening since our last update? We received the previously shipped GoSho units and identified the broken units. These broken units have been completely dismantled and are currently being manufactured again. We also finished the design of the improved packaging and half of the GoSho units have been repackaged and are awaiting shipping.




Dec 21, 2018

All our GoShos have been completed and were expecting to ship today, but after running the quality tests (when units are tested for an extended eight-hour period to test internal components), we discovered that 20% of the units contained slightly tilted stand covers (as seen on the first image below). We are replacing these affected parts and all GoShos will be ready to ship this coming Monday.

Dec 24, 2018

We have been processing shipping from the factory the first 538 units to backers since this morning(please see the photos below!). In total, we will be shipping 2,300 units to separate address in more than 100 countries. It has a lot of work, but we still have confidence to complete it well.


Mine did not get to the sorting facility until 2019/1/2 21:19:35


✓ Bright 180 ANSI LUMENS - Not sure ( I guess it's over 100 Lumen)
✓ Extended 4-hour playtime - Nope, Only 2:05 (two hours, 5 minutes in eco mode)
✓ 200-inch widescreen display - Close, I got to about 160 inches
✓ Auto-keystone correction - Yes
✓ Alexa & Google Assistant compatible - No (There's no Bluetooth setting that I could find)
✓ Stream from smartphones or computers - It was really clunky and only lasted for about 45 seconds

The GoSho arrived in foam wrapped box in a soft plastic bag, similar to what clothing would arive in the mail. Not a $300 projector. I took pictures

Now for a quick review.

The GoSho 1.0 OS (linux) that was supposed to have Youtube, Netflix, Web Browser and access to the Google Play Store. - It's nothing more than a Linux os with a HDMI pass-thru, video player, mp3 player and photo viewer.

Only Exists in an Alternate Reality

Tech Specs

I could play 1080p 30 fps video with no problems.
1080p 60 fps video had immediate audio sync issues with frame drops and stuttering audio.

4k 30 and 60 fps didn't even load.


The audio was actually decent.

Photo viewing was not sharp and the colors were muted. I'm the photographer, so I know what the originals looked like.

The HDMI Passthru partially works.  My FireTV Pendant boots with the Firetv, but I'm guessing when the HDCP kicks in, Gosho does not meet the HDCP requirements and the HDMI stream is killed.

Video Below:

What The Menus Really Look Like:

I'm really hoping that there's a firmware update soon for Miracast, Airplay, and DLNA. If not, this will be a very expensive paperweight.  Similar products are on Amazon for $30.

Living A Slim GaN Life

I got a little surprise for Christmas from my parents.  I wasn't expecting them to use my Amazon Wishlist but they did and they got me a Ravpower 45W GaN Wall Charger. Gallium Nitride (GaN) allows the circuitry in chargers to be much smaller.  You can read more in the whitepaper here.

I thought my Google Pixel USB-C to AC Adapter was small, but the RavPower Wall Charger was just obscenely small. It can charge my Google Pixelbook, Pixel, Pixel 3, Nintendo Switch, Razer Stealth just fine. 

They're getting smaller, minus the actual USB-C cable.  I'll put it thru some tests over the next few weeks to see how it holds up.

Currently $54.99 with a 3 off coupon.  Anker has a 27-watt variant, but it doesn't meet my wattage requirements for my laptops.

QIPLUS: 3-in-1 Global Wireless Charger & Powerbank Review

QIPLUS: 3-in-1 Global Wireless Charger Powerbank Review


I was in the market for a Wireless Charger Powerbank with USB-C Power Delivery, USB-A and passthru charging.



I have the CVIDA Qi Wireless Charger 10000mAh Power Bank https://amzn.to/2LJhvRC that only works with the iPhone 8/X and Samsung Galaxy Phones.  Also, I couldn't get the Passthru charging to work and USB-C Power Delivery didn't work.

Along came the QiPlus on Indiegogo, so I backed and got it shipped unfortunately in 5 weeks.

Had I known it would have taken 5 weeks to get here I would have just ordered from Amazon.

Apparently, it's a white label qi power bank with an extra long power cord.  It's been available on Amazon since June 1st, 2018 (Link).  Amazon is providing fulfillment.

It's nothing special.

It takes Display never gets to 100%

It doesn't have USB-C Power Delivery, so if your laptop has more than a 6700 mAH battery, then it will charge the Qiplus. Both my Pixelbook and Razer Stealth laptops charge the Qiplus.

I think the coil in my Nexus 5 stopped working and it isn't up for wireless charging tricks anymore.

(Update 12/24/2018)

I was plagued with failing usb-c cables and the common source was the Qiplus. 

I emailed their support team and got the following statement:

The Port type C is only used as input port which can only be used to charge the Qiplus product itself. It is not designed as an output port and cannot be used to charge other devices.

I would have not purchased the thing if I'd known that :-(

SHAPL Suitcase & Backpack First Look

SHAPL Suitcase & Backpack First Look

I have more luggage, yeah!   It's not like I need more luggage.  I backed the SHAPL Suitcase & Backpack 3pc. Full Set on Indiegogo back in July.  It came right on time just before Christmas Travel.   I'll have a full review after Christmas.


It comes with the following items:

3 x Bluetooth Tracker
1 x 20" Carry-On Suitcase
1 x 25" Full-Size Suitcase
1 x Backpack
4 x 26-Letter Alphabet Sticker Set


I would have to say just with unboxing and setting up the bluetooth trackers, it's the most well packed piece of luggage that I've purchased.   The box was beaten up from Korea, but the luggage was perfect.

I look benign, but I'm a Matryoshka doll hiding another suitcase and backpack.

Here's the bluetooth tracker.  You'll need new CR2032 3V Litihum batteries.

Compartments, compartments!

Shoe compartment

20" and 25" next to each other

Instructions

Here's the backpack.  It's more like a briefcase with shoulder straps.

Laptop compartment

USB-A Port on the Bottom

Here's the usb-a cable to attach to a battery pack.

Tucking the straps in

Backpack on the handle using the luggage strap.

It has the little rubber feet to lay on its side.


Here's what the app looks like: