Amazon is recalling 260,000 AmazonBasics power banks due to ‘fire and burn hazards’

If you purchased an AmazonBasics power bank recently, you should expect to get an email from Amazon notifying you that the product is being recalled due to overheating reports. According to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, “the power bank’s battery can overheat and ignite, posing fire and burn hazards.” Amazon has reportedly gotten 53 reports of these incidents happening so far and it’s asking users to stop using the product. The power banks affected have the model numbers B00ZQ4JQAA, B00LRK8JDC, B00LRK8IV0, B00LRK8I7O, B00LRK8EVO, and B00LRK8HJ8 and come with 16,100mAh, 10,000mAh, 5,600mAh, 3,000mAh, 3,000mAh (with microUSB cable), and 2,000mAh (with micro USB cable) battery capacities.

The company is asking consumers to confirm through the link in an email that they still have the product and that they follow disposal instructions. A gift card will be issued within 10 working days for those confirmed to have the unit. If you bought one of the units and you still haven’t been contacted by Amazon, you can get in touch with the retailer online through this link or call Amazon toll-free at 855-215-5134 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday.

Source: Android Authority

Mophie outs aluminum-clad power banks

Mophie is giving you mobile warriors a more premium-looking set of power banks with different capacities and capabilities. The new powerstations come built with an aluminum shell for a classier look. It comes in five different models including a smaller 1X model (US$40) with 2,000mAh capacity and charging speeds of up to 1.8A. The 2X model ($60) has 4,000mAh capacity with 2.4A charging speed. The 3X ($80) shares the charging speed of the 2X but it has a 6,000mAh capacity and a second USB port. Meanwhile, the powerhouse battery packs are the 5X ($130) and 8X ($150), both include Bluetooth monitoring using the free Power app on Android and iOS. The 5X has 10,000mAh capacity, while the 8X has 15,000mAh power. These two have dual charging capabilities. It’s said t be coming to Apple Store locations so hopefully it makes its way here, too.

Source: 9to5Mac

iHome Cases introduces carbiner-bound power banks

Prone to leaving power banks at home? iHome Cases is introducing its new PowerClip Power Banks to charge your Android, iOS devices, and even small laptops. These power banks are attached to carabiners so you can easily clip them onto your bag. It recharges via standard USB port. It’s available in 2,600mAh, 5,200mAh, and 7,800mAh capacities. There’s an LED power indicator on the portable battery so you can see how much charge it has left. It’s available in black, green, navy, and red. The 2,600mAh model retails for US$29.99, the 5,200mAh sells for $39.99, and the 7,800mAh costs $49.99. Now, just make sure you remember to charge them and bring them with you.

You can charge your new MacBook with a portable battery pack

You might be lamenting the single USB-C port on the new MacBook. But one of the good things about this universal port is you can now charge the MacBook with a portable battery pack. You could do it before with the MagSafe-equipped MacBooks but you needed specific battery packs or a modified MagSafe adapter. Now, you can use any high-capacity battery pack. Just make sure you have a USB-C to USB-A cable and you're good to go. Apple promises nine to 10 hours of use with the new MacBook. But if you have a high-capacity power bank, you could just extend that further. 

Source: Mashable