Morphie's Juicy iPhone Juice Pack
OK, we have to admit to being a bit disappointed in Morphie. I mean that in the best way possible- they have recently announced that their new “Air” battery pack will be slimmer and cheaper though, making this feel a bit behind the curve!
Nonetheless, the Morphie Juice Pack is excellent. It was “the first Apple certified ‘Works With iPhone 3G’ attached battery” but feels like it could have been made by Apple. Clean, solid, stable, and fairly sexy, the Juice Pack more than doubles the battery life of your iPhone. They claim it offers 1800 mAh, for a total of around 350 hours of standby or 6 hours of 3G data or voice, and our tests showed approximately those numbers (though we didn’t end up testing the standby time fully, as we kept getting pesky calls).
It charges using the typical iPhone docking adapter/USB cable, and will work on 1st and 2nd generation iPod Touches as well as both versions of the iPhone. It sort of hugs your device, making it a bit larger in all dimensions, and heavier as well. If you’re used to carrying your phone in your pants pocket, it’s unlikely that the Juice Pack will fit- but it worked in our coat pockets, and of course is best for traveling when you can put your phone in a bag.
There are some lights on the back of the pack to indicate battery life- not super-necessary but handy. And they included some sound ports to avoid blocking the iPhone’s built-in speakers, though the volume was decreased a bit. The Juice Pack feels great in the hand, doesn’t block the camera or reduce reception, and at $100 is not unreasonably priced. The new “Air” model will be slimmer and lighter and will go for $80, but isn’t yet available and will only have 2/3 of the battery life. The Juice Pack is the best battery pack we’ve tried for the iPhone 3G, and is available online and in stores.
What the article does not say it that the USB cable is not standard. It’s not a mini usb plug. So if you forget your cable or lose it, your in trouble.
Also, you have to buy it to know this detail because it’s not mentionned anywhere and of course the Apple store won’t take it back if it’s open. BEWARE!
It’s a no go for me.
— abud · Jun 24, 04:50 AM · #