Mobile Fun Blog

Guide to iPhone Battery Packs

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

I’ve had my iPhone for just over 18 months now, and I still love it as much as I did the day I got it, but I have to admit the battery life on it isn’t great. On average I get about a days use out of a full charge, which doesn’t normally cause me a problem unless I forget to put the phone on charge overnight.

iPhone Battery life isn't the best

Poor iPhone battery life has been the subject of many discussions in online forums and chat rooms, and only last night Apple released an update for the software to try and improve the accuracy of the battery meter on the phone. What you may not realise though is that there are a number of third party solutions available to help you get more out of your iPhone battery.

There are 3 different types of iPhone Battery Pack available that will extend the life of your phone, External batteries, Charging Sleeves and Charging Cases.

Here’s a quick look at some of the most popular iPhone Battery Packs at the moment.

iPhone External Battery Packs

These are small, portable batteries that can be charged independently of your iPhone and are designed to be connected to your phone only when needed.

iPhone Dock and External Battery Pack

This is actually two products in one – a handy desk top charger that you can easily sit your iPhone on to sync and charge your iPhone as well as a portable, rechargeable battery for the iPhone. The desktop charger has 2 charging slots that allow you to charge your iPhone and external battery at the same time. The battery pack adds roughly an inch to the length of your phone and covers just over half of the back cover. It can be charged using either the desk stand or a Mini USB data cable. The 1200 mAh battery will give you approximately 4 more hours of talk time and 12 hours stand by time.

iPhone 3GS / 3G Dock and External Battery Pack

iPhone Mobile Power Station

If you just want something simple that you can carry around in your bag or pocket then the Mobile Power Station is a great option. It’s not much bigger than a box of matches and unlike most external iPhone batteries, it has a 30 pin Dock Connector so that you can use your existing mains charger or data cable to charge it up. It takes just two hours to fully charge the 1000mAh battery in the Mobile Power Station, and depending on use will give you around 3 hours more talk time and 12 hours talk time.

iPhone 3GS / 3G Mobile Power Station

iPhone Charging Sleeves

These are a more permanent charging solution than external batteries. As the cases are slightly larger, they tend to hold larger batteries which in turn give better battery life. Sleeves often cover the back and sides of the phone, but leave the screen and top edges exposed.

MiLi Power Pack For iPhone

If you need some serious battery power for your iPhone then you should get yourself a MiLi Power Pack. One full charge can give you an incredible 390 hours extra standby time and up to 13 hours more talktime! At 79g and 23mm thick, it will increase the size and weight of your iPhone but the gains in battery life certainly make up for it. It’s not just your iPhone that you can charge with the MiLi though, the bottom of the case has a standard USB port that you can use to charge any other device that supports USB charging. All you’ll need is the appropriate USB cable. MiLi Power Packs are available in Black or White.

MiLi Power Pack For iPhone 3GS / 3G - Black

iPhone Case-Mate Fuel

The Case Mate Fuel can either be used as a sleeve or holder for your iPhone. It has a rotating belt clip on the back that can be fixed at a number of angles. Like most of the battery packs here, it charges using a mini USB connection. Battery life from the Case Mate Fuel is great, it adds 9 hours more talk time and 250 hours stand by to the iPhone and has it’s own power switch that allows you to control when the case charges your phone. The Case Mate Fuel weighs in a little heavier than the MiLi at 90g and 25mm thick (excluding the belt clip).

Case-Mate Fuel For iPhone 3GS / 3G

Solar Power iPhone Charging Sleeve

Solar Power is the next big thing in mobile accessories. It’s already found its way into several Bluetooth Car Kits, and is now working it’s way into phone cases too. The back of the case is one big solar panel that converts the sun’s energy into power for your iPhone. Some have commented in the past that leaving your phone in direct sunlight for hours at a time isn’t a great idea, and they’re right – it’s not, but you don’t actually need to. The solar case can be sat on your desk or bedside table and as long as it’s light, it’ll charge. For times when it’s not that bright or night times, it comes with a Mini USB charging cable that you can use to charge it using a USB port on your PC/Mac. The solar case has a 2100mAh battery and gives similar improvements to that of the Case Mate Fuel. Size wise, it’s 23mm thick and weighs 90g.

Solar Power Sleeve Charging Case - iPhone 3GS / 3G - Black

iPhone Charging Cases & Covers

These are similar to charging sleeves and are another semi-permanent charging solution for the iPhone. As with the sleeves, they tend to hold larger batteries and offer better battery life. Most Cases and Covers cover the all sides of the phone, but leave the screen exposed.

Mophie Juice Pack Air for iPhone

The Juice Pack Air was one of the first charging cases for the iPhone.  It’s slimmer and lighter than the iPhone Charging Sleeves and still manages to match them on performance. The Mophie Juice Pack Air gives you upto 270 hours standby time and up to 9 hours more talk time (on a 2G network). They cover all of the back and sides of your iPhone and can be used with an iPhone screen protector. Juice Pack’s weigh in at 75g and are just 19mm thick.

Mophie Juice Pack Air for iPhone 3GS / 3G - Purple

iPhone Charging Leather Case

This is a more conventional looking case that at first glance doesn’t look like it contains a battery. The flip case has a lightly padded front cover that protects your screen against knocks and scratches. It has a 1400mAh battery built in that can give you an extra 4 hours talk time and around 15 hours more standby. The case is thinner than most of the others listed here and is the only one that covers both the front and back of your iPhone. The case when fitted is 27mm thick. Both the case and your iPhone are charged using a Mini USB cable.

iPhone 3GS / 3G Charging Leather Case

iPhone Battery Case With Stand

If you love watching movies on your phone but find that propping your phone up against a book isn’t really working, then this could be the case you’ve been waiting for. As well as having a built in 1500 mAh battery, the case has a built in kick stand that folds out to hold your phone in landscape mode making it perfect for watching youtube, films, TV shows and photo slide shows. The battery will add up to 3.5 hours of talktime and around 12 hours more standby time. At the time of writing this post I couldn’t get my hands on one of these to get the weight and dimensions, but will update this as soon as I get hold of one.

iPhone Battery Case With Stand

So there you have it, that’s an overview of the different types of iPhone Battery Pack that are available at the moment.If you aren’t sold on the idea of a charging case there are other ways of keeping your iPhone charged – iPhone Car Chargers, iPhone Docks and the Yogen Portable charger, but these won’t protect your phone at the same time so you’d need to invest in an iPhone Case or iPhone Screen Protector.

What do you think to these cases?  Let us know using the comments form below.

(4 votes, average: 4.25 out of 5)

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Twin Sim Case for iPhone 3G & iPhone 3GS

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

The iPhone is without doubt one of the most successful phones every produced, but it’s not perfect. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great phone. I’ve had one since the day it was released and not really had any problems with it, but I know there are quite a few people out there who have problems with coverage and getting a signal, others struggle to make it through the day because of its relatively short battery life.

This week saw the release of the iPhone on Orange, with Vodafone expected to release it early next year. For some this will solve the problem of coverage, but if you’re tied into a contract with O2 it’s not really going to help you much until you’re out of commitment with O2.

The good news is that as the phone is no longer exclusive to one network, O2 have agreed to unlock all pay monthly iPhone handsets – allowing you to use an alternative sim card in the handset if you want to.  You’ll still need to pay O2 your usual line rental each month, but at least you’ll be able to use a sim card from a different network in the phone. You can find more details on what you need to do to unlock your phone on my post that explains “How to Unlock your iPhone“

Unlock your iPhone to use it on any UK network

As you’ll still be paying for minutes and texts with O2, you might as well still use your O2 sim, but having to constantly swap sim cards over is a hassle we could all do without. To overcome this, we’ve just launched the Twin Sim Charging Case for the iPhone 3G & iPhone 3GS.

The idea behind the case is simple. It works in a similar way to the Mophie Juice pack and Case-Mate fuel to charge your iPhone while it’s in the case, but also adds a twin sim adapter that allows you to have two sim cards in your iPhone at the same time as long as your iPhone is unlocked.

iPhone 3G & 3GS Twin Sim Charging Case

The Twin Sim Charging Case contains a rechargeable 1900mAh battery that can be used to charge your iPhone or extend battery life by:

• 300 hours stand by time
• 5 hours talk time
• 25 hours music playback
• 8 hours video playback
• 5 hours game play
• 6 hours Internet surfing over Wi-Fi

To recharge the battery or your iPhone, you just need to plug it into a spare USB port on your laptop or PC. You won’t need any additional cables as the case has a USB cable built in.

Having two sims in your phone opens up no end of ways to save yourself time and money:

• Better Deals: Since the iPhone launched, the number of ‘Sim Only’ tariffs available has increased significantly, with most networks offering much better deals than you can get on the iPhone. If you find you’re constantly exceeding your free minutes, get a Sim Only deal from a different network and switch to it when you’re out of minutes or texts.
• Tethering: O2 charge quite a bit for using your iPhone as a modem to connect your laptop to the internet. By using a Mobile Broadband Sim from 3, you can cut your data costs considerably.
• Calling abroad: Using a sim card from a company such as Lebara will save you money on calls abroad. By using the twin sim adapter, you can easily switch to the cheaper sim card when ever you need to make a call, without having to restart your phone or try and remove your O2 sim.
• Travelling Overseas: If you travel often, the cheapest way to make calls is by using a local sim card. Instead of buying a second phone, simply put your foreign sim in the twin sim case and switch to it when ever you’re away.
• Everything Together: If you currently use two phones, there will be times when the number you need to call is in the phone you don’t have with you. By using just one handset, all your contacts, calendar appointments and emails are with you all the time.

Fitting the Twin Sim Adapter:

Fitting the case takes just a couple of minutes, all you’ll need is your sim tray removal tool that came with your iPhone, or if like me you’ve lost it, a paperclip.

1. Remove the sim tray and attach your sim cards to the Twin Sim Reader and insert into your phone

Attach the Sim Cards to the adapter and insert into phone

2. Remove the top cover of the case and slide it onto the phone

Slide the top of the case onto the phone.

3. Fold the 2nd sim card over the top of your iPhone and clip it into place behind the USB connector. Once in place, clip the back cover onto the case.

Clip the 2nd sim into place and refit the top cover

4. To switch between sim cards, go into the Sim Applications menu within settings on your iPhone

Sim Application menu lets you chose which sim card to use.

Don’t forget though, the twin sim functionality will only work once you’ve unlocked your iPhone.

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Extended Battery Options for the iPhone 3G & iPhone 3GS

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

I’ve touched on the subject briefly in the past, but I thought it was time that iPhone battery life got it’s own post.

As much as I love my iPhone, the battery is pretty poor. Apple advertise up to 30 hours of music playback, 10 hours of video playback or 9 hours of Wi-Fi web surfing. In reality I can’t get anywhere near this – I’m lucky if my phone lasts 8 hours for music and if I forget to put it on charge at night time, the next morning you can guarantee it’ll be dead.

One solution of course is to get yourself an iPhone Dock or an iPhone Desk Stand that will charge your phone while it’s sat on your desk – these work great if you’re office based, but what if you’re out and about or away from your desk?

It’s times like this that you’ll find an extra battery pack essential, and thankfully there are plenty to choose from. Some are external batteries that plug into your phone and others are batteries built in to cases and covers for your iPhone. I’ve been through all the different options available and here are the top 5 extended battery packs for the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.

Mophie Juice Pack

The Mophie Juice Pack is the most popular external battery for the iPhone. It’s a relatively slimline battery that looks similar to some protective cases for the iPhone. The battery is a 1200 mAh lithium polymer battery that will double the standard battery life of your phone. If your iPhone is already fully charged, you won’t want to charge it straight away, so Mophie have built in an on/off switch so you can choose when to charge your phone from the case. An LED display on the back shows you the battery status. Charging is done using a Mini USB cable rather than the standard Apple Dock Connector, and you can charge your phone and case at the same time – You can also sync with iTunes without removing the case.

It will add a bit more bulk to your phone, but it has to be better to carry around a larger phone that you can use than a smaller phone that you can’t.  The Mophie Juice Pack Air is available in Purple, Black and White.

Mophie Juice Pack Air for iPhone 3GS / 3G

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(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)

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