New gear for my new iPhone

2009-06-25 06:04 AM Category iPhone

I have to admit it! For the third summer in a row, I found myself in line last Friday to buy the new iPhone 3GS. Since Apple did not change the form between the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS, and since my husband also bought one, we will be needing another external battery pack at our house! Join me as I explore the different type of battery packs and and their features.

I got a Mophie Juice Pack for the original iPhone, and I bought one for my iPhone 3G, but the differences in size and form of the newer iPhone mean we will want another external battery.

While external batteries for the iPhone can take many different forms, I have determined that I prefer batteries that can be attached to the iPhone without adding a lot of extra size. Although it is relatively inexpensive, I find that the Richard Solo backup battery adds too much bulk to my iPhone. It adds too much length for me to easily carry the iPhone with the battery attached in the side pocket of my purses. I also think the connection might not be sturdy enough for me to leave the battery attached to my iPhone

iphone_battery1

The Griffin TuneJuice has similar problems. I want to be able to leave the battery attached to my iPhone without having it hang off the iPhone.

tunejuiceiphone_2

While I have really enjoyed my two Mophie JuicePacks (and my husband will continue to use my older one), I want to take some time to compare the prices, structure and battery capacity of several other possible choices.

iphone_battery2

When you are comparing devices that accept standard batteries, it is pretty easy to compare AAA and AA batteries. However, when the device is the battery, it would be difficult to compare battery volume. Fortunately, the industry has taken care of the problem by adopting a common measurement, the battery capacity which is expressed in mAh. The higher the mAh, the more power the battery holds. While we often see cell phone battery capacity expressed as talk time and standby time, those numbers can be misleading.

Since I am looking for an external battery that will also act as a case for my iPhone, I am looking at three different options:

the Power Slider by inCase
the juice pack air by Mophie
the iV by FastMac

Let’s take a look at their features:

iphone_battery5

At the end of this exercise, I have ruled out the inCase PowerSlider. I have a white iPhone and I really don’t want another black case. The difference in mAh is not enough to give it a clear advantage over the mophie juice pack air and I like the idea that I could buy a replacement for the top case if I lost it.

However, the FastMac iV has several good features. It has a clear advantage in battery power. The integrated light is interesting and the extra USB port might be nice. I guess I won’t be making a final decision today and I might consider eventually buying both units.

Photos of the various products were taken from their web sites.

Good luck in making decisions for your iPhone accessories!

Pat

Tags: iPhone