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Mophie's cases add wireless charging to iPhone 7 and Galaxy S8
Mophie's cases provide a quick way to add wireless charging capabilities to iPhones and Samsung Galaxy S devices, and now they're available for the models' latest iterations. The accessories maker has released charge force cases for the iPhone 7, 7 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. These leather-wrapped cases are compatible not only with any Mophie wireless charger, but also with Qi and other wireless charging systems. Just put one on your phone if you don't feel like messing with wires, though note that it still leaves access to your device's charging port.
Mophie co-founder launches an electric scooter
Daniel Huang, co-founder of Mophie*, wants to change the way that we think about transport. That's why he quit the company that made him famous to start Immotor in April of 2016. Now, Huang is on a mission to "define the future of personal transportation." The result is the Immotor Go, a battery-powered foldaway scooter that's designed to travel for up to 30km on a single charge.
Mophie's cheapest battery packs yet start at just $30
There are two things Mophie has always been known for: Delivering attractive mobile cases and battery packs that fit right alongside Apple's aesthetic, and making you pay a premium to own its products. That all changes with the company's next batch of mobile battery packs, which are up to 50 percent cheaper than their previous models. They're still sleek, but of course, Mophie had to make some manufacturing tweaks to lower its production costs. Now instead of being encased entirely in metal, they're sandwiched between two pieces of aluminum.
The best tech for college freshmen
Starting college is expensive. In addition to, you know, the tuition, you and the parentals will probably be making a large shopping trip to buy all manner of sweaters, snacks and extra-long twin sheets to round out your dorm room. And that's not counting all the gear you'll need to actually get work done. In addition to a few laptop recommendations (the XPS 13 is our reigning favorite), we have suggestions on things like cloud storage, backpacks and peripherals like travel mice and backup batteries. Check out the gallery below for all our first-year picks (think of it as a college starter kit), and be sure to read the rest of Engadget's back-to-school guide here.
Mophie brings wireless charging to its iPhone battery cases
Wireless phone charging has been around for years, but most consumers wouldn't know it. The fight between different standards and a lack of support from phone makers has made the entire idea of charging your mobile wirelessly a huge mess. Mophie is hoping to bring some sanity to the concept with its new $100 Juice Pack Wireless cases for the iPhone 6 and 6S, which integrate cord-free charging along with an additional 50 percent of battery life.
Zagg buys battery phone case maker Mophie for $100 million
In what appears to be a coming-together of a phone accessory empire, Zagg has just announced that it's buying Mophie for at least $100 million, with perhaps more to be awarded later on depending on Mophie's sales figures. Zagg is a mobile accessory company that makes all kinds of devices from keyboards to cases, while Mophie is best known as the maker behind the popular phone battery case, as seen in the image above. Mophie first gained popularity as the battery case of choice for iPhones, and then slowly expanded its line to include battery cases for certain Android flagships plus standalone battery packs.
Apple Stores to carry third-party accessories in custom boxes
Apple is well-known for being very particular about its packaging... and it apparently cares about other companies' packaging, too. According to 9to5Mac, the tech giant is telling retail staff that it will soon sell third-party accessories in boxes co-designed by Apple... and possibly only in those boxes. Yes, that familiar minimalist look would soon spread to just about everything in the store. The move would ostensibly help you find what you're looking for and make sure that it works with your devices. Many of the familiar brands in Apple stores are reportedly on board with the idea, including Incase, Mophie and Logitech.
Mophie's latest iPhone battery case is waterproof, too
Mophie's cases are a popular choice for adding some extra minutes to your mobile device's battery life. While the company already had both charging and storage options for the iPhone 6, it how offers protection from water damage, too. The H2PRO accessory not only packs in an additional 2,750 mAh battery, but it's waterproof as well. An IP-68 rated Otterbox-esque design also protects the handset from dirt and drops with easy access to those side-mounted controls and a mute switch. Worried about Touch ID? Mophie's scratch-resistant membrane that covers the screen will still allow you to leverage that feature. What's more, priority-charging tech makes sure your phone charges before the case when plugging in is unavoidable. If you're itchin' to snag one, the Mophie H2PRO is available for pre-order now for $130 and it's schedule to ship later this month. Unfortunately, there's no word on an iPhone 6 Plus option just yet.
Mophie's 'Space' battery cases bring more storage to iPhone 6, iPad Mini
Last year Mophie, a company best known for its mobile battery offerings, stepped into slightly new territory by releasing a battery-toting iPhone case with external storage dubbed the "Space Pack." Now, as if on cue, Mophie is unveiling new entries in the Space Pack line for the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and iPad Mini. And, not to be forgotten, there's also a new standalone battery pack called the "Spacestation." They all look very similar to Mophie's existing battery solutions, but they include anywhere from 32GB to 128 GB of flash storage, which could be useful for anyone stuck with a paltry 16GB iPhone or iPad Mini. But, as is typical for Mophie, that convenience won't come cheap. The iPhone Space Packs and the Spacestation start at $150 for 32GB of storage, and jump up to $200 for 64GB and $300 for 128GB. The iPad Mini pack, meanwhile, runs from $200 to $400.
Mophie announces Juice Pack battery case for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus
Mophie is finally bringing its Juice Pack battery cases to iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users. Today the company launched pre-orders for the latest editions of the popular cases with prices starting at US$99.95. That price is good for either the Juice Pack Air for the iPhone 6 or the Juice Pack for the iPhone 6. iPhone 6 users can also splurge on the $119.95 Juice Pack Plus, which offers 20 percent more battery life than the Juice Pack Air, along with a shock absorbing shell. Of the three cases, the Juice Pack for iPhone 6 Plus offers the least amount of extra charge, promising an extra 14.5 hours of talk time. Given that the iPhone 6 Plus' battery already provides 24 hours of talk time, that's roughly only 60 percent more battery life. Still, the iPhone 6 Plus has a considerably more powerful battery than the iPhone 6, so another 14.5 hours may be all the extra juice you need. Take a look at their offerings for yourself right here on Mophie's website. No hard release date has been announced, but hopefully pre-orders will be shipping soon.
Mophie introduces new battery cases for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus
It was only a matter of time before Mophie made one of its popular battery cases for the latest iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Today, at CES 2015, that time has come. Long known for its line of battery "juice packs" for Apple handsets, Mophie has announced not one, not two, but three different battery cases for the latest iPhones. The Juice Pack Air for the iPhone 6 packs in more than 100 percent of additional battery; the Juice Pack Plus promises more than 120 percent, but is slightly thicker; and last but not least is the phablet-sized Juice Pack for the iPhone 6 Plus, which Mophie tells us is the thinnest battery case it's ever made. It does, however, only offer 60 percent of extra battery power.
Gold: The secret shame of my late night iPhone order
If you were one of the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, all staying up late last night to pre-order an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, you probably noticed that the roll-out didn't proceed as smoothly as it might have, especially at the US store. With store-down notices going on significantly beyond the 12AM Pacific launch time, it was a mad scramble trying to get an early-shipped device. Outages were so bad that some people started hearing imaginary Mandarin audio tracks floating through their heads. I quickly found out, as did many others, that the iOS-based Apple store app offered the best chance for a pre-order. I hopped in, fully intending to pick up a mid-range 64 GB Space Gray iPhone 6 Plus unit. This is what I call the "accountant's special", as it offers the best mix of subdued coloring and storage value. Apparently, nearly every one else in the Internets hoped to pick up exactly that model since it showed "not available" from the moment I finally got past the AT&T upgrade screen. In fact, the only model I could order with a quick ship date was the 128GB Gold. I'm not terribly against the whole 128GB storage as I can basically put every bit of data I own on my phone along with the gross domestic data product of several small countries but the gold color, well, I'd like to think that I have, er, had, standards. Ever since the gold iPhone 5s debuted, its taste level has been subject to debate. Caught between "shameful bling" and "understated elegance", there fewer people who can figuratively carry it off than people who literally carry it in their purse or pocket. I know for sure that I'm not one of them. Sure, I'm trying to make the best of things -- I'm calling it "Fawkes" after the phoenix in Harry Potter, although I was tempted with "Deputy Parrish" for the ambiguously phoenix-y character on Teen Wolf -- but to me, gold color has always been something that happens to other people. People who live in Florida. Who have fabulous houses. Who drive nice cars and drink champagne. People to whom "lamé" is a metallic fabric and not an MP3 encoder. Steve Sande tells me that he's about to sell his gold iPhone 5s to Gazelle, adding "I've hidden it in a Mophie case for a year". What do you think of the gold iPhone? Cast your vote in this poll and then drop a comment about how your pre-order went. What model and color did you go for? And when do you expect it to arrive or be ready for pickup? %Poll-89389%
Daily Update for January 8, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some of the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
Mophie's Space Pack boosts both battery life and storage, requires a special iOS app (hands-on)
As a smartphone power user, one of the devices that intrigued this editor the most at CES was not a huge TV or a sleek sports car, but actually the Mophie Space Pack. It's an iPhone case that marries both a backup battery and additional storage -- a first of its kind, according to Mophie. The concept strikes us as an attractive one, especially to iPhone owners who are stuck with both a sealed-in battery and without the benefit of external memory. As it comes in both 16GB and 32GB versions, the Space Pack could also potentially double or triple your existing capacity. During a brief hands-on with the case, we can say that it looks very similar to the current Juice Pack Air -- indeed, it's almost indiscernible as far as look and feel goes. The only difference seems to be a silver brushed button on the back instead of a simple plastic one. If you're expecting the Space Pack to merge seamlessly with your existing iPhone storage to be one giant hard drive, you're sadly mistaken. The Space Pack really acts more like an external USB stick to which you can offload files. This is why Mophie requires you to use a special iOS app called Space, not only to manage that additional storage, but to access it at all. Unfortunately, this means that iPhone apps like the Camera Roll and iTunes are not integrated with that extra capacity -- after you transfer over those files, they're only accessible through the Space app. As such, Mophie has recommended that most first-time users simply dump their entire Camera Roll or iTunes library into the Space Pack so that they can empty out their iPhone's capacity and start "fresh."
Mophie Space Pack for iPhone is a battery case with built-in storage
Mophie's line of Juice Packs and Powerstations has proven invaluable to anyone who needs their handsets to keep on ticking from dawn 'til dusk, especially at a show like CES. Now the company behind those popular external batteries has introduced the Space Pack, a battery case for the iPhone that also incorporates built-in storage. Designed for the iPhone 5 and the 5s, the Space Pack not only packs a 1,700mAh backup battery, it also comes in either 16GB or 32GB iterations that could potentially double or triple your iPhone's storage capacity. Any file type can be stored and managed on it, from photos and videos to your iTunes library. Mophie also introduced a free iOS app called Space that organizes the files into easy-to-view Collections so you can see what's stored in your Space Pack. The 16GB version retails for $149.95 while the 32GB version will cost you $179.95. So if you've ever been stymied by your iPhone's poor battery life and fixed storage, you can go ahead and pre-order Mophie's Space Pack today as it starts shipping on March 14, 2014.
Mophie brightens up the Juice Pack Helium with a rainbow of colors
Any Mophie Juice Pack Helium for iPhone 5 users out there wish that you had been able to get one in a color other than metallic silver or black? Those two boring colors were all you could buy since February, when the Juice Pack Helium was first released, but now you can add some class and color to your iPhone 5 as well as some extra battery life. Mophie today announced the Juice Pack Helium Spectrum Collection (US$79.95) with five jewel-tone cases. The colors, which all look fabulous, include blue, green, pink, purple and (PRODUCT) RED. The internals remain the same, with a 1,500 mAh lithium-polymer battery providing up to six more hours of talk time to your iPhone 5.
Mophie Juice Pack for Galaxy S 4 now shipping, brings an extra 2,300mAh battery for $99
Galaxy S 4 users already benefit from solid battery life, but if your Life Companion has become more of a compulsion, you're probably in need of a power solution that can go the distance. Naturally, one option is to swap out batteries, but a new charging case from Mophie could be a simpler route. The Juice Pack -- also available for the HTC One and iPhone 5 -- wraps around the phone and connects via micro-USB, adding an additional 2,300mAh cell to the 2,600mAh battery within the GS4. The Mophie Juice Pack is available now for $99, and is currently offered in black or white (with pink and red versions to follow). As an unfortunate consequence, the extra bulk prevents NFC functionality, but it could be a minor sacrifice if your phone's battery life regularly comes up short.
IRL: Mophie Juice Pack Plus for iPhone 5 and testing Solavei's MVNO
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. Welcome back, and happy Monday. After a week of getting hands-on with all manner of laptops, we thought we'd spare you our thoughts on Ultrabooks this time around. Tablets, too. Fortunately, we've got lots of other stuff to wax on about, from a battery-packing iPhone case to Solavei's new MVNO, which piggybacks on T-Mobile. Head on past the break to read more.
Mophie Juice Pack Plus for iPhone 5 hands-on, plus a giveaway
Finally we've received the third in the Mophie Juice Pack trilogy. First, it was the slender and lightweight Juice Pack Helium (US$79.95). Next, it was the classic Juice Pack Air ($99.95). Now Mophie has filled out the Juice Pack family with the ultra-big-capacity Juice Pack Plus for iPhone 5 ($119.95). Design Like the two other Juice Packs, the Juice Pack Plus has a two-piece design; an upper sleeve containing the battery that your iPhone 5 slides into, and a bottom portion that contains speaker channels, the charging connector, and a set of LEDs to tell you how much juice is in the pack. As you'd expect from a battery case with a 2,100 mAh capacity (compared to 1,400 mAh for the Helium and 1,700 mAh for the Air), the Plus is thicker than the other kids in the family. The Helium is .59 inches thick, the Air is .63 inches thick, and the Plus a full .70 inches thick. Surprising, the Plus is no heavier than the Air -- both weigh in at 2.68 ounces. One difference with the Juice Pack Plus and Air from the Helium is the addition of an outer rubberized band around the perimeter of the pack to provide extra drop protection. The Juice Pack Plus comes in black, white, and (PRODUCT)RED red. Charging is done through an included USB to micro-USB cable. Functionality The iPhone 5's internal battery has a capacity of 1,440 mAh, so a Juice Pack Helium won't even top one off. Not so with the Juice Pack Plus, which will give you a full charge and then almost 46 percent of a second charge. That's a lot of battery life -- up to 12 more hours of Internet surfing on a Wi-Fi network. As with all Mophie products, the fit and finish of the Juice Pack Plus is excellent. As with the previous models of Juice Pack for iPhone 5, my only complaint is that the company didn't build in a pass-through for the headphone jack. Instead, you can either push the standard Apple headphone connector deep into the "pipe" to connect, or use the included dangly adapter cable. The latter choice seems like a design afterthought. Conclusion The Juice Pack Plus has the highest capacity of any of Mophie's Juice Pack series for the iPhone 5, and with no extra weight penalty over the Juice Pack Air, it's definitely worth considering if you have the need for hours of extra battery capacity. Pros Extremely well built, with a fit and finish that is second to none 2,100 mAh capacity will recharge an iPhone 5 almost one-and-a-half times Easy to install and remove without tools Design and tested to not interfere with phone reception (PRODUCT)RED model is available Cons Adds weight and bulk to the iPhone 5, as do all extended battery cases Who is it for? iPhone 5 users who need protection and power in a single, well-designed case Giveaway We're giving away one brand new black Mophie Juice Pack Plus for the iPhone valued at US$119.95 to a lucky TUAW reader. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before June 10, 2013 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected and will receive a black Mophie Juice Pack Plus valued at $119.95 Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
New Mophie Juice Pack Plus gives your iPhone 5 extra oomph
Today, iPhone 5 users have another way to keep their phone charged up for those times when the battery is getting sucked dry. Mophie, which previously brought us the Juice Pack Helium and Juice Pack Air for iPhone 5, today announced the Juice Pack Plus (US$119.95). The case comes in hues of black, white and PRODUCT(RED), and differs from its siblings in thickness, weight, and capacity. The battery in the Plus is a whopping 2,100 mAh, while the Air has 1,700 mAh of extra power and the Helium provides 1,500 mAh. Weight for the Plus and Air is 2.68 oz., while the Helium weighs in at a svelte 2.44 oz. The Plus is 0.70 inch thick, the Air is 0.63 inch thick and the Helium is just 0.59 inch thick. The battery of the Juice Pack Plus is enough to give your iPhone 5 120 percent of a charge -- enough to top it off completely once and then have enough juice left over to make some emergency calls. Mophie says that the black model will ship within one or two days; the white model ships next week on May 22nd, and the special PRODUCT(RED) model will be available on May 31st. We hope to have a full review of the Juice Pack Plus soon.
