MophieJuicePackAir
Latest
IRL: Bing Translator, ioSafe N2 and the Mophie Juice Pack Air
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. Yes, again with the mobile battery packs. (We're power users, okay?) In this week's roundup, Joe ditches his Elecom charger for the Mophie Air, and tells you everything you may wanted to know (and maybe a few things you didn't). Rounding things out, Darren kicks the tires on ioSafe's durable, "disaster-proof" NAS box, while Dan uses Bing Translator to avoid offending the lovely people of Germany.
Mophie Juice Pack Air for iPhone 5: Review and giveaway
This is going to one of the shortest TUAW accessory reviews you've seen in a while, but stick around -- there's a giveaway at the end of it. Mophie followed up on the release of the Juice Pack Helium for iPhone 5 (US$79.95) with the new Juice Pack Air for iPhone 5 ($99.95). What's the difference, other than the name and the price? Read on for details. Design The Juice Pack Air follows in the footsteps of its predecessors for earlier iPhones by providing a lightweight, yet high capacity battery case. It provides a total of 1700 mAh of capacity compared to 1500 mAh for the Juice Pack Helium. Size-wise, the Juice Pack Air measures in at 2.60" x 5.54" x 0.63", slightly larger than the Juice Pack Helium at 2.49" x 5.49" x 0.59". The Air is also heavier, weighing 2.68 ounces compared to 2.44 ounces for the Helium. What that little bit of extra size and weight for the Juice Pack Air gets you is a complete charge on an iPhone 5, while the Helium won't recharge the phone all the way to 100 percent. As with the Juice Pack Helium, the Air uses a micro-USB charging cable rather than a pass-through Lightning adapter. Both cases include a pass-through audio jack cable, which isn't really needed with Apple-provided headsets but comes in handy when using third-party earbuds. There's one other big difference: if you were a fan of the red Juice Pack Air for iPhone 4/4S, you'll be happy to know that the iPhone 5 Air will be available later this week in a PRODUCT(RED) special version. That's the sexy case you see at the top of this review... Functionality Like the Juice Pack Helium and the earlier versions of the Air, the case is simple to install. It splits apart at about the lower third of the case, and you just slide your iPhone onto the Lightning connector and then into the top of the case. The charging and capacity LEDs are still on the back of the case, and the new Air adopts the sliding power switch of the Helium. Fans of Mophie's previous products will find a lot to love with the new Juice Pack Air for iPhone 5, and the sleek lines and excellent construction of the case are sure to attract a lot of new friends for Mophie. Conclusion To finish off this short review, I'll recall the lines I wrote at the end of my review of the Juice Pack Helium for iPhone 5 last month -- "The company was a pioneer in battery cases for iPhones and has done six years of research and development in this field. That work shows in the clean lines of the Juice Pack Air and the efficient manner in which it keeps your iPhone 5 protected and powered." Pros Very well-built by a pioneer in iPhone battery cases Easy to install and remove without tools Case provides excellent protection while providing 100% more battery capacity than a standalone iPhone 5 PRODUCT(RED) model is available and looks great Designed and tested to not interfere with phone reception Cons Adds weight and bulk to the iPhone 5, as do all 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 a brand new black Mophie Juice Pack Air for iPhone 5 valued at $99.95 to one very 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 March 24, 2013 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected and will receive a Mophie Juice Pack Air for iPhone 5 valued at $99.95. Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Mophie Juice Pack Air brings an extra 1,700 mAh to iPhone 5 for $100
iPhone 5 owners aren't exactly hurting for battery life, but what if you could double up the endurance and protect your handset at the same time? Mophie's just released the Juice Pack Air promising it'll do just that thanks to a 1,700 mAh backup battery embedded in the edge-to-edge case, only two weeks after launching the slender Juice Pack Helium with a 1,500mAh battery. On top of an extra 10 hours of 3G talk time and edge-to-edge protection, Mophie's touting lightning pass-through capability, enhanced sound thanks to its speaker redirection, an LED battery indicator and faster charge times thanks to a 1A charging upgrade. You'll be able to grab it in black now, with the red and white color options shipping by March 22nd. For more info, check the video and PR after the break.
TUAW Best of 2011: Vote for the best iPhone accessory
The nominations are in, and the poll is ready to go! The TUAW Best of 2011 awards are all about you -- the readers -- and what you think is the cream of the crop of Apple or third-party products and software. To vote, select one entry from the top nominations made by readers. We'll be announcing the winner in just a few days. Vote early and often! Today TUAW is asking for your vote for the best iPhone accessory of 2011. What accessories excited our readers in 2011? One was an Apple product -- the second-generation Apple TV (US$99). Yes, it is an iPhone accessory, since you can beam video, photos, and music to the device from your iPhone. Your iPhone is even a remote control for the Apple TV, so the little connection to your HDTV is a natural match for the iPhone. Cases are another popular iPhone accessory, and four cases received notice from our readers. The incredible LifeProof case for iPhone 4 / 4S ($79.99) is waterproof, shockproof, dirtproof, and snowproof. For my review of the LifeProof case in August, my iPhone 4 got to go for a dip, and TUAW readers got to see a video from the viewpoint of the iPhone underwater in my sink. Another nominated case was the Twelve South BookBook Case for iPhone 4/4S ($59.99). It's a combination wallet -- provided you're not carrying more than your license and a credit card -- and book-like iPhone case. The BookBook case was one of the most unique iPhone cases reviewed by TUAW all year. For those of us who use our iPhones constantly, power can be an issue. One of the most popular cases with a built-in battery is the Mophie Juice Pack Air ($79.95). It's the case and battery extender that I personally use. Finally, athletes find the Wahoo Fitness products which wirelessly connect iPhones to fitness sensors like stride sensors and heart rate straps. Part of the ANT+ alliance, the Wahoo Fitness products work with a variety of iPhone apps and hardware from a number of vendors. The product we've chosen from the spectrum of Wahoo Fitness devices is the Wahoo Run/Gym Pack for iPhone ($119.99). Be sure to vote for the iPhone accessory that you think is the top for 2011. I'll announce the winner in a few days. %Poll-72045%
PSA: Mophie and Best Buy issue separate iDevice battery pack recalls due to overheating concerns
Sporting an external battery pack on your iPod Touch or iPhone? If it happens to be from Mophie or Best Buy's Rocketfish brand, we'd advise you to take note and avoid getting burned. Rocketfish's RF-KL12 battery case for the iPhone 3G / 3GS has been reported in a small number of burn and "minor" fire incidents, while Mophie's announced that a select number of Juice Pack Air models for the 4th generation iPod Touch (seen above) are at risk for overheating, and potentially even melting. Suffice it to say, if you're currently in possession of said battery extenders you should stop using it immediately. Best Buy asks that owners of the Rocketfish case get in touch to facilitate a return, which will be met with a $70 gift card in the US ($105 in Canada) as compensation. As for Mophie? If your Juice Pack Air is among the affected serial numbers, you'll be able to initiate a swap for a fresh unit via a return form on its website. Hit those source links below for all the details -- this is one case where you definitely won't want to feel the burn.
Mophie juice pack air iPhone battery pack now even snappier
Mophie recently announced the availability of a new design for their highly popular and useful juice pack air battery extender for iPhone 4. The Mophie juice pack air snap case (US$79.95) is available at Apple Stores and other retailers, and while it still offers virtually double the battery capacity of the stock iPhone 4, the new design makes it easier to access all of the switches and ports of the smartphone. Let's look at how the design has changed. The previous model, which I personally use on my iPhone 4 all the time, splits near the top of the phone. That means that when you wanted access to the Dock connector, you basically needed to take the entire case off. That wasn't difficult to do, but it was inconvenient. The old design also had two openings on the left side of the phone for the ringer mute switch and the volume buttons, as well as a two openings on the top -- one for the power switch and the other for the microphone and headphone jack. The juice pack air snap is quite different. The bottom of the case snaps off, so you can leave the case on the iPhone if you need access to the Dock connector. The same four LEDs for determining charge status are still there, there's still a micro-USB port on one side for charging the case, and the tiny slide switch for "charging" and "standby" is there as well. %Gallery-127517% Near the top of the case, the two separate ports on the left side have been replaced with one elongated port. This makes the case usable with both the GSM and CDMA versions of the iPhone 4. Previously, the case wouldn't work with the Verizon iPhone 4. Mophie has also opened the top of the case so that using the power switch and plugging in your headset is no longer a bother. With the "old" juice pack air, you slid the iPhone into the case from the top; now with the juice pack air snap, you literally snap the iPhone 4 into the case from the front. I was perplexed by one fact: the new case is .1 ounce heavier than the previous model, even despite the more spacious openings. My guess is that the extra bit of weight is due to the fact that where the case splits, there are two new connectors that route the power from the battery to the area of the Dock connector. A small change, but it does make the total weight of the juice pack air go from 2.4 ounces to 2.5 ounces. At our Denver Geek Lunch on Tuesday, fellow TUAWite Erica Sadun wanted to see the case I was using. She felt that the extra weight and bulk of the juice pack air wasn't worth the ability to have a fully-charged battery most of the time. I'm just the opposite -- I like the extra bit of bulk and the "grippy" exterior of the juice pack air as it makes the phone easier to hold, and I love the fact that even when I'm using geolocation-heavy apps, my iPhone's battery level is always maxed out. The new case is available in two-tone black and silver; it was unclear from the press materials if the snap case will also come in the two-tone white/silver and red/silver models that were available for the previous model.
Mophie Juice Pack Air for iPhone 4: Review and giveaway
We've talked about Mophie's Juice Pack rechargeable external battery cases for iPhone before; we did a review of an early model and have given you the news of the Juice Pack Plus for iPhone 4. We finally got our hands on a Juice Pack Air for iPhone 4 for review purposes, so now it's time to give you the skinny on how this battery pack works with the latest incarnation of the iPhone. Design and size Like the previous version for earlier iPhones, the Juice Pack Air for iPhone 4 comes with a USB-to-micro USB cable that is used for syncing and charging the case. The four LEDs that are used to indicate the amount of charge in the battery pack are still there, but have moved to the bottom of the case from the back -- I'm speculating that this was done to make the case thinner. The older Juice Pack seemed somewhat flimsy to me, but the iPhone 4 edition seems to have been designed with more strength in mind. The case has a silver-colored band around the side to mimic the iPhone 4's stainless steel antenna, and comes in either black, red or white plastic. Installing the case is a cinch: you slide off the top of the case, slide in the iPhone 4 dock connector first, and then slide the top of the case onto the top of the iPhone. The weight of my "naked" iPhone 4 is 4.9 ounces (139 grams); the Juice Pack Air brought the total weight up to 7.3 ounces (207 grams). Without the Juice Pack Air, your iPhone 4's dimensions are 4.5 x 2.31 x .37 inches (115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm); with the battery case installed, the dimensions swell slightly to 5.07 x 2.51 x .68 inches (128.8 x 63.8 x 17.3 mm). There's a photo of the phone and case side-by-side on the next page.
Mophie Juice Pack Air vs. Mili PowerSpring 4 review
If you're an iPhone owner then you've certainly heard of the Mophie Juice Pack. It's emerged as the external battery pack of choice for any iPhone owner needing more untethered power than Apple can provide from its non-removable batteries. But what about all those feisty upstarts? Can they compete in terms of design, functionality, and price? Let's find out. We put two iPhone 4 external battery pack cases -- the Mophie Juice Pack Air and Mili PowerSpring 4 -- head to head to see how they perform. Both promise to double the iPhone 4's 1420mAh li-poly battery life without adding too much bulk. And surely the 1600mAh capacity Mili outlasts the 1500mAh Mophie, right? You'd be surprised.%Gallery-102982%
Mophie Juice Pack Air: coming to double your iPhone 4 battery next week
So, you've been waiting for a Mophie Juice Pack for your iPhone 4? You're not alone. Well, we have word that it'll be available as soon as next week for $79. We even managed to get hands on with a prototype that looked and felt pretty tight considering the fact that it doubles the iPhone's non-removable battery. The Juice Pack Air features pass-through USB charging and sync with iTunes, an integrated 4 LED charge status, and a standby switch the shuts off the juice turning the appendage into a rather attractive (albeit, heavy with a 1500mAh capacity battery), soft-grip case. Now you know.%Gallery-101163%
Dear Aunt TUAW: What's the low down on battery packs?
Dear Aunt TUAW, Boxcar is killing my battery life (at least, that's what I'm guessing -- I love Boxcar, but since I began getting 20+ notifications a day, I'm seeing the battery drain quite a bit faster). What kind of battery pack can you recommend to help my poor iPhone stay online and available? I need to stay connected. Thanks in advance from your favorite nephew, Mikey Read on for Auntie's reply
Road Tested: Mophie Juice Pack Air
iPhone 3G and 3G S owners now have an attractive, lightweight, and functional way to provide extra juice to their power-hungry devices -- the Mophie Juice Pack Air. Available in black, white, and purple, the Juice Pack Air is a slightly more svelte version of Mophie's Juice Pack. Compared to the original Juice Pack, the Juice Pack Air is .1" (2.54 mm) thinner and a full third of an ounce (9.44 grams) lighter. I had a chance to try out the Juice Pack Air, and my impressions are quite positive, albeit with one exception. Read on for a TUAW road test of Mophie's latest battery pack.
