primo micro battery pack
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PhoneSuit Primo micro iPhone and iPod battery pack impressions
We've been playing with PhoneSuit's Primo micro battery pack on our iPhone 3GS for a few days. As the name suggests, this thumb-sized battery is the smallest we've seen in its class, but somehow it still packs 800mAh of juice -- almost two-thirds of the iPhone's built-in cell. Feature-wise you'll only find battery level and charge status indicators on the front, and a mini-USB port on the back for charging. Unlike the slot-in case-style battery packs for the iPhone, this battery pack's dock connector is on a flat top, which makes it compatible with "all iPhones and most iPods." We also noticed a 2mm gap when plugged in, and apparently this is to allow space for your iPod's / iPhone's protection case -- too bad our iPhone didn't have one. While the battery life lived up to its promise for us, this broad-compatibility design backfired on us -- the battery pack was thicker than our iPhone 3GS, so the overhanging sharp edge on the back often caught our trouser pocket while the phone was being pulled out. Alas, we were more worried about our battery pack coming loose than our iPhone's own battery life. Hopefully PhoneSuit will consider making device-specific adapters to give us a peace of mind, or maybe offer baggy pants at discount prices. %Gallery-85080%
PhoneSuit Primo adds extra juice, minimal bulk to your iPhone / iPod
We were suitably impressed by Mophie's Juice Pack Air extended battery / iPhone case when we got a chance to try one out earlier this year, but if you're looking for an extended battery without the case you might want to consider this new Primo micro battery pack form PhoneSuit. Designed for use with various iPods in addition to the iPhone, this one packs an 800mAh battery inside its tiny enclosure, which promises to add up to 45 hours of music playback time to your iPod, or up to three hours of extra talk time to your iPhone 3G. Better still, it has a fairly reasonable price tag of $35, or you can snag a three-pack for $89.95 if you like to be extra prepared (or are looking for a few stocking stuffers). We'll also be checking this one out ourselves shortly, so stay tuned to see if it actually lives up to its claims.
