Filed under: Accessories, Hardware, Peripherals, Odds and ends
iPhone 3G extended battery options
Fellow propeller-head and all-around nice guy Joel Evans over at Geek.com let me know that they had published a short post about a couple of iPhone 3G extended battery options. Since the 3G has a tendency to suck battery power like a vacuum powered by a Pratt & Whitney PW-4000 jet engine, several vendors have come out with plug-in battery extenders to make sure your App Store browsing isn't cut short by a lack of juice.I've got one more to add to the list -- the RichardSolo Backup Battery for iPhone / iPod (pictured at right). If you are using your iPhone 3G as much as I am, you either need one of these extended batteries or have a really long extension cord.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Chris said 12:07PM on 7-17-2008
Anyone interested should act fast. Rich is "founder and creator of The Sharper Image".
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Jeff Goodman said 12:20PM on 7-17-2008
Anyone know how long it would take to charge an iPhone with this device?
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Mike said 3:33PM on 7-17-2008
I believe these are meant as an extension to the battery power as opposed to recharging the battery. Recharging always takes more energy than the target battery can hold. So charging a battery that charges another battery is doubly inefficient.
Besides, Newer Tech has a cheaper battery on sale already.
itchytooth said 12:20PM on 7-17-2008
So, Steven, have you actually used the RichardSolo? It looks really great.
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Steven Sande said 12:28PM on 7-17-2008
Not yet, but I do have one ordered. I keep running out of juice when I need it the most, like when I'm supposed to call my wife about something or need to play a couple more rounds of Texas Hold 'Em. ;-) My other order today was for the Invisible Shield for iPhone 3G.
TUAWSteve
Chris said 12:46PM on 7-17-2008
Steve,
A review of this product from you would be great!
Michael B said 1:12PM on 7-17-2008
I've used Invisible Shield since I opened the box to my 5.5g video iPod- absolutely love them.
A pain to put on and make look good, but well worth the effort.
BeyondtheTech said 12:29PM on 7-17-2008
I'll hang tight and wait for the Macally 3-in-1 device. It's basically a direct sync connection, a 2GB flash drive, and a battery backup in one compact form factor. For $50, it's a steal of a deal. Take a look [not affiliated]: http://www.macally.com/EN/Product/ArticleShow.asp?ArticleID=232
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Matt said 1:02PM on 7-17-2008
I cant imagine I can walk around on the phone with that bulky thing... I like the mophie battery pack and plan to get it when the 3G version comes out... http://www.mophie.com/
BeyondtheTech said 1:10PM on 7-17-2008
I never liked the look of the Mophie. What they should do is put a thin wraparound connector (kinda like those keyboard connectors inside a notebook) and bring it up the backside of the iPhone. Mophie left big gaping holes under the iPhone for the speaker and microphone and it looks stupid IMO. At the very least, they should have put a black mesh to make it look flat.
DistortedLoop said 1:53PM on 7-17-2008
Try keeping your phone in your pocket with that thing attached. Same comment for the Richard Solo thing. And Solo's products tend to be more talk than delivery of quality, if Sharper Image is an example to go by.
dizzy said 1:09AM on 9-05-2008
@Matt
The new 3g juice pack will be shipping October 1st! I got mine preordered already.
http://whenwillapple.com/saywhy/2008/09/03/mophie-juice-pack-3g-shipping-october-1st/
Kelly said 12:59PM on 7-17-2008
Question: will my old BTI/batterytech battery that works so well with ipod charge my new iphone G3 OK with no side-effects?
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Neil Wainwright said 1:46PM on 7-17-2008
How about http://saaster.blogspot.com/2008/07/new-iphone-3g-back-with-door-for.html ? Namely a new back for the iPhone 3G that has a door to replace the battery? Didn't iFixit mention the battery was not soldered in? Isn't this a slam-dunk for some company that wants to make a 50 cent piece of plastic that they could sell for $30? :-)
...Neil
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mr. Obsession said 2:29PM on 7-17-2008
That's a great way to kick your iPhone's warranty to the curb!
DistortedLoop said 1:50PM on 7-17-2008
I'll wait until September for the Mophie Juicepack. Not the prettiest thing as someone above mentioned if you let the two green gaps at the bottom bother your aesthetics, but it's not bad looking to me, feels great in the hand, and has an awesome amount of juice. My only gripe is that it doesn't pass-through data for syncing, but no biggie, pull the phone out and put it in its dock.
What annoys me is that Mophie wasn't ready to roll with this on iDay. The form factor of the new phone is virtually the same as the old, it's just different enough to make old hard cases not fit, but it's not so much different as to make a 3G case some exercise in engineering redesign. Apple obviously released case specs to manufacturers early, or we would have all these new 3g ready cases they were offering me at the Apple Store when I bought the new phone.
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9600baud said 2:40PM on 7-17-2008
What is this garbage? Looks like a hacked up garage job. At least make it look half decent like the "cradle" style ones...
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Camperton said 2:41PM on 7-17-2008
According to Kensington their battery does not work with the 3G. Wtf.
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Camperton said 4:02PM on 7-17-2008
Also just turn off WiFi, 3G and GPS and only use em when you need em, and don't have the screen brightness cranked (a no brainer). That bests the first iphone no sweat.
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fil said 4:46PM on 7-17-2008
I prefer Rolls Royce Trent 700/XWB... na, just kidding.
But if these battery add-ons all use the same connection, there's also the iPod ones out there that should be cheaper. But apparently if you plug something "not certified for iPhone" it will short-circuit the phone... like that 3rd speaker thing a while ago.
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