JustMobile Gum Plus packs a lot of power in a small package
There are a lot of external battery packs available for iPhones, but how about one that can recharge your iPhone up to four times?
The US$69.95 JustMobile Gum Plus is an attractive and powerful little battery pack, holding a whopping 4400 mAh of power in its aluminum case and charging just about anything with an output current of about 1 amp. As a comparison, the NewerTech NuPower Charge + Sync contains only about 1400 mAh of power, and can only trickle out about 650 mA of output current. The Mophie Juice Pack Air my iPhone is currently wearing only has a 1500 mAh battery in its lovely red shell.
The Gum Plus probably received its name because it looks like a large silver piece of gum. The battery pack comes with two cables -- a USB to Dock Connector cable and a USB to mini-USB cable for charging the pack. This worked great; I was able to use the standard Apple iPhone AC Adapter to charge the Gum Plus, so I wouldn't have to carry yet another power brick with me on trips. The Gum Plus comes with a little carrying bag so it won't get scratched, and it has five green LEDs that are used to let you know the current capacity of the battery and when the device is charging your toys.
So, just how long will 4400 mAh of power last? JustMobile says that you'd be able to get an extra 38 hours of talk, 90 hours of music or 26 hours of video on your iPhone before you'd need to plug the Gum Plus back into the wall. Can it charge an iPad? Although it's not certified to do so, my iPad responded happily to the Gum Plus, and I was able to watch it go from a 71 percent charge up to 100 percent in about an hour and still have power to spare.
The Gum Plus won a prestigious red dot design award for 2010, an honor it shares with the Apple Magic Mouse, the iMac and the iPad. We'll be giving away our review Gum Plus, so be sure to look for that giveaway post in the near future. Check out a short Gum Plus video from JustMobile on the next page.
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There are a lot of external battery packs available for iPhones, but how about one that can recharge your iPhone up to four times? The...
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Me and my wife just got the New Trent IMP50D (5000mAh) and IMP880 (8900mAh) and so far we are loving them. The New Trent IMP880 is only $59.95 and has almost twice the juice of this JustMobile Gum product that sells for $69.95. The New Trent devices are all highly rated so maybe you want to check them out instead.
February 15 2011 at 7:32 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI had the older black model, Just Mobile Gum. It was nice while it lasted, but being that I didn't charge from it very often (maybe once/week), it seemed to die rather quickly. Could be that I just got a lemon, but it's turned me off of external battery devices for a while.
February 15 2011 at 11:00 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI can't find anywhere what the weight of this battery is.. Can anyone tell me?
I currently have a Kensington 1800mAh battery pack (with blue LEDs, which makes him very nice! ;) ) and it fits well in my pocket.. But with long trips, it just don't fit the needs :(
Peter -
I just weighed our review Gum Plus and it tips the scales at 4.5 ounces.
TUAWSteve
Thanks Steven!
For our European guys: 4.5 ounces = 127,6 grams
I bought one of these about 6 months ago and think it is absolutely fantastic. With the rounded edges it can slip into a pocket close to the belt clip I use for my iPhone and deliver a recharge whilst walking.
February 15 2011 at 4:18 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyYes. But how much?
I got a 2200 mAh (output 5v/500mA) from Monoprice for $12.95, that is until Monoprice stopped selling them.
Cool thing was NO extra cables. Dock connector in and out, it works in-line to to the iPhone with the Apple cable.
All 4 of the Monoprice battery packs I bought died within a few months. Utter crap.
February 15 2011 at 7:29 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyNo, I didn't mean to write that. How are the amazon reviews? Your Zagg is 30% larger in physical size. Always be wary when an overpriced sticker company rebadges some Chinese battery.
February 14 2011 at 7:43 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyLove my ZAGGsparq! No need for a cable, or external charger, or machine to charge it back up.
February 14 2011 at 7:34 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply4400mAH is "whopping" capacity? What does that make my ZAGGsparq's 6000mAH? (grin)
4400mAH was an accomplishment a year or two ago. But I'll take a reliable, well-engineered, and small (about the size of an Apple AirPort Express, with a fold-out AC plug for convenience) 6.0AH ZAGGsparq with me as I travel and make presentations (it maintains my Verizon MiFi, as well as keeping all other USB-charged devices charged).
Zaggsparq, nice product until they were all recalled.
February 14 2011 at 6:56 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyNow then, Barry - let's be honest. Many owners of the ZAGGsparq 1.0 had no problems with their units - like me. ZAGG recalled 'em, and sent us all FREE an updated version, with a 1.0AH receptacle and a 500mAH receptacle. SO - even those with NO problems were able to snag the new version absolutely free. THAT is what you meant to write, right?
February 14 2011 at 7:00 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyDeals of the Day
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TUAW (or The Unofficial Apple Weblog) is a website devoted to tips, reviews, news, analysis and opinion on everything Apple.
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