Mophie Juice Pack and Rechargeable Battery for iPhone 3G, 3GS

I recently upgraded from the original iPhone to the iPhone 3GS so that I could take advantage of the increased speed, both hardware and Internet-wise, because some of the apps that I had installed, many purchased, just weren’t working well on the old phone.

For instance, the TVU Networks app, which lets you watch a lot of Internet based TV, was just too much for the old girl. The picture would freeze and the audio and video would be completely out of sync, even on a fast wi-fi network. Other apps like Last.fm and Pandora would sputter on the Edge network while I was out on my daily walk in the Palm Springs sunshine.

Anyway, it was with much anticipation that I brought home a brand new iPhone 3GS to play with. The apps worked ever so much better!

The battery in the phone was a totally different story, however. With the new 3GS phone, I would find myself recharging two or three times a day as the little power bar would start plummeting after just a few phone calls or other use. I was getting frustrated and firmly believe that Apple should be ashamed to have introduced a phone with such sucky battery life. Apple will tell you to disable all of the things you got the phone for to prolong the battery – 3G, bluetooth, etc. Lame!

Fortunately, someone heard my cries of dispair and I was given a Mophie Juice Pack Air Case and Rechargeable Battery for iPhone 3G, 3G S (Black) as a gift. This little jewel effectively doubles my battery life with just a small bit of added bulk to the phone. This is especially handy if you are traveling or out of the office all day and have no way to plug your phone in to charge it.

The Mophie Juice pack is a two-piece holder for the iPhone. You take the top off, slide the iPhone in and slip the top section back on. As you see your battery draining down to nothing, you flip a switch on the bottom of the Mophie and the external battery starts charging the phone while you continue to use it.

I give the Mophie Juice Pack three out of five stars. I have to knock two stars off for a couple of reasons. First, the Mophie has its own charger, so don’t plan on slipping this baby into your iPhone crade. I generally just charge the Mophie on its own and slip the iPhone into it as I need it.

Second, the top of the Mophie that slips off so that you can insert the iPhone is a pain. It’s awkward to slip it back on when you place the iPhone in the battery pack case and it’s difficult to remove while the iPhone is there. It would have been much better for the Mophie Juice Pack to be designed as a flip up case (like the original Star Trek communicator) where you just flipped the cover up and slipped the phone into the open slot. This would be so much easier and provide protection for the screen, something missing now.

But, I am extremely happy with this battery pack. Apple claims that the battery life for their new iPad will be ten hours! Must be the bigger battery. My iPhone would never give me close to that on its own.

It can now.