I use my iPhone so much that it might as well be attached to my hand. That’s why I’m always worried about battery life. Even before the issues with iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S cropped up, it’s always been tough for me to make it through a day on a single charge.
That’s why I’ve always been a big fan of Mophie’s Juice Pack products, which are really the gold standard of battery cases. But sometimes a case with a battery in it just isn’t the right fit. Don’t fret, as Mophie has you covered with the Juice Pack Boost.
If you’ve ever hated the bulk of a battery case in your pocket, or worried that you’re buying a case that could be made obsolete with the release of a new iPhone design, the Boost is for you.
It’s a credit-card sized battery pack for the iPhone that pumps out 2000mAh of juice. This means that it’s got enough legs to fully charge an iPhone 4 or 4S battery and then some.
At the dimensions of 2.28 in x 4.09 in x 0.53 inches, it’s just a bit longer than a credit card and about as thick as a pack of gum. Instead of a permanently exposed dock connector or fiddly USB port, the Boost features a fold-out connection that allows you to use it as a stand for your iPhone.
The iPhone will sit upright while charging, letting it act as a stand as well. This is definitely not the best arrangement for those looking for an ultraportable solution that they can use as normal while it charges, but there are some tradeoffs.
Most of the other battery packs I’ve tested for iPhone charge between 60-80% of a battery from empty, but the Boost does it with breath to spare. The Juice Pack Plus also does this, but the more popular Air definitely does not.
I found that plugging my phone in and throwing them in my bag together while I was transiting from one location to another was an ideal way to use the Powerstation.
It’s a solid little package too, with just one exposed micro-USB port to charge it up, aside from the foldaway dock connector. There is a nicely stealthy battery indicator that displays through the upper skin of the Boost when you press the button along the side.
If I had one issue, it would be that I wish that the side with the battery indicator and label faced up when you use it as a stand. I’d rather see that than the FCC regulatory text. Just a detail touch that I found lacking, but not one that impacts the usefulness of the thing obviously.
While you do sacrifice some portability over its case-shaped cousins, the beefy charging capacity and speed of the Boost make it an excellent backup option for heavy iPhone users. As is typical of all of Mophie’s products, it is well made and feels like it has been thought through well. I also appreciate the fact that you have the ability to continue using the Boost beyond your current model of iPhone, even if it undergoes a facelift.
➤ Mophie Juice Pack Boost
British households potentially miss out on £768 from unwanted mobile phones
Research by phone recycling comparison website Sell My Mobile has found that almost nine in ten British households have at least one old mobile phone stored away in their homes that has the potential to earn its owner money via resale.
The mobile phone recycling market is booming with many families deciding to cash in the value of their old mobile phones. Sell My Mobile predicts that selling different phones to specialist companies could generate over £750 for their owners, putting money back in the pockets of consumers as they look to spend during the Christmas period.
The survey polled one thousand people, highlighting the high turnover of mobile phone handsets within the UK. Whilst every handset has a resale value, its modern smartphones that are the most highly valued devices, old Apple iPhones can fetch hundreds of pounds.
Sell My Mobile puts the iPhone 4 at the top of its most valuable devices, giving its owners an average of £390 from phone recycling companies. If you have a Sony Ericsson Z300, however, it might be worth holding on to it, it’s only worth one pound.
Ladies (or vain men), show off your love for Apple with this geeky compact mirror
My incredibly convenient little 11″ MacBook Air is probably the best thing to happen to me since, well, since purchasing my equally-as-awesome 15″ MacBook Pro. I can now trot around in high heels while swinging my Air haphazardly through tech conferences and events, cradle it easily in one arm while typing out interview notes with my free hand, and even stuff it into purses that are probably too large for me to be carrying in the first place — it’s magical!
Though if my professed love for all things tiny, geeky and cute hasn’t been made apparent by the above paragraph (which I will now adoringly refer to as my ‘Ode to the MacBook Air’), allow me to drill it into your brains just a little deeper.
While surfing the ever-entertaining world of the Internet today, I stumbled onto the following: A perfectly duplicated mini version of the MacBook Air, only better, because it’s actually a compact mirror. This means I can vainly stare at myself all day while simultaneously being geeky at the same time. Bonus!
Or wait. I guess that doesn’t make it “better” than a MacBook Air, per se. I already do the same thing with FaceTime on my iPhone 4S or through PhotoBooth on my actual Mac, not to mention the fact that this mini Air won’t let me log onto the Internet, so okay. It might not be that cool. But hey, if video game geeks are getting Triforce tattoos and collecting candy-filled 1up mushrooms to show off their love of all things nerdy, I can certainly and unabashedly tote my MirrorBook Air without fearing any embarrassing repercussions, right? Right.
Check out the MirrorBook Air for yourself below, and if you happen to be feeling generous, I definitely wouldn’t mind one for Christmas . Hint, hint.
