By ‘Doctor Dave’ Greenbaum
The Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation is the same size as an iPhone, but provides an iPhone, iPad or any USB device with hours of power. It’s impressive 3600 mAh should provide at least 10 hours of talk time for most iPhones: enough to keep you going an extra day and then some.
At only ounces, it’s light enough to carry around with you most places.
The JuicePack comes with a USB charging cable in order to charge the battery, but requires the user to bring their own charge cable for their devices. This is a bonus in my book since I have a plethora of iPhone charge cables. The JuicePack will also provide a passthrough charge to any device connected to it.
For portability, I use the Scoche flip-sync cable which fits nicely on my keychain, so I’ve always got an iPhone cable handy. The fact that you can use the Powerstation for a variety of devices is a great feature. I was able to provide top-off charges to my iPhone, iPad, and my MiFi all from this device and still had some power left over.
Unlike other external batteries, the Powerstation will provide a 2.1A charge for the iPad, though it won’t fully charge the iPad. To track how much charge is left it uses a series of six white lights. A status button is located on the top of the battery to quickly check how much is left. An additional switch allows you to turn off the battery’s output once you’ve got enough charge.
At US$99 retail, this is a bit pricey, but will be of great value if you have multiple devices needing a charge. Lightweight, powerful and ergonomic is a win in my book. For more info go to http://www.mophie.com/juice-pack-powerstation-for-iPod-iPhone-iPad-p/1137_jpu-powerstation.htm .
Pros: Lightweight with substantial capacity
Cons: A bit expensive
Rating: 8 out of 10