Kevin Bostic
Apple's iPhone 5 and iPad mini saw new additions to the ranks of their accessories recently, as mophie and Belkin rolled out new additions that extend the battery life of one and the functionality of the other.
iDevice accessory maker mophie announced on Wednesday that its juice pack helium iPhone 5 case was available for pre-sale.
Mophie's juice pack helium is an ultra-thin battery case, 13 percent thinner than any of the company's previous battery packs. It provides up to 80 percent more battery life for the iPhone 5, bringing total battery capacity for phone and juice pack to nearly 3000mAh.
It also features an LED power indicator and a standby switch, and its microUSB charging port allows users to charge both the juice pack and the iPhone 5.
The juice pack helium is available for pre-sale now for $80. Mophie says the dark metallic version will begin shipping on February 25, while the silver model will ship in the beginning of March.
Belkin's FastFit keyboard case for iPad mini
Belkin on Wednesday introduced its new FastFit Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard Case for the iPad mini. The FastFit keyboard cover measures 7mm thick, thinner than the iPad mini itself. It also features Belkin's TruType keyboard, which Belkin says makes for faster and more accurate typing thanks to its well-spaced keys with built-in spring mechanisms.
The FastFit case relies on Bluetooth 3.0 and a 200mAh battery, with battery life estimates of up to 155 hours of active use between charges. The case also implements "auto-wake," allowing users to wake their devices or put them to sleep just by opening and closing the cover.
The FastFit keyboard case for iPad mini will be available for preorder soon at Belkin's site. It will retail for $80.
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20 Comments
I used a Boost extended battery case for my 4S and really love it. It is a great case in addition to doubling the battery life. Some people are fine with just the iPhone battery but really heavy users like me who can't always be near a charger it is a godsend. Surprised it took this long to finally make one. I guess the lightning connector proved to be a challenge.
Way back in the day when I had a white 3Gs, I bought a white Mophie for when I was traveling. It worked great. I could actually use my phone on flights without worrying I wouldn't have enough battery life left to navigate pickups, car rentals directions, hotel locations, etc. In that respect, it was worth it just to reduce some stress. I didn't use it for everyday use.
It was kind of large and round like the 3Gs. My son-in-law said it looked like something a Star Wars Stormtrooper would carry. He was right, especially, with the 3 blue lights on the back! :)
The new iP5 one's look a lot sleeker...I will pick one up for myself and my daughter. I'd recommend it to someone that travels.It really reduces some stress! :)
mophie. pfffft. i've personally known six people, myself being one of them, who have owned iphone charging devices built and sold under the mophie name. and each and every one of those people has gone through three or more of those mophie devices. the mophie devices never seem to work as advertised, or are shabbily built and break (especially the ports on the devices). never again. mophie. pfffft.
The juice pack plus has a major design flaw: you can't take flash pictures in the dark. If you do, glare from the case (around the camera hole) washes out your photos. You have to remove the case any time you want to use the flash at night. Hopefully they fixed the problem before introducing the helium.
A couple of great accessories. Mind you the the juice pack helium does turn your svelte iPhone 5 into a bit of a porker, but its worth it I suppose to those people who need such a thing. The Belkin keyboard seems to be a particularly good implementation though. I'll have to try one out to be sure of course.