battery case

Does Apple’s design team need some fresh blood? [Friday Night Fights]

By

fnf1
Or is its best yet to come?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

You can’t think about Apple without thinking about great design. The two go hand-in-hand, thanks to the company’s incredible ability to churn out hit products that make billions of dollars one after the other, year after year.

FNF-bugBut Apple’s design team isn’t perfect. There have been some missteps over the years, and it seems like they’ve become more common under Tim Cook. Its design has also become predictable; even before we get a new product, we have a good idea what it will look like.

Are we worrying about nothing, or is it time Apple invited some fresh blood into Jony Ive’s lair? Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight between Cult of Android and Cult of Mac as we fight it out over this and more!

Ample charge and storage make iPhone battery case a clear winner [Reviews]

By

This great battery case has power, style and extra storage.
This great battery case has power, style and extra storage.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Best List: Kuner iPhone battery case by KUKE

Even Apple admits that its powerful iPhones need a little extra battery boost from time to time. But if you’ve taken a look at the $99 devices, you might not be super convinced they’re worth the price, or even all that attractive.

The Kuner iPhone battery case really kicks the Smart Battery case’s butt: it’s thinner, prettier to look at, and even gives you extra storage space for videos, music and documents. Take that, Apple Smart Battery case.

Hate Apple’s new iPhone battery case? Don’t buy it

By

Ugh.
Apple's new iPhone case isn't pretty, but no one's forcing you to buy one.
Photo: Apple

Yes, Apple launched a new battery case for iPhone 6s today, and yes, it’s butt-ugly.

All battery cases are, but because this one has an Apple logo on it, the Internet is getting all bent out of shape over just how ugly it is. There’s one thing nobody is mentioning, though: You don’t have to buy one if you don’t like it — and no one really cares what you think.

iPhone 6 battery cases are finally a thing

By

Otterbox finally has your iPhone 6 and 6 plus covered. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Otterbox finally has your iPhone 6 and 6 plus covered. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo:

LAS VEGAS — An iPhone battery case is kinda like insurance: You don’t really want it, but you know you need it. It’s been months since Apple started selling the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, but we have yet to see any battery cases from established brands … until now.

Cult_of_Mac_CES_2015 Otterbox unveiled its Resurgence power case for the iPhone 6 at International CES this week. The case packs a 2,600-mAh battery that will charge your iPhone’s battery twice over. And, like everything Otterbox makes, it’s designed with military-grade drop protection.

The case charges itself via a micro-USB connector, and it has a button on the back that needs to be pressed when your iPhone requires more life. Otterbox is offering four colors, and the case should be available in a couple weeks for $100.

PowerSkin Unveils New Silicone Battery Case For iPhone 5

By

PowerSkin-iPhone-5

PowerSkin has today announced its new silicone battery case for the iPhone 5, which features a 1,500mAh battery that promises to provide you with up to 8 hours of additional usage on Wi-Fi, up to 6.5 hours of additional talk-time, and up to 182 hours of standby time. It’s priced at $80 and it’s available to order now from the PowerSkin website.

This is The Most Powerful Battery Case for The Samsung Galaxy S3 (There’s an iPhone Version Too)

By

post-207188-image-a9f34ffbbeedfece1efce5e2076dc243-jpg

One doesn’t see too many battery cases for the Galaxy S3. Unlike the glass-fortress iPhone — for which battery-cases are more numerous than species of bird — the S3’s battery is easily removable, somewhat lessening the usefulness of an external battery. But that didn’t stop iWalk from coming out with the Chameleon Easy, an impossibly sleek monster of a battery case with 2800 mAh on tap — which iWalk says is the highest capacity of any S3 battery to date.

This UNU Battery Case Adds Power And Style Without Sacrificing Practicality [Review]

By

Simple on the outside...
Simple on the outside...

This is the uNu Ex-Era battery case for iPhone 4 and 4S. It offers a degree of flexibility you won’t find in most other battery cases, although that flexibility comes with a drawback – namely that the case doesn’t feel as robust as some of its less flexible rivals. But you can’t have everything, all the time.

The CASELLET Case Keeps Your Credit Cards Safe But Doubles The Size Of Your iPhone [Review]

By

The CASELLET comes in white, black, and pink, and is complimented by a brushed aluminum rear panel.
The CASELLET comes in black, white, and pink, and is complimented by a brushed aluminum rear panel.

The CASELLET is a snap-on case for the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S that also doubles as a wallet for your credit cards and bills. Unlike most other wallet cases, which are traditionally made from leather, this one’s made from a durable plastic that aims to provide you with better impact protection against dings and drops.

It will hold up to four credit cards on their own, or three credit cards and a few bills. It comes in black, white, or pink, and it’s complimented by a brushed aluminum backplate. As you’d expect, it provides access to your camera, volume rocker, mute switch, and more. The CASELLET is the spawn of a very successful Kickstarter project, but is it actually any good?

This iPhone 4S Battery Case Also Projects An Interactive Infrared Keyboard On Any Surface [CES 2012]

By

revolution

LAS VEGAS, CES 2012 – Texting on the iPhone’s 3.5-inch touchscreen is about as good as you can expect, but wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to fit a full-size keyboard in there for good measure?

Celluon thinks there’s a way to do just that with the Prodigy, a Juice Pack-style battery case for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s with one interesting trick up its sleeve: it can project an interactive infrared keyboard onto any flat surface.

In theory, this means effortless typing as long as you can prop your iPhone up on a table or desk. The reality, though? Stick to texting.

Move Over Mophie, The Boost Case Hybrid Makes No Compromises And Takes No Prisoners [CES 2012]

By

boostcase

LAS VEGAS, CES 2012 – The remarkable success of Mophie’s Juice Pack Air has inevitably resulted in a locust storm of battery case also-rans at this year’s CES, but of the lot of them, the Boost Case Hybrid is the one we like best. Why? Because Boost Case understands that you don’t always want to carry around all that extra battery. They just want to make it easy for you when you do.

Mophie And Best Buy Battery Cases Recalled, Check To See If You’re Eligible For Replacements

By

juice-pack-air-ipod-touch

If you have a Mophie Juice Pack, you might want to back up a bit: Mophie’s Juice Pack Air for the fourth generation iPod touch is being recalled for burning so hot it can potentially damage the device. If you’ve got one of them, check to see if it has a serial number starting with between TR113 and TR120, then head on over to Mophie’s web site to get it replaced.

Mophie’s not the only company with some battery problems today, though. Best Buy’s in-house Rocketfish brand battery case for the iPhone 3G and 3GS are also being recalled after 14 iPhones caught on fire while charging. You can check your eligibility here, with affected owners getting a gift card for $70 USD or $105 CDN.

PowerSkin for iPhone 4: The Electric Surfer [Review, Battery Case Week]

By

PowerSkin-case-for-iPhone-4-1

The PowerSkin for iPhone 4 ($80) is a silicone case with a built-in rechargeable 2,000 mAh battery that claims to double your device’s battery life with patented “XPAL Power” battery technology. Like most battery cases, it uses a mini-USB port to charge and sync your iPhone simultaneously, and you can turn the case on and off when necessary. The four-LED battery indicator will let you know how much juice you have remaining at the touch of a button.

Fusion Case for iPhone 4 is Thinnest, Lightest Battery Case on Market

By

iPhone-4-fusion-case

The new Fusion case for the iPhone 4 from Nelson Technologies is the thinnest, lightest, and the longest running rechargeable battery case currently on the market, promising up to an extra 42 hours of audio, 11 extra hours of video, and 2 extra days of runtime.

Despite its low profile design – which adds less than an inch in total width or depth and weighs less that 2.4 ounces – the Fusion also claims to be robust and protects your device from ordinary wear and tear.

The case features a 1,500 mAh lithium polymer SaFPWR smart battery that’s rechargeable for over 500 cycles and increases iPhone runtime by more than 200%. Intelligent built-in technology ensures your iPhone never short-circuits, overcharges, or over-discharges.