My first decision is easy when heading out on an outdoor adventure: Take the iPhone with me? Oh, you betcha. The next one is much more difficult. Since the iPhone requires a boost in both protection and juice when playing Indiana Jones, I’m forced to choose between slipping on a battery case and worrying about my iPhone shattering on a rock, or (painstakingly) wrapping it in a rubber case and hoping it doesn’t run out of power.
But Mophie’s new $130 iPhone 4/S battery pack — sort of a cross between a tank and a tanker — says “COMPROMISE IS FOR THE WEAK.” And also, the poor.
The Mophie Juice Pack Pro is a really big battery pack wrapped in a really tough case equipped with a belt clip. On paper, its 2500 mAh battery — easily one of the largest we’ve ever seen on an iPhone battery case — has enough juice to fill the iPhone 4’s 1420 mAh battery almost twice. The case “exceeds MIL-STD 810G” standards, which probably means it’ll protect the iPhone against beatings and moisture, but probably isn’t for underwater demolition use.
The downside? Well, there’s the price tag; and the thing probably handles like a pig. But for those ‘core enough about their adventures, the price and bulk might be easily justified. Right?
When he was eight, Eli Milchman came home from frolicking in the Veld one day and was given an Atari 400. Since then, his fascination with technology has made him an intrepid early adopter of whatever charming new contraption crosses his path. He calls San Francisco home, where he works as a journalist and photographer. Eli has contributed to the pages of Wired.com and BIKE Magazine, among others. Hang with him on Twitter.
Subscribe to the Newsletter
Our daily roundup of Apple news, reviews and how-tos. Plus the best Apple tweets, fun polls and inspiring Steve Jobs bons mots. Our readers say: "Love what you do" -- Christi Cardenas. "Absolutely love the content!" -- Harshita Arora. "Genuinely one of the highlights of my inbox" -- Lee Barnett.