Mophie juices iPhone 5 batteries as new Belkin keyboard turns iPad mini into notebook
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.
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.
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.
Comments
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!
"new Belkin keyboard turns iPad mini into notebook"
Hardly. iPads are great, but adding a keyboard doesn't make it a laptop ... by any stretch of the imagination. For starters, no filing system. And I/O--wireless and an iTunes sync cable had better be all you'll ever need. And then there's the problem of printing--only to AirPrint printers. Only 1 user account--thus mixing your personal and work stuff, and giving the occasional borrower (like my wife) the ability to mess me up. Oh, and much to our dismay, there are still a few websites that use Flash that I need to access. Yeah, it beats a laptop for some things, but the things it lacks is pretty much a deal breaker for going iPad solo.
What am I not seeing here?
Quote:
Originally Posted by drandel
"new Belkin keyboard turns iPad mini into notebook"
Hardly. iPads are great, but adding a keyboard doesn't make it a laptop ... by any stretch of the imagination. For starters, no filing system. And I/O--wireless and an iTunes sync cable had better be all you'll ever need. And then there's the problem of printing--only to AirPrint printers. Only 1 user account--thus mixing your personal and work stuff, and giving the occasional borrower (like my wife) the ability to mess me up. Oh, and much to our dismay, there are still a few websites that use Flash that I need to access. Yeah, it beats a laptop for some things, but the things it lacks is pretty much a deal breaker for going iPad solo.
What am I not seeing here?
All good points...your next computer may indeed be a laptop or desktop. But, the one after that just very well may be an iPad and only an iPad.
Update: wow $80. Now that's value....
Quote:
Originally Posted by drandel
What am I not seeing here?
Um..... iPad sales?
As with every device it depends on your use case as every device has some compromises. However, if you don't require all of the above, which many iPad users don't, it can be a notebook. As time passes you will see more robust cloud services, more printing solutions and the like so the line between laptop and tablet will be blurred even more for a lot of people.
Why don't you read the article before posting?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alexmit
Since when does a keyboard make any tablet a laptop/notebook? I'm perfectly ok with some mofo juice. (yes, I know that is wrong)
Such an idea is a confirmed fact in Ballmer's mind.
I have the Mophie for the 4S, and no longer have the 4S, now an iPhone 5. Next power device I buy will be the external battery pack type that I can use the USB Lightning cord that came with the 5. I'll just put the power pack in another pocket.
I want to get some more information about IPAD.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gwmac
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.
I use external battery pack rather than a battery case. I picked up one of the RAVPower 14000mAh for $43 at Amazon a few weeks ago. It works great with everything I've tried.