Travel Technology - Best iPhone External Battery - Help me choose

Just as it says in the title - external battery pack/charger for my 3GS phone.

I'm looking for an external battery to help me through long flights and make sure I have some juice at the other end to make some calls and check my mails.

I don't want a case with battery, as I like my current case.

I would prefer a cable connection rather than a plug-in direct battery.

Ideally, I'm looking for 2+ charges for my phone from the external source.

And I would like to be able to get it in the UK.

Thanks in advance!

Personally I do prefer the case battery. However, if what you're looking for is a cable connected battery, the Imax is conceded by most people to be the best.

Since most battery packs are 1700mAh or 2200mAh, you'll need to find something beefier. At the moment, the ZaggSparq is the most powerful on the market, with a 6000mAh battery. Costs $99.

Alternatively, you could get a pack like the Tekkeon MyPower: http://tekkeon.com/products-mypowerall.html

At 5V, this thing will deliver 10000mAh, plus it can power a laptop as well. With that kind of capacity, you are looking at about 7 full iPhone charges.

EDIT: Just noticed the iMaxPower packs previously mentioned; they go up to 8000mAh: http://www.imaxpower.com/

Thanks for the help so far.

MyPower and Imax are not really easy to find (or cheap) in the UK and I suspect that they will both come with US pinned chargers - I don't need to be taking another adapter....

Any thoughts on this Dexim Blue (http://www.expansys.com/p.aspx?i=191290)?

Thanks for the help so far.

MyPower and Imax are not really easy to find (or cheap) in the UK and I suspect that they will both come with US pinned chargers - I don't need to be taking another adapter....

Any thoughts on this Dexim Blue (http://www.expansys.com/p.aspx?i=191290)?


Good product. I have a smaller version of the Dexim here, and it came with an assortment of cables. The built in flashlight is actually pretty handy too.

The price seems a tad steep but at 3000mAh, you'll get at least 2 full charges.

A cheaper (UK based company) version is the Turbo Charge from Proporta:

http://www.proporta.com/F02/PPF02P05.php?t_id=4662&t_mode=des

3400mAh, assorted cables, retractable cable and just 30 Pounds.

I picked up one of these duracell powerhouse devices, 2000mah, so more than enough to do my iphone completly.

It was only 30$, after a 10$ coupon at drugstore.com free shipping, works fine and it works for more than just iphone, blackberry, ipods, devices that take a usb or mini usb plug-in like my motorola international phone. Small, lite, compact, easy to carry around


this link is just for reference:

http://www.amazon.com/Duracell-Powerhouse-Charger-Lithium-universal/dp/B002FU6KFM#productPromotions

I like the 3GJuice http://www.3gjuice.com/. It will only give you one charge but might be small enough for you to get two.

A cheaper (UK based company) version is the Turbo Charge from Proporta:

http://www.proporta.com/F02/PPF02P05.php?t_id=4662&t_mode=des

3400mAh, assorted cables, retractable cable and just 30 Pounds.

The winner! Available today with 15% Burns Night Promo and another 10% with Quidco Cashback (23.5% discount combined)

Thanks to all for the suggestions

how does one get the 15% discount, doesn't seem to calculate on amazon.

It won't calculate on Amazon, as it's on sale at Proporta, if you follow the link from ScottC.

The 15% discount is still there.... it is a UK based site.

I got IMP880 on imaxpower.com. Recharge iphone for 5 times. Very impressive.

It won't calculate on Amazon, as it's on sale at Proporta, if you follow the link from ScottC.

The 15% discount is still there.... it is a UK based site.

They have quick shipping to the US. Good people at Proporta!

almost cheaper from amazon usa. At roughtly 40$ with currency conversion after the discount, a cc is going to most likely charge 3% all in AND not get as good a rate as 1MM, so it would be closer to 42$. 49.99$ shipped free USA from amazon.

maybe they will drop the price a tad

Did you check out this on monoprice http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10831&cs_id=1083110&p_id=5868&seq=1&format=2

Its small so you will probably only get one charge, though for the price you can buy two for way less than others. Unfortunately its is an American company so shipping will be more.

Or just get one cheap from eBay. Paid about $5 for mine. Charges my iPhone to about 95%. People paying $99 for an external battery are just plain crazy imho :rolleyes:

Or just get one cheap from eBay. Paid about $5 for mine. Charges my iPhone to about 95%. People paying $99 for an external battery are just plain crazy imho :rolleyes:

:rolleyes:

$99 for a pack with an 8800mAh battery is a very good deal. You enjoy your cheap Chinese Li-Ion pack for $5, and I'll enjoy my $99 one with good quality cells and warranty.

Really, you get what you pay for. There is no way I'll charge a $500 phone with a $5 no-name battery.

:rolleyes:

$99 for a pack with an 8800mAh battery is a very good deal. You enjoy your cheap Chinese Li-Ion pack for $5, and I'll enjoy my $99 one with good quality cells and warranty.

Really, you get what you pay for. There is no way I'll charge a $500 phone with a $5 no-name battery.

So I would need 3 to get 8800mAh. Whatever. Also, guess where your $99 battery is made..

I am in the market for one of these external battery backup and have research, but still can't decide which one would be best for me. I have an Iphone 2G, Ipod Nano 5G, Creative Zen Vision MP3 Player, and a Samsung Gravity cell phone (SGH t749). I am looking for an inexpensive option that will work with all these products. I am leaning towards the Imaxpower unit referenced before, but i don't believe I can charge my wife's Samsung phone with it, but I like the power it claims to have as well as the fact it has a wall charger, and dual USB charging ports. Any advice on what I should get or look into as I have a long flight to San Francisco later this month from Florida with a connection, and I want to be connected the whole time without missing a beat. Thanks.

Any updates on those that bought the Proporta 3400? I'm thinking about picking one up.

Amazon has them with free 2 day shipping for Prime members.

Recently I've been using it perhaps not quite as intended..... Charging the phone overnight by the bed when there's no outlet nearby. Alarm goes off as planned, phone is 100% when I get up, all is good. Charge the battery up during the day, repeat.

As for service, I think there is about 2.5 charges in the battery. It's slower than the mains to charge, but does the job. I plug it into the phone if I notice the charge dipping during the day.

On my last flight to Thailand, it was good to know I had it in my bag in case I ran down the phone on the flight.

Also charges my daughters Nintendo DS without a struggle.

I'm happy with it.^

That's good to know; thanks. Mine is on its way.

2.5 charges sounds about right. The 3GS battery is just over 1200mAh, so 2.5 * 1200 = 3000.

My BlackBerry 9700 Bold battery is 1400 mAh so I should be able to eek out a little over 2 charges. Should be perfect for a tatl/tpac trip. :) Thanks!

FWIW, there appear to be a lot of "paid" reviews of this product online. Either someone was paid to review it or got a freebie and posted positive feedback online. The Proporta guys seem to have the social marketing thing down to a science.

Brand new iPhone 4 user: Coming from Treos where I always carried a spare battery in my briefcase. Looking for a recommendation for a backup battery solution to carry so if my iPhone runs out of juice when not in a car or a place where I can plug it in I can get some extra time out of it. Example - on a plane or train or simply walking around in a city.

I have a powerstick, but the only time I ever used it was when my gf ran her iphone battery down to almost empty. Just search for powerstick. It's basically a usb backup power source, and comes with an apple 30-pin connector (and several other connectors, eg, moto, nokia, etc). You re-charge it in any usb normal powered port.

I'm sure there are plenty of other options out there for the iphone.

-David

I have two. One I bought in an emergency from Brookstone, the other purchased at I think the Apple store. Basically, you plug them into the bottom of the iPhone. (I have the last iPhone, not the new one). Morphie (I think) makes a case that acts as an extra battery. If you're near an Apple store, you can walk in or just go to Best Buy or equivalent and look at the Apple accessory display. The Morphie has a funny plug into it; the others are USB.

http://www.batterygeek.net/Batterygeek-100-Hr-iPhone-iPod-iPad-Battery-Pack-p/geekpod_110_black.htm
I've bought a couple things from BatteryGeek. both will recharge iPhones several times over.

I'm actively looking into this at the moment. Beware, many of the older designs which worked fine on the original iPhone and 3G won't charge an iPhone 3GS and I believe iPhone 4 is the same.

Not only does the charger need to put some resistors onto the USB data lines to signal to the iPhone that it can take a load of current, but also (I've read) the charger must be capable of supplying 1 Amp. Since USB specification is 500mA max this is a bit cheeky but Apple will just do what they like.

Some models to Google are as follows, but I haven't confirmed whether each of them will charge a 3GS.

MiLi Power Crystal
Kensington Battery Pack And Charger For iPhone And iPod
Veho VCC-A007-PBP Pebble 5000mAH Battery
Proporta USB Turbocharger 3400
Just Mobile PP-08 Gum Pro
Ted Baker (Proporta rebranded I think)
PINES Rechargeable Backup Battery Pack

I'm coming to the conclusion that they're all way too expensive for what they are and really I wanted something that would charge from AA batteries anyway. All the AA chargers I've found will NOT charge a 3GS, so I'm going to build my own. But if you find something else that'll save me the bother, please post here :)

Not only does the charger need to put some resistors onto the USB data lines to signal to the iPhone that it can take a load of current, but also (I've read) the charger must be capable of supplying 1 Amp. Since USB specification is 500mA max this is a bit cheeky but Apple will just do what they like.



This I find hard to believe, as I charge my 3GS from a laptop, a chinese made plug adapter-come-usb charger and my Proporta battery.

I can't see any of the first two having any special resistor arrangement on the USB lead.

I'm actively looking into this at the moment. Beware, many of the older designs which worked fine on the original iPhone and 3G won't charge an iPhone 3GS and I believe iPhone 4 is the same.

Not only does the charger need to put some resistors onto the USB data lines to signal to the iPhone that it can take a load of current, but also (I've read) the charger must be capable of supplying 1 Amp. Since USB specification is 500mA max this is a bit cheeky but Apple will just do what they like.

nope. all iphones and ipods can charge from 500ma usb ports. there is no difference between a 3g and 3gs or any other ipod 4th gen or later (the 3rd gen did not charge on usb at all, despite supporting usb). the iphone power adapter is 1a and the ipad power adapter is 2a (10w). the ipad will charge off a lowly 500ma usb port, but it must be off to do so (and it's not going to be particularly fast).

furthermore, an external power source that plugs into the dock connector is not limited to what's coming out of a usb port and can source more current. cases that fit an iphone 3g will work with a 3gs and vice versa. the iphone 4 has a different physical body design and 3g cases won't work because they don't fit, not because they are electrically incompatible.

mophie (http://www.mophie.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=21) makes cases that incorporate batteries and are not ridiculously huge. i've heard good things about them, but have not used one.

This I find hard to believe, as I charge my 3GS from a laptop, a chinese made plug adapter-come-usb charger and my Proporta battery.

I can't see any of the first two having any special resistor arrangement on the USB lead.

it's required as part of the usb battery charging spec in order to be compliant. a lot of devices don't care, but the ipods and iphones do and will not charge from a non-compliant charger. read more here: http://www.usb.org/developers/devclass_docs

My new 4G is going 2-2.5 days between charging with fairly heavy use. My old 3GS would make it a day....maybe depending on usage. Very pleased with the battery life of the new phone.

Of course I did have to buy a new case due to the antenna issues... But that is another thread.

...it's required as part of the usb battery charging spec in order to be compliant. a lot of devices don't care, but the ipods and iphones do and will not charge from a non-compliant charger. read more here: http://www.usb.org/developers/devclass_docs
I have a cheapie white USB power supply (looks identical to the one that came with the phone) and a cigarette-lighter USB power supply, and my 3GS won't charge from either one of them. Its display gives an error message something like "not supported."

The phone does charge from the USB sockets of all 3 computers that I have tried.

(An unrelated caveat: If you have an iPhone full of music and synced to your home computer, and you charge the iPhone from your laptop while on vacation, and your laptop has iTunes installed, and you haven't set the device rules to sync music manually...under those circumstances, the laptop will erase or hide all the music on the iPhone so you won't be able to listen to it on the flight home. Fortunately, when you again sync your iPhone with your home computer, all the music will re-appear.)

(An unrelated caveat: If you have an iPhone full of music and synced to your home computer, and you charge the iPhone from your laptop while on vacation, and your laptop has iTunes installed, and you haven't set the device rules to sync music manually...under those circumstances, the laptop will erase or hide all the music on the iPhone so you won't be able to listen to it on the flight home. Fortunately, when you again sync your iPhone with your home computer, all the music will re-appear.)

actually, all that's needed is to disable automatic syncing when you plug in an ipod/iphone (that is different than manual sync). you can also disable auto-launching itunes entirely, which personally i prefer.

manual sync means everything is done manually, and that's a bit of a pain.

As I said, I *read* that it needs a 1A supply for a dumb charger. Plugging it into a laptop USB port is different as it can negotiate whatever current it wants to take, 500mA or below presumably. But I can believe it's true as I did some tests:

I have a cheapo emergency pack which charges my old iPhone 2G successfully from 2 AA batteries. It doesn't work with my 3GS, giving the "charging not supported with this accessory" message.

I took it apart to make sure it was giving 5V instead of 12V (as the 2G could charge from either, whereas 3G onwards can only charge from 5V) - check. 5.2V measured on USB + supply pin. Board has resistor networks on it for the D+/D- lines, measure 2.2V and 2.8V on those which means it should charge the 3GS.

I connected a bench power supply onto the USB + supply pin at 5.2V and hey presto the 3GS charges. So the only difference here is the current output capability of the supply, and it makes the difference between charging and not.

I think that any older accessories charging 3GS are working by luck, though better accessories might have been designed with a higher output to allow devices to charge faster.

I have a cheapo emergency pack which charges my old iPhone 2G successfully from 2 AA batteries. It doesn't work with my 3GS, giving the "charging not supported with this accessory" message.

that's a different issue.

the iphone 2g, like all ipods before it, could charge over firewire. since firewire can source a lot more current than usb, many companies made chargers that used the firewire pins in the dock connector so that it would charge faster.

the iphone 3g removed firewire completely (syncing over firewire was gone with the 5th gen ipod a few years earlier but charging remained), and any device that supplied power on those pins would cause that message to appear. the iphone 3g and later must charge via usb.

there are adapters that provide power on the usb pins from a charger that supplied it on the firewire pins, but i don't remember who makes them and a quick google search found one that has been discontinued.

that's a different issue.

Did you even read the rest of my post? The very next words after the bit you quoted. Where I said it's not that. :rolleyes:

I'm actively looking into this at the moment. Beware, many of the older designs which worked fine on the original iPhone and 3G won't charge an iPhone 3GS and I believe iPhone 4 is the same.

Not only does the charger need to put some resistors onto the USB data lines to signal to the iPhone that it can take a load of current, but also (I've read) the charger must be capable of supplying 1 Amp. Since USB specification is 500mA max this is a bit cheeky but Apple will just do what they like.

Some models to Google are as follows, but I haven't confirmed whether each of them will charge a 3GS.

MiLi Power Crystal
Kensington Battery Pack And Charger For iPhone And iPod
Veho VCC-A007-PBP Pebble 5000mAH Battery
Proporta USB Turbocharger 3400
Just Mobile PP-08 Gum Pro
Ted Baker (Proporta rebranded I think)
PINES Rechargeable Backup Battery Pack

I'm coming to the conclusion that they're all way too expensive for what they are and really I wanted something that would charge from AA batteries anyway. All the AA chargers I've found will NOT charge a 3GS, so I'm going to build my own. But if you find something else that'll save me the bother, please post here :)

I have and use the Just Mobile Gum Pro 4400mAh and it works great. I have a iphone 3gs and my wife has a iphone 3g and it charges both of them. It has ~3-3.5 full charges on it. The biggest reason I picked this one was mostly because I could use it to charge any USB device that I have ... so it has come in pretty handy for things like my bluetooth or kindle when I forgot to charge those before leaving for a trip.

Drek

When I switched from a 2g to a 3gs, I had to get a new external charger, since the old ones would not work anymore. I bought a mophie juice pack air on ebay for $25. It has worked perfectly for 4 months. I never take it off of the phone, just charge both together over night. But I still looking for a charger that uses AA batteries, for long trips.

I've done some more tests and it seems that 300mA is the magic number, by applying 5V from a bench supply with a variable current limit. Below that it says it won't charge, above that it's fine. However even below that, it'll still take the current from the supply suggesting it is actually charging even though it says it's not.

Clearly my cheapo AA charger is crappier than I thought. I haven't actually measured what current it can supply yet. I also want to measure what the iPhone consumes when running MotionX with the display on so I can work out what to design.

Has anyone tried the Xpal Energizer Portable Charger for Smart Phones model XP2000 on an iPhone 3GS or 4? They sell for $40 at Staples and are 2000mAh. Comes with several tips, including Apple.

OK - so I went ahead and bought the Xpal Energizer Portable Charger for Smart Phones model XP2000 to try it out. It works pretty well. I did the initial charge for 8 hours as recommended by attaching it to the USB port on my laptop. Then in the morning I attached it to my iPhone4 using the included tip. Note that the included tip requires removing bumpers and likely most other form fit cases. It recognized the charging device and proceeded to charge. It went from about 65% to 100% in about 80 minutes. And the backup battery had somewhat more than half of its charge left afterwards, based on their little light meter scale.

I know there are other solutions out there that may be more powerful and perhaps faster at charging. But this suits my needs nicely. It is quite small, requires no separate charging brick, comes with a variety of tips so you could charge other devices as well and included a nice little drawstring pouch to hold the battery and little cable and tips. They told me in an email that they would be coming out with a narrower Apple tip to better fit the iPhone4 with a case on. It is available at Staples and Best Buy and is priced around $40. I used a couple of Staples coupons and paid very little out the door.

I have and use the Just Mobile Gum Pro 4400mAh and it works great. I have a iphone 3gs and my wife has a iphone 3g and it charges both of them. It has ~3-3.5 full charges on it. The biggest reason I picked this one was mostly because I could use it to charge any USB device that I have ... so it has come in pretty handy for things like my bluetooth or kindle when I forgot to charge those before leaving for a trip.

Drek

I'll second that.
I use the same thing for my ipod video so I can watch movies on long flights. So far I think it is well worth the money. I just got an iphone 4 and it also work with that phone.

Did you check out this on monoprice http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10831&cs_id=1083110&p_id=5868&seq=1&format=2

Its small so you will probably only get one charge, though for the price you can buy two for way less than others. Unfortunately its is an American company so shipping will be more.

I managed to get 2 1/2 full charges out of this. I highly recommend the monoprice charger.

At the moment, I'm pretty attached to my Brookstone 92-Hour Rechargeable Battery Pack (http://www.nomadz.net/2011/03/92-hour-rechargeable-battery-from-brookstone/1481). It cost me $80 and hides a 3000mAh battery in a very small and light weight footprint... and can almost recharge my iPhone 2x at best. It's a bit tricky to find in the UK, so you'll have to do some searches on Amazon and eBay.

Before that, I was using the Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation (http://www.nomadz.net/2011/03/mophie-juicepack-powerstation/1476). It holds more of a charge at 3600mAh and does recharge my iPhone 4 twice over. It's bulkier than the Brookstone but has some advantages (namely the cable).

Today, I received my New Trent Dual-Port Rechargeable Battery Pack (http://www.nomadz.net/2011/03/new-trent-dual-port-rechargeable-battery-pack-review/1801) and I must say, it looks really good. The price was excellent - £25 here in UK - and it has a 5000mAh battery with two ports - one for 500mA recharging, the second for 1A recharging (e.g. iPad). I haven't used it yet, so I'm going to post more after I've taken it on the road... but I'm really excited that not only was it well-priced, well-sized and packs a lot of power compared to the others... but it also recharges by micro-USB cable instead of something a bit more proprietary, like the other two. In particular, the Brookstone comes with a cable that I'd hate to lose, which would leave me dead in the water.

$79.95 gets you the RichardSolo PowerMax. 16,000mAh will keep your phone going for a long time :D

Anyone have experience with the Miccus ChargeBlock?

http://www.miccus.com/uploads/products/downloads/ChargeBlock%20for%20iPad%20cutsheet%20email.pdf

Dimensions are 'bout the same as an iPhone/iTouch; 8,200 mAh

I have the cheap iphone4 sw-box.com battery case ($22) and it has worked great for me. I also went ahead and replaced my iPhone4 battery with a brand new one (5 minutes work) for $10. I'm in great shape battery-wise for less than $40 total including shipping.

I have the cheap iphone4 sw-box.com battery case ($22) and it has worked great for me. I also went ahead and replaced my iPhone4 battery with a brand new one (5 minutes work) for $10. I'm in great shape battery-wise for less than $40 total including shipping.

Nice site (sw-box). How is the quality? Reasonable? Prices are unbeatable. Even saw some Otterobox knockoffs for under $5!!

Monoprice seemed to have discontinued all their battery packs for the iPhone. That is too bad they worked well enough and they were a steal.

iPhone 3GS: Mophie Juice Pack Air

iPhone 4: Mophie Juice Pack Air Plus

Stay away from the cheap ones that let you use a AA as the power source. I had one where the battery got painfully hot in minutes.

Just as it says in the title - external battery pack/charger for my 3GS phone.

I'm looking for an external battery to help me through long flights and make sure I have some juice at the other end to make some calls and check my mails.

I don't want a case with battery, as I like my current case.

I would prefer a cable connection rather than a plug-in direct battery.

Ideally, I'm looking for 2+ charges for my phone from the external source.

And I would like to be able to get it in the UK.

Thanks in advance!

Mine is this one, i purcharsed it when on promotion, save $5 dollars and a free ipad charging adapter when ordered two. And the other one give to my friend as a present.

http://www.amazon.com/RAVPower-Dynamo--5200mAh-External-Capacity/dp/B007HUTXV8/ref=sr_1_2?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1346660778&sr=1-2&keywords=rp-pb03

These type of batteries are becoming commodities.

Make sure you buy one that charges with USB so you can avoid yet another cable.

I have this 5000mAH USB Battery (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004P8E612/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004P8E612&linkCode=as2&tag=flrtk-20). Dual USB ports. Came with a really cool USB cord that you could change the end attachment, which has been handy a few times and makes for a few less cables to carry.

It's only $15. I bought two :) One of the vendors is in Hong Kong so I'm sure shipping to the UK is no problem.

I have a new favorite - the Marware Amped. It has USB in and MicroUSB out. Can be found for around $20. Best of all - it delivers over 1A of charging power. I can get my Samsung Galaxy S3 from 20% to 70% in about 30 minutes, faster than any charger I've ever owned. Yes, it gets hot, but I'll live with that :D

Any new thoughts on this from anyone?

Any new thoughts on this from anyone?

What phone, and how much power/charges do you need?

What phone, and how much power/charges do you need?

iPhone 4S and at least one full charge would be good.

Looking for recommendations for a battery case for:


Samsung Galaxy SIII
Samsung Galaxy Note II


Would like to at least double the run time of each device before needing a charge. Heavy GPS and Bluetooth usage.

Looking for recommendations for a battery case for:


Samsung Galaxy SIII
Samsung Galaxy Note II


Would like to at least double the run time of each device before needing a charge. Heavy GPS and Bluetooth usage.

On my S3 I used this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009RIT0ES/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=prd_idnr-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B009RIT0ES&adid=1MSRF7FAYCHHCWCMMZ7X&

It houses a second standard battery, and can be removed when not in use. Love it.

For my Note II, I use this thing:

http://www.amazon.com/SlimTalk-External-Micro-USB-Flashlight-Smartphones/dp/B0054U6CEE/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1364086422&sr=8-7&keywords=anker+battery

But the Anker would work on both devices.

iPhone 4S and at least one full charge would be good.

1SaleADay had this one (http://www.amazon.com/uNu-External-Protective-Battery-2400mAh/dp/B0048IZL5E) for cheap last week; should be arriving in a couple of days. I'll report back :)

There are also a couple of recommendations in my earlier thread re:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-technology/1404329-recommendations-battery-case-iphone-4s.html?highlight=battery

iPhone 4S and at least one full charge would be good.

I have the same phone and swear by my Mophie Juice Pack Plus. It cost a bit up front but it has more than paid for itself IMHO. I've had it just shy of a year and it's worked brilliantly; I can go from 10% to a full charge with no problems (I'm not sure how long this actually takes because once I flip it on I tend to forget about it). The one drawback is it adds some heft to the phone and makes it bigger, so if the lines of your 4S are part of its attraction for you, you may not be a fan.

I have the same phone and swear by my Mophie Juice Pack Plus. It cost a bit up front but it has more than paid for itself IMHO. I've had it just shy of a year and it's worked brilliantly; I can go from 10% to a full charge with no problems (I'm not sure how long this actually takes because once I flip it on I tend to forget about it). The one drawback is it adds some heft to the phone and makes it bigger, so if the lines of your 4S are part of its attraction for you, you may not be a fan.

Any experience with the mophie juice pack powerstation or powerstation mini, then? I do like my form factor of my 4S... so was thinking one of these might work?

No, not personally...but given my experience with my Juice Pack I'd be more than willing to give another Mophie product a try. Sorry I'm not much help. :)

Love my Mophie Juice Pack Plus as well. In fact now that I've been using it for the last 6 months, I find the size/weight of the iPhone without it no longer to my liking.

Love my Mophie Juice Pack Plus as well. In fact now that I've been using it for the last 6 months, I find the size/weight of the iPhone without it no longer to my liking.

I know! I take it off sometimes if I want to charge the phone in my husband's car and spare my Mophie on a quick overnight to the beach and I'm like, damn, where'd my phone go?

1SaleADay had this one (http://www.amazon.com/uNu-External-Protective-Battery-2400mAh/dp/B0048IZL5E) for cheap last week; should be arriving in a couple of days. I'll report back :)

So far, it's an impressive device. Well-made, fits perfectly. I actually like the size of the iphone with case better than the naked iPhone.

Super light battery: Duracell Instant USB Charger (http://www.amazon.com/Duracell-Instant-Charger-Includes-Universal/dp/B002FU6KF2)

Gives you about 3/4 of a charge on an iPhone 5. Mine tips the scale at 1.5 ounces.

It is perfect for those emergencies when you step off a plane, your connection is cancelled, the agent lines stretch for miles, and you just need to call and rebook your flight.

Heavier but still small: PowerGen Mobile 5200 (http://www.amazon.com/PowerGen-External-Blackberry-Sensation-Thunderbolt/dp/B005VBNYDS/ref=pd_sbs_hpc_2)

I can get about 2 charges out of it, but it does add more weight to your bag at 4.3 ounces. The assortment of cables is a bit wacky but comprehensive and you must keep in mind they are for charging only (not data).

Both these devices will charge your phone using your existing USB charging cable.

However, if you have an iPhone, the same cable cannot be used to charge the battery itself. For charging, the Duracell uses mini-usb connector; the PowerGen uses micro usb. Both do come with appropriate cable for charging.

I ended up buying a mophie juice pack powerstation

http://www.mophie.com/powerstation-mini-for-iPod-iPhone-smartphones-p/2031_jpu-mini-pwrstion.htm?utm_source=googleps&utm_medium=cse&utm_content=PWRSTATIONMINI&utm_campaign=juice-pack-powerstation-mini&gclid=CIyO5LbgsbYCFbE-Mgod6wIAZg

2500mAh - works quite nicely so far, and is basically the identical size of my iPhone 4S.