The Smart Backup Battery for iPhone / iPod by Richard | Solo is a great accessory for those who travel or need additional power for their iPod or iPhone during the day. It is definitely small and light enough to have in your laptop bag whenever you leave the house… just in case you need a little extra juice on the fly.
The lithium-ion battery is encased in a very iPod Mini looking black aluminum housing. The device is extremely well made and could withstand even the most rugged travels.
The Smart Backup Battery is compatible with the iPhone and all iPods with the standard Apple 30-pin connector. It is approximately the same height and width as the Nano.
The charger is multiple times thicker than either the Nano or the Touch. But overall, the Smart Backup Battery’s total volume is not an inconvenience or burden.
Package Contents
- iPod/iPhone Smart Backup (lithium-ion) Battery
- Extendable/retractable USB cable
- USB AC wall adapter
Hardware Specifications
- 1200mAh polymerized lithium-ion TiPBB3 battery
- Smart Backup Battery itself is charged to 100% in about 3.5 hours
- Output: DC 5V +/- 0.25V
- Output current: 500mA
- Battery weighs: 1.76 oz. [50 gm]
- Battery measures: 1.77" x 2.83" x .49" [4.5 x 7.2 x 1.25 cm]
- Operating temperature: 32 to 95ºF [0 to 35ºC]
- Storage temperature: 14 to 113ºF [-10 to 45ºC]
- Warranty: 90-day warranty
The Smart Backup Battery has three LED’s near the 30-pin connector. Top LED informs you when the battery is fully charged, middle one tells you when the battery is charging the iPod/iPhone, and the third notifies you when the battery is charging. It is nice that the LED’s let you know what is going on while charging the battery or iPod. The device is well-engineered and easy to use.
The battery takes just over 3 hrs to charge via the AC wall charger and approximately 4 hrs via my Macbook’s USB port.
The battery allows throughput charging of the iPod/iPhone. The system gives priority to charging the iPod/iPhone then the battery itself. A nice benefit of the Smart Battery is that it can potentially reduce the number of charging cords by allowing you to leave your iPod cord behind. For me it is a plus because I can just bring Blackberry’s USB wall charger and can charge my Blackberry, the Smart Battery, and iPod.
The battery charges my iPod Touch to approximately 90% in 1.6 hrs and my Nano to 100% in just under 2 hrs.
The Smart Battery’s 30-pin connection fits securely into the iPod’s port but it is not absolutely stable. As you can see in the picture, the battery and iPod/iPhone do not sit flat on the table surface. Plus when connected, the iPod/iPhone does not connect flush against the battery (aka, there is a gap between the two). Sadly, it would be easy to damage the connector if the iPod/iPhone was allowed to list to either side. This is the only negative comment I have to say about the device.
Overall, I really like the form, function, and build quality of the Smart Backup Battery for iPhone / iPod by Richard | Solo. It is ideal to take along on trips especially when you are planning on killing too many hours watching movies/shows on your iPod.
Product Information
| Price: | 49.95 |
| Manufacturer: | RichardSolo.com |
| Requirements: |
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The RichardSolo Battery is easy to use and that’s what I like since I’m not a technical person. I gave one to my mom for Mother’s Day and now we’ve both got the #1 rated extra iPhone/iPod backup power source. It’s fantastic to have this extra power when we need it. I also want to say how much of a pleasure it is to do business with RichardSolo.com . They are 100% committed to their customer’s satisfaction.