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fredf · 07-05-2009, 07:06 PM

Very interesting thread. I too have pondered what to do about an external battery.

It seems to me that there are two different approaches. The first is the type that hangs off the bottom of the phone, inserting into the USB charging dock, examples being Richard Solo and about 20 other brands and knockoffs on eBay and monoprice.

They certainly would work as a charger but I wonder about the practicality of them. If you are at work, at home, or in the car you can just plug in your iPhone with any number of charger/connectors.
But you can't really walk around and use the iPhone with one of these devices attached, I would worry that it would fall off or twist or damage the iPhone while hanging on. Not to mention that it seems very awkward to hold the phone with something almost its size (in the case of the Richard Solo) hanging off it.

It seems to me that these are only useful for that odd time when you aren't near a computer or an electrical outlet...perhaps carried in a briefcase for an emergency....but really putting the phone out of commission while charging.

What seems more useful to me are the jacket types like the Mophie. At least with these you can use the phone in an emergency while it is charging.
But the Mophie is awfully expensive.

There are a number of these types of chargers/batteries on eBay starting as low as about $25. Does anybody know if any of these are any good/reliable?

Lastly, no one has mentioned the Mili Power Pack which is about $30 cheaper than the Mophie on eBay and has 2000-mah and looks quite svelte and lightweight.

Anyone with experience with the Mili?

07-05-2009, 07:06 PM	#33 (permalink)
fredf Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 11 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Very interesting thread. I too have pondered what to do about an external battery. It seems to me that there are two different approaches. The first is the type that hangs off the bottom of the phone, inserting into the USB charging dock, examples being Richard Solo and about 20 other brands and knockoffs on eBay and monoprice. They certainly would work as a charger but I wonder about the practicality of them. If you are at work, at home, or in the car you can just plug in your iPhone with any number of charger/connectors. But you can't really walk around and use the iPhone with one of these devices attached, I would worry that it would fall off or twist or damage the iPhone while hanging on. Not to mention that it seems very awkward to hold the phone with something almost its size (in the case of the Richard Solo) hanging off it. It seems to me that these are only useful for that odd time when you aren't near a computer or an electrical outlet...perhaps carried in a briefcase for an emergency....but really putting the phone out of commission while charging. What seems more useful to me are the jacket types like the Mophie. At least with these you can use the phone in an emergency while it is charging. But the Mophie is awfully expensive. There are a number of these types of chargers/batteries on eBay starting as low as about $25. Does anybody know if any of these are any good/reliable? Lastly, no one has mentioned the Mili Power Pack which is about $30 cheaper than the Mophie on eBay and has 2000-mah and looks quite svelte and lightweight. Anyone with experience with the Mili?