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Kensington’s Mini Battery Pack and Charger for iPhone and iPod now available

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 · 6:38 pm · 44 Comments

Kensington’s Mini Battery Pack and Charger for iPhone and iPod is now available. It simultaneously powers and charges an iPhone or iPod — of course, the “mini” itself is rechargeable, too.

Kensington’s “mini” is designed for users to easily carry with them on a daily basis. This means that iPhone and iPod users can always have a ready supply of power at hand to keep the conversations going and the music playing.

Today’s mobile professionals want to take non-stop advantage of the rich variety of iPhone and iPod capabilities without having to worry about running out of battery life. Now they can always have a fresh charge at hand in a size that fits in the smallest pocket or can even be left connected to your iPhone or iPod. Recharging is straightforward and easily implemented with a simple USB dock connector.

Key features of the Mini Battery Pack and Charger for iPhone and iPod include:

• Power and charge your iPhone or iPod
• Extends play time up to 30 hours of music, 6 hours of video, 3 hours of talk
• Includes retractable USB charging cable to recharge battery pack
• High-capacity, rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery pack for increased energy efficiency
• Small enough to keep connected to your iPhone or iPod
• LED battery meter displays remaining power level
• Weight 1.6 oz.
• Dimensions 2.38″ x 0.38″ X 1.69″

Kensington’s Mini Battery Pack and Charger for iPhone and iPod retails for US$49.99.

More info here.

MacDailyNews Note: Kensington also offers their “Battery Pack and Charger for iPhone and iPod” for US$69.99 which extends playing time up to 100 hours of music, 21 hours of video, or 6 hours of talk. More info via Apple Store here.

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Comment Feed

44 Comments

1 2 3 Next »

Eric24601

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 6:48 pm · Reply

if you are not on an Unlimited Plan, it would behoove you to stay within the daily power limits of your iPhone to curtail going over your minutes and pay an exorbitant bill at the end of the month.
Randian

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 7:02 pm · Reply

Does this little goodie (and others sure to come) satisfy the great unwashed Treo, Blackberry, BlackJack masses who simply MUST have a second battery in hand when they travel away from the office?
no

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 7:03 pm · Reply

whine away
One more reason

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 7:06 pm · Reply

…why all the hoopla about the 3G having poor battery life is nonsense:

1. It’s BETTER battery life than most (if not all) other 3G phones

2. It’s poor only compared to EDGE phones like the old iPhone, and not MUCH lower anyway

3. You can switch it to EDGE easily for BETTER battery life than the old iPhone–best of both worlds

4. The new 3G’s battery isn’t meant to be swapped often, but it’s much easier to change than the old: just 2 screws, and it’s not soldered

5. Most people don’t even need the maximum 3G battery life anyway–they don’t talk for 5 hours a day and they charge nightly (plus you can charge other places like in your car)

And now 6. You can get external batteries like this one if your worried about some unusual situation. It doesn’t make your phone bulky until you need it (rare) so carry it and forget it. Best of all, if you have time to charge the phone but no juice, use this instead: it will transfer power to the phone and then you can disconnect it.

Magic Word: wrong. “It is [wrong] to compare the fast new 3G iPhone to a bunch of slow EDGE phones and complain about battery life, when the new iPhone in EDGE mode gets BETTER than they do!”
whatever

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 7:10 pm · Reply

This type of device is way better than a spare battery as you can charge both at the same time.
Jubei

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 7:12 pm · Reply

There you go. I got batteries when I run out of juice. Very nice.
Sir Gill Bates

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 7:21 pm · Reply

They ad some bulk to the iPhone, but for $50 you could have a couple of them if you really need it.
Me In LA

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 7:51 pm · Reply

This device does not work with the 3G anyway.
The power changed on the 3G, and it no longer uses pinouts like previous units did that were based on the FireWire std.
Even though they were USB, they are not the same.
The new 3G won’t work (charge) with many legacy docks/speakers, etc.
I’ve heard there will be adapters, but nothing official.
R2

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 8:01 pm · Reply

Sucks for 3G owners cause this thing is very, very nice. They’re about the price of what an iPhone would cost anyway.

I’m going to order one and if I like it maybe another for emergencies.

This is what all battery pack makers should shoot for. Get them down even smaller in size so they won’t be cumbersome at all. As portable as this is, an iPod touch user for example wouldn’t be able to have their headphones connected while charging.
@whatever

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 8:03 pm · Reply

True, but what really makes this better than a spare battery is that you don’t have to turn the phone off before you can use it.
R2

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 8:04 pm · Reply

Rather what an iPhone battery* would cost
Spark

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 8:12 pm · Reply

@Me In LA
You may be right, but I’m not sure. I know there are issues between some 3rd party add-on with the Firewire/USB power issue. But Kensington states that this works with ANY iPhone. I find it hard to believe they would introduce this after the 3G intro with that claim if it did not work with it.
Me In LA

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 8:36 pm · Reply

@ Spark,

Yeah, it’s an odd one.
I can’t find any info on this to be SURE, and I can not find any documentation (I have been looking, believe me) on “Made for iPhone” legalese.
I know the pinouts/circuitry did change, so this is one thing I’m not going to purchase unless I know for sure…
Steve516

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 10:44 pm · Reply

“This device does not work with the 3G anyway.
The power changed on the 3G, and it no longer uses pinouts like previous units did that were based on the FireWire std.
Even though they were USB, they are not the same.
The new 3G won’t work (charge) with many legacy docks/speakers, etc.
I’ve heard there will be adapters, but nothing official.”

What are you talking about? The connector is a standard 30pin dock connector on both first generation iPhone and the iPhone 3G. I have personally used 3 different Apple USB cables for charging both units, and not had any difficulties. I have also connected both units to my car stereo and the Alpine dock connector for iPod and it works fine too (for music, music control, and charging). This includes a first gen iPhone cable charging a 3G, as well as syncing, and an old iPod USB cable doing the same. And then I used the new 3G cable to charge and sync the first gen iPhone.

Some proof behind your FUD would be nice…
Middilay

Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - 12:03 am · Reply

@Me in LA

I work in the electronics industry and have my new Iphone 3G connected with the same adaptor that I have used for my nano, Ipod touch, original nano, classic and so on. I leave the new cables in the box and never use them. If the pin-out is different as you say than why are the original ipod charging cables working fine on the new iphone. When pin-outs change the cable will not do a thing not work sometimes and not others. So, basically this device simulates being plugged in. Think of it as a battery powered electrical wall outlet and it will work just fine.
Mr. Reeee

Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - 12:14 am · Reply

Nice idea.

BUT, it would be ideal if it somehow piggybacked onto the iPhone instead of hung down like it does… so it might actually be able to be carried in a pocket and not fear snapping or bending the dock connectors.

Otherwise a reasonable first draft.
gypsie

Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - 1:32 am · Reply

That’s a wrong design! iPhone belt holder as a extra battery pack is much better idea.
Macintosh

Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - 1:52 am · Reply

There are cooler ones that have the rounded corners so it fits nicely against the iPhone. I forgot what they are called though. Search for one made only for the iPhone and not for iPods. You will see it.
Macaday

Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - 6:43 am · Reply

I hope Dan Dilger or the like writes up about how there HAVE to be faults with the iPhone.

The battery life issue has been done to death and many people will believe what they have read that iPhone 3G battery life is terrible…

So how many of them will have read that iPhone has the BEST battery life of any iPhone?

Another example is Exchange support.. Ars’ iPhone review slams iPhone for not being a good corporate tool. Why? Because it doesn’t support the weird and wonderful advanced options of exchange that the Blackberry does. They admit it does everything it does do better than the Blackberry though. So the result is they throw the baby out with the bathwater for the sake of features understood and used by one dozen people..

Doesn’t make any sense to me at all.

The iPhone is SUCH a revolutionary device, that I can only believe that there is a real fear in some quarters to admit that. Why?
Macaday

Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - 6:46 am · Reply

Ho ho ho…I see adverts on MDN now for kitchens and I wonder how many new kitchen buying decisions will be delayed by people choosing iPhones instead during these hard times…!