Like many people with the iPhone 3GS. I have problems with the battery. Connectivity at work is very bad, so my phone is spending most of the day scanning the EM bands, searching for it’s beloved AT&T. It’s nigh impossible to get through the day on one charge. Consequently, I have chargers everywhere I can predictably be found; by my bed, in the car, at the office, and even on my sofa in the evening. But if I find myself somewhere where I can’t charge it, and I know I’m going to be there using the iPhone for any significant time (Indonesian hen parties come to mind), I know that even if it has a full charge when I leave my car, it will be mostly dead (or slightly alive, no loose change here) when I get back to the car.

It was after one such affair that I decided to do something about it. Mophie makes a couple battery packs that double as extra batteries (to be fair, they only make one now; the other being discontinued): the Juicepack and the Juicepack Air.

Mophie Juicepack

Mophie Juicepack Air

Both have an external battery that can charge your iPhone. The Air has a switch (I didn’t know the Juicepack didn’t) so you don’t have to leave the phone plugged in all the time (the phone draws less power if it’s not plugged in, so this saves power). Both have battery capacity LEDs on the back. The Juicepack’s battery is 1800 mAh, while the Air’s battery is 1200 mAh.

The Juicepack can be thought of like a backpack; it’s big and bulky and makes you think you really have something extra back there. It has a bigger battery, and uses the standard dock connector, but looks bulky (to be fair, I’ve never seen one in person; only pictures on the web). The Juicepack Air looks like you just have a fatter case but it actually looks like a case. It has a standard micro-USB connector (more on that later), and a smaller battery.

The connector was actually my biggest concern. As I said I’ve practically cornered the market on iPhone chargers. I have, at present:

Apple supplied USB cable & charger by my bed.
Apple cable by my home computer.
Apple charger in the living room (have to bring the cable from the computer if I need to use it).
A standalone charger in the living room (usually used for my wife’s iPhone).
A car charger.
A car charger with a remote control and audio output.
A standalone charger at work.
(Another standalone charger at work but that only works with my iPod).

So getting something that works with all those would be nice. Not only that, but something that easily plays audio in the car would be extra nice. So my question was: which one do I get?

Juicepack

Pro:

My biggest reason for considering the Juicepack was the car. I use the iPhone in the car constantly, and being able to plug the Juicepack into the car directly, especially with the audio working, would be great.

I also like the extra battery life.

Con:

Biggest con is the form factor. I don’t like how it looks. There’s also real concern it might not fit well in my pocket. And it’s more expensive.

Juicepack Air

Pro:

In addition to the form factor and size (which is important), the Air uses a standard micro-USB charger. One nice thing about that is that if I need to charge the pack without the phone (for example, if I don’t want to plug the phone into some strange computer, but want that computer’s power), I can connect the pack to any computer and charge it by itself. This is important at work, as I am unable to plug my phone into my work computer.

Con:

The inability to plug it into my car audio adapter is probably the biggest pain with the Air. I have three options, typically:

1. Remove the iPhone from the pack and plug it directly into the car audio adapter.
2. Use an audio cable, plugged into the headphone jack.
3. Just forego the iPhone’s audio and use my iPod (or enjoy the silence).

I also found that the micro-USB is much more difficult to attach than the iPhone’s standard dock connector (especially in the dark if my wife is already asleep).

I ended up buying the Juicepack Air. One unexpected feature (especially outside in the New England winter) is that when it’s charging, the battery pack gets quite warm, so doubles as a hand warmer. I suspect that won’t be as welcome in a few months.

Finally, as I said above, I didn’t know the Juicepack didn’t have a switch. That in itself might mean the effective capacity of both is comparable (assuming both stay on your phone all the time). I still charge the phone (and the pack) whenever possible, but now I rarely have to worry about both dying.

And if I didn’t make it clear, I really like and heartily recommend the Mophie Juicepack Air. It’s great!