Kensington Mini Battery Extender and Charger for iPod and iPhone 1G, 3G, 4G (Black)

• NOTE: This item is model number K33459US; it is the same product as Kensington's K33442US but featuring new reduced packaging
• Compatibility: iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G; iPod classic 4G, 5G, 5.5G, 6G; iPod touch; iPhone
• Power and charge your iPhone or iPod--extends play time up to 30 hours of music or 6 hours of video (on iPod nano 3G) or 3 hours of talk (on iPhone)
• Includes retractable USB charging cable, and it's small enough to keep connected to your iPhone or iPod
• High-capacity, rechargeable Lithium-Ion polymer battery pack for increased energy efficiency

This little battery pack just isn't worth the trouble. It is certainly small, and maybe if you need just a little boost to your battery it might work for you, but I am getting no where near the stated time, or amount of charge. So from a auxiliary battery point of view, it doesn't cut it. Secondly, because it's a little heavy (certainly heavier than Apple engineers envisioned anything that hangs off the dock connector being) it really wiggles around, does not stay put, and on top of that also loosens up the dock connector itself.

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I bought this charger couple days ago and I must say I love it. Let me first say that the main feature is the size this charger is very small and requires no additional cables for charging the iPhone and thus is very portable. If you are somebody why needs to add additional battery power every day then don't buy this, but if you are like me and you need extra power once a long while because u flying or staying in friend's house overnight, then this is great product.

I was able to charge iPhone 3GS with 20% battery power left back to 80% in 1 hour and to 95% in less than 2 hours. If you turn the iPhone off (if u flying for example) and then start charging it, you might get even faster charging time.

There are few gotchas you should be aware of.

1. if you use a case with your iPhone, the charger might not work. I was lucky and the charger fits and works with mine, but it's not really securely attached. I have to remove the case if I want really good grip. This is of course not an issue of the charger and I really don't care that much simply because I don't use this charger every single day.

2. The cable which charges the charger is USB-to-MINIUSB has issues first it's only charging cable and not datacable (no idea why) and thus you cannot use for other things (I hate to carry 20 different cables when I travel). The second I really don't get why this cable exists in the first place. Why the charge cannot use existing iPhone charging cable instead or at least have an option to use either miniusb or iphone cables?

Read Best Reviews of Kensington Mini Battery Extender and Charger for iPod and iPhone 1G, 3G, 4G (Black) Here

It works great, but on an IPOD touch it blocks the headphone jack, so you can't use it and listen to music at the same time.

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I think this is a great small battery pack for the iPhone. Charges via USB with a mini USB part that goes into the battery pack (you can plug this into the wall if you have a USB charger to AC charger). Small and easy to travel with for those who are on the go. I also have a Casemate Fuel which charges similaly but is a battery and holster. The Casemate is lighter and works well but I got this as times I do not want to have a holster. With both, I would not have to charge the iPhone for a long day or two. Got this at BestBuy for $20, on sale. The Casemate Fuel cost me about $59 a year ago. Both are great, but I would have bought this only if it had been available when I bought the Casemate Fuel as it is smaller.

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This battery is useful for charging your iPod when you are almost out of battery juice, and there is no AC power avaliable.

But you CANNOT use the headphone jack (example: for talking over Skype) while this external battery is connected to your iPod Touch. Kensington should have designed a shape that would accommodate the use of headphone/microphone.

If you HAVE TO use your iPod's headphone jack WHILE it is being charged by a portable battery, you will need something like this:

Music Power 0900-72 Encore Dual Port USB AC Charger with Rechargeable Extended Battery

It is not a one-piece design like the Kensington, but because of that, it is more flexible (It's a general purpose portable/AC 2-port USB charger) and will allow me to continue my Skype session without interruption. In other words, I can CHARGE my iPod Touch and USE my headphone/microphone at the same time. Not only that, there is no issue with having to remove iPod Touch's protective case if you have one, or having to maintain a certain angled contact between the battery and the iPod for positive charging to take place. For me, this is a much better and more practical solution to extending the use of my iPod Touch. And it is also cheaper than the Kensington, plus you will most likely be able to use this battery on future versions of iPod and things that rely on USB power. I highly recommend it (Music Power 0900-72 Encore).

Update (7/7/2011):

Music Power 0900-72 Encore Dual Port USB AC Charger with Rechargeable Extended Battery is no longer being sold.

Now I recommend the following, which is also very versatile and cheaper.

Just search "Battery USB Emergency Charger for iPhone iPod" on Ebay, and you will find a portable USB battery charger for less than $4 post paid. It uses two AA rechargeable batteries (not included) and includes a flash light function. It doesn't last as long as Music Power, but then you won't have to buy a proprietary battery.