Customer Reviews

Griffin Technology 4002-TJUICE TuneJuice Battery Backup for iPod and iPod mini

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Sometimes I like to play my iPod all night long in places where there is no electricity. Like on a camping trip or on an ocean crossing or just a two day sail. Yep, you guessed it, I'm a sailor, spent several years on a boat and let me tell you, when you are standing watch on a dark night your iPod can be your best friend. Nothing like John, Paul, George & Ringo or even Mozart to help you wile away the hours. But those nights can be long and if you've been sailing awhile, your Pod's battery is gonna run out of it's charge and with nowhere to plug it in, what will you do? What will you do?

The answer is, of course. TuneJuice. This little goodie costs about twenty bucks, uses disposable or rechargeable 9-volt batteries. You know, the same batteries you used to put into your transistor radio all those years ago, and with one of those batteries it'll keep your Pod running for an additional seven or eight hours, plenty of time to get you through the night. Take it from me, I know.

My main reason for purchasing this product was to add to my total puchases so i would get free shipping. However, i am extremely happy with this product. It will keep your ipod working for about as long as the ad claims it will (unlike apple's ipod battery claims. It's really small, about 1/2 a centimeter bigger on each side than a 9volt battery. It's so small that i just chuck it in my bag and forget about it until my ipod shuts off because i forgot to charge it, and then i praise the fact that it's there. I would recomend this to anyone who is away from a charger for extended periods of time, or if they forget to charge things, just like i do. Other rechargable batteries might last longer, but this is a cheap emergency solution. Because of these facts... I give this product...a 5-out-of-5.

I bought this item when my ipod mini decided to get a brain and shut off at random times claiming dead battery. Plugged the tune juice into the dock port, and voila! Music for hours and hours..The 9-volt battery is a little wierd, but if it works, it works. The size is great though, unlike another product *ahem* Belkin, it can fit pretty much where ever you store your ipod and take it out when you need it. I never leave home without it now.

The Griffin Tune Juice is an accessory for your iPod that extends the playing life of the iPod. It runs on a 9v battery and connects to the iPod via the docking port. The Juice Tune extends the playing time of your iPod for up to 4 hours, making it convenient for those long flights we often have to take or camping trips. I have also used the Belkin Backup Battery Pack for iPod w/ Dock Connector. The Belkin product uses 4 AA batteries and has suction cups that actually connect the pack to the iPod. It also has 4 LEDs that lets you know the battery power still remaining. It provides up to 15 hours of extra play time.

I find the Belkin product better for my circumstances for a number of reasons. Although there is an initial high cost ($59.99 vs. $19.99), in the long run getting 15 hours of 4 AA batteries vs 5 hours from 1 9V battery is more economical. I also like how the Belkin Battery Pack attaches to the iPod itself. It becomes one integrated unit instead of 2 components attached to each other by a cord. The battery life indicator on the Belkin is a very convenient benefit also.

If you are concerned about weight and only need a few extra hours the Griffin Tune Juice may be a better product, but for my uses the Belkin fits the bill.

Having received this item as a gift, I decided to do a few tests with it and my ipod video 30gb. First I ran a movie, medium sound volume, on my ipod alone with it fully charged. It lasted 137 minutes (2 hours, 17 min.). Then I *fully* recharged the ipod and plugged it into the TuneJuice with a brand new 9v. On the same set of movies, it lasted 202 minutes (3 hours, 22 minutes). So you'd get about an hour of extra power. Not bad for the price.

However, there are some things to consider. This is a one shot deal: when the ipod battery runs out, you will not be able to use the TuneJuice to recharge it. The 9v is not powerful enough to run the ipod by itself, and so the ipod will be draining both the TuneJuice and its own battery simultaneously. The ipod battery will drain faster than the 9v and run out before it.

The next day, we tested the 9v we used and it was still good. So you will be able to use the same 9v more than once.

So bottom line: in order to get the full use of the TuneJuice, you have to plug it in when the ipod battery is fully charged. Once the ipod's battery runs out, which it will, the TuneJuice is useless no matter how many 9v batteries you have with you or how charged they are. You will have to recharge your ipod battery.

It's good, then, if you only need your ipod video to last that extra hour and no longer.

For anybody who has a video ipod (I have the 30g model), this is a must if you want to watch videos on your ipod and your travel time is likely to take more than 2 hours.

I also carry an extra 9v battery, just in case.

I've had absolutely no problems with this unit and use it constantly on planes.

Griffin makes a lot of iPod products, and this is one of their cheapest and best. It's easy to use, simple, and just plain works. When you iPod runs low on charge, or worse, blanks out on air airplane or hotel, the Tune Juice comes to the rescue. Just plug in the cable to the same iPod socket you use on your PC, and BAM the iPod comes back to life.

This product is an inexpensive and functional solution to keeping an iPod or iPod mini going. True to its claims, one 9-volt battery keeps my music playing for about 8 additional hours. The product is also light and extremely easy to use.

Just what I wanted, a small, inexspensive way to back up the battery in my IPod. Nothing more, nothing less. Very easy to carry.

Why don't you have one of these already????!!! If you'd have bought this yesterday, you could have watched the next half of the movie before your battery died.

One hundred percent worth the money for the serious ipodophiliac. Even better? Get a couple of 9V rechargeable batteries and a charger you'll never want for pod-power again.