Customer Reviews

Tekkeon myPower Battery/Sleeve for iPhone 3G/3GS - Black

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

All things considered, this is a good option if you need to extend the battery life of your iPhone.

I tried all the techniques for extending battery life - data push, turn off 3G, etc. None were able to satisfy me, and quite frankly, I bought the phone to use the features that Apple is saying I should turn off. Doesn't make any sense to me.

Some background: I use my iPhone constantly throughout the day. It's my primary means of email use, as I spend most of my day in the field. I listen to music in the car, and spend far more time on the net than I thought I would.

The Tekkeon case is well made of quality materials. It holds the phone very snug, and is very comfortable to hold / use. It does add a little size to the phone, but it actually makes the phone easier to handle for me (I have large hands). I like the snap closure to secure the phone, but quite frankly, its not a requirement - the case is very snug.

The downside of the case / battery is you need to take it out to charge the phone fully. You can charge the iPhone to about 96%, but that's it - you can not get a 100% charge with the iPhone in the case, charging the phone and battery from the same cable. In addition, the Tekkeon will not revive a dead iPhone very well. In my experience, the iPhone will charge to about 45% from a low of 8%, but it will not get to 100% from the Tekkeon battery. If you're buying this to throw in your bag to keep handy when your iPhone needs a jump start, you may not be happy - check into the Mophie JuicePak.

I also happen to have a Mophie JuicePak for iPhone 3g. Don't ask.

The Mophie product holds the phone very well, but there is no strap or other closure. It just pinches the phone tightly, and it does loosen over time.

The iPhone / Mophie can be charged to 100% from one charger while the iPhone is installed in the Mophie. In addition, the Mophie will charge a dead iPhone to 100% in about 2 hours. Very nice feature if you just want to have the JuicePak in your bag / purse / car etc.

Finally, the Mophie JuicePak has 4 blue LED's on the back indicating charge level. The Tekkeon has only 1 LED that goes from green to yellow to red to dead. The Mophie system is better for indicating charge.

If raw battery capacity is your need, go with the Mophie JuicePak. It has a higher mAh (milliamp hour) rating, meaning it has more energy in it. If form and function are as important as battery life, I like the Tekkeon product better - the case looks nice, is more secure, and it provides 80% of the battery life the Mophie advertises.

Both products will add 6-8 hours of continual use to your iPhone battery life, you just need to decide how you want to use the products.

I have not written very many reviews but this product is exceptional. I am a brand new iPhone user and was struck by how quickly the battery seemed to drain on the unit. Since I travel a lot and rely on my iPhone for email, text messaging, GPS, and entertainment, I really needed better battery life. I looked at several batteries that extended the length of the iPhone but didn't like the awkwardness. The Tekkeon battery and iPhone sleeve seemed a good integration of style and substance so I gave it a try.

I have been using the MP 1200 for a couple of weeks now and it has exceeded my expectations:
1) It is stylish and then some: The leather backing is attractive and the brushed leather with white stitching on the front of the case gives it a classy and classic look. The snap on top of the case easily stretches over the iPhone to hold it in place.
2) The MP1200 is surprisingly lightweight. It does add some bulk to the iPhone but I personally found that I prefer holding my iPhone with the MP1200 sleeve in place. It feels more stable in my grip with the case on. The bare iPhone always feels like it is going to slip right out of my hands!
3) All iPhone tools are completely available to you at all times. The volume buttons, vibrate switch, home screen button, power button, and camera lens are complete unencumbered by the MP1200 case. Nothing at all awkward about using the various functions of your iPhone while it is docked inside the Tekkeon case.

And, as to the all important issue of battery life, the MP1200 has at least doubled the amount of time I can use my iPhone in one sitting. Even better, the MP1200 truly extends the availability my iPhone: On a typical day I charge the Tekkeon case and iPhone together at night using the provided USB cable. In the morning, I unplug the case from the wall and leave the iPhone inside of the MP1200 as I head off to work. Three to four hours or so later (depending on use), the Tekkeon battery is winding down but my iPhone battery is still fully charged. At that point, I slip the iPhone out of the sleeve and into another rubberized case that I have. If need be, I can then recharge the MP1200 by itself in preparation for my commute home. At the end of the day, I slip the iPhone back into the fully charged Tekkeon case. The iPhone never has to be out of my reach or left on a charger while I run errands, go to lunch or attend meetings. It stays with me at all times now. This was not the case before using the MP1200 iPhone Sleeve.

I honestly can't think of any downsides to this product. The added bulk is no issue for me but could present a challenge for those with smaller hands. Beyond that, the MP1200 is easily the best utility item I have ever purchased in support of my iPods, Treos, Blackberries and other such items. I have tried more than my share of cases and extended batteries over the years. The Tekkeon MP1200 Sleeve is the best of both worlds and simply one of the best products I have ever used. I highly recommend it.

We all know the iphone battery isn't great, so if you're a iPhone addict like me, then this is a must have. I'm constantly on my iPhone- surfing the web, playing games, watching youtube - and I usually barely get 8 hours before i have to charge my phone. This battery gives you another 8-10hrs, before you have to use the iPhone battery.

I mainly got this because i was going to drive from LA to Salt Lake City for a snowboard trip. The drive was over 10 hours, and i was using my iphone the whole time (my brother drove) between listening to music and surfing the web. The MP1200 lasted almost the whole time, and only died about 30min away from our lodge! It really made the drive seem short.

Now I use the case everyday at work to listen to Pandora. Normally i can only use Pandora for a few hrs before i need to charge the iphone. With the MP1200 i can listen to Pandora all day, and just take the case off and have a fully charged iPhone when I hit happy hour after work!

The only thing keeping this from being a 5 star product is the size. I mean its not too big (it basically makes the iPhone a little longer/bigger than my 5th gen video iPod), and it can still fit in your pocket. If it was just a little smaller, then it would be perfect. I highly recommend this for every iPhone user!

It looks, feels and works as advertised.

Pros: Sturdy and well made. It holds the phone securely and provides more then adequate protection. Ive had this case three weeks now and have used it everyday. Normally by bed time I have drained the phone almost completely. Now, with the Battery case I have usually 85 to 96% left at bedtime. A fully charged phone and case will last me all weekend!

Contrary to some of the other review comments, I found I can fully charge the Iphone, (in the case) to 100% from empty. Also, I have inserted my phone at 15% battery left into the fully charged case and it eventually charged the phone to 96%. Also, syncing the Iphone in the case works great. The person that said their case charge empties quickly even when the phone is off must have a gotten a lemon, because mine keeps it's charge all day with the phone off or in standby.

CONS: The bottom of the case has no openings for the microphone inputs. So when using the Iphone in speaker mode there is considerable feedback and echoing, to the point where conversation is virtually impossible. So, I don't use speakerphone mode while in the case I just plug in my headphones. I can live with this, considering the overall usefulness of this battery case (I may eventually drill holes to alleviate the problem).

Update: 10/10/2010, Still using this case with a good daily charge after a year and a half of use. Still happy with this purchase.

I got one MP1200 right before I attended CES show. It worked great for me during CES. I can make phones calls, check my emails and surf Internet through the whole day without worrying about iPhone running out of juice. I synced iPhone with my PC at night and this is where MP1200 is well above other products. I read reviews on other websites and noticed some other products may have difficulties to sync with iTune. There is no switch to push on MP1200 to enable sync mode. And I didn't notice any slow down in syncing with my iPhone to PC with MP1200.
The only minor complaint that I may have is that I wish MP1200 comes with more color selections.

After checking into the many other battery life solutions for the iPhone 3G and 3GS, I finally arrived at a reasonable solution with more pro's than con's. I will say this, none of the current solutions are perfect. Each has its own flaw in design, some much more than others. However the Tekkeon battery/case is by far the most acceptable purchase. Here is why:

The Good

- Extends battery life by at least 2x. I had wifi, blue tooth, and push notifications enabled with brightness at 100%. Gamed for 8 hours before it died.

- Its a case and battery extension combo, all wrapped into one.

- Do not have to remove the phone to charge, one cable does it all. It also syncs with iTunes when you plug it into the computer.

- Does not interfere with phone/3G/Wifi reception at all. Other models have a problem with this.

- External battery to Internal Battery Switch works like a charm...you don't have to do anything! Once the external battery runs out, it immediately switches to the iPhones internal battery.

- Phone is easily removed and inserted into the case. It's a simple top button snap. No connecting parts. The external battery is just like a dock.

- Case is professional looking. Smooth black leather on the outside and back. Front side is a plush suede-like material that is comfy on your face. Stitching on the outside is bright white and very attractive.

- No plastic parts or frame that will break- Easy In/Out. Its all one piece with that snap button top...thats it.

- All buttons are easily accessed.

The Bad (not too bad)

- The case/battery easily doubles the size of the phone. Personally I like this, but can see how it's a downer for others.

- The top part of the case has no protection on the corners. Yup. You drop this on its head you are going to mess up the top corners and the upper 1/4 of the back of the phone.

- The USB cable is a different cable than the iPod cable. It's just like a digital camera usb cable. This is good though since it's a more common cable.

- No color choice for the case.

- Using outside keys on the keyboard is a little tuff with man hands.

- No battery meter on the external battery. There is only one small LED for the battery indicator. When its fully charged its bright green. When it's not fully charged its like a dull green.

I had high expectations for this product, but it turns out, despite representations to the contrary, that this MP 1200 is NOT compatible with the iPhone 3Gs. It is compatible with the 3G.

After having two of these stop functioning, I spoke with someone at Apple Support and they confirmed that this item should NOT be used with a 3 G s!

Caveat emptor...

Tekkeon MP1200 iPhone Battery/iPhone Sleeve, myPower for iPhone (Black)

This is just what I needed. I was reluctant to purchase an iPhone due to its short battery life, but since I found the Teklkeon MP1200, my worries are over. I own my own sales company and need my cell phone, internet and e-mail access constantly. This product allows me to perform my job ALL day without the worry of running out of battery before the day ends! Now I have the perfect situation. An iPhone with unlimited battery life! Thanks Tekkeon for the great product!

I have had this for a month now and it works as advertised. It basically doubles the amount of time I can use my iphone without charging.

The addition size it adds is not to bad and it helps protect the phone. It would have been nice to possibly include an optional belt clip, but other than that I am happy.

Wow, this is a great product for travel, or emergencies for that matter. I took this battery on week long business trip and I can't tell you how much I ended up depending on it. When I bought it, I didn't realize that you actually use the Tekkeon battery first when your iphone is attached. It didn't start using my iphone battery until the battery's juice is gone. I went all day using the iphone and battery together and still have a charged iphone at night. Very cool.


I also really like that I can use it as a dock. Before I bought this one, I read that syncing was a problem with a couple other batteries. Not with this guy. I just attached the cable to the PC, and off it went.