Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Great battery marred by a couple of major design flaws, March 31, 2009
As someone who quickly runs out of battery life with my iPod Touch 2G, I looked forward to the Mophie Juice Pack specifically made for the 2G. The item comes packaged like a small iPod, and has a nice rubber-like skin. It needed a charge, so I plugged it in for several hours.
It was at this point the first design flaw became apparent. The Mophie uses it's own charger cord with a micro USB end. Unfortunately if you have the iPod Touch inserted into the Mophie case, it does not sync at all. I guess I could deal with now having to use two separate cords - one to charge my iPod Touch and one for the Mophie - but it is unnecessarily cumbersome for such a device.
But a second design flaw greatly disappointed me. Noticing that my iPod Touch 2G was relatively quiet, I realized what was advertised as a "pass through" jack for headphones was in reality not a pass through at all. The headphone jack in the Mophie case is recognized by the iPod Touch as a pair of headphones... and consequently it silences the internal speaker.
That's right. With your iPod Touch inside the Mophie case, you cannot use the internal speaker to play games or watch videos. I've emailed Mophie Tech Support and there is no way around this. As they suggest, you simply have to use headphones or you get zero sound when your iPod Touch 2G is in the case. Not very design friendly when the KEY upgrade from the iPod Touch 1G to iPod Touch IS the addition of the internal speaker.
While that might not seem like a big deal to some, the Mophie Juice Pack is being marketed as a product DESIGNED FOR the iPod Touch 2G. Shouldn't the internal speaker have been taken into consideration? Wouldn't a better design have been a small hole which allowed the user to plug their headphones into the iPod Touch if they so desired? That would have left the internal speaker available for use.
So can I recommend the device? Well it didn't give me seven hours of video, but it did give me about three (and only with headphones). Much better than the standard included battery. But the two design flaws: requiring two cords for charging with no sync ability, and the silencing of the internal speaker make me suggest you consider some of the other after market batteries out there for the iPod Touch 2G instead of buying something that actually subtracts capabilities from your iPod Touch in order to deal with a low battery.
Not Recommended.
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UPDATE 20 APRIL 2009
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Unfortunately prolonged use of this product has proven extremely disappointing. The battery life is highly unpredictable and can drain unexpectedly from a single day's use without barely being turned on. I am not a heavy user; however, on many occasions I have charged the battery overnight, plugged it into my iPod Touch 2G for the day, and by the next morning found the Mophie battery completely drained and my internal battery being used. On other occasions, the battery lasted as much as 2-3 days. But the unpredictable nature is highly unacceptable from a product that claims to extend the battery life as much as advertised. My original review gave the product two stars, but frankly with the battery so unreliable and no way to recharge the pack without a USB port of a computer nearby, I would heartily change my review to simply one star: No sound, no sync, no way to recharge iPod Touch 2G with the included adapter cord, and now the shoddy unpredictable battery life.
HIGHLY NOT RECOMMENDED.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome for Long Flights - Not-Awesome for Jogs around your neighborhood, April 26, 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Length:: 2:24 Mins
The Mophie Juice Pack is an awesome device for those of who travel across the country. One Mophie Juice Pack will help you fly from New York to LA watching movies the whole way (and most likely - for your layover too)! Sound too good to be true - well in some regards it is.
Pros -
- More than doubles your battery life!!!!
- Sleek profile that fits comfortably in your hand
Cons-
- Will ONLY work with your Ipod 2nd Generation - THIS WILL NOT WORK WITH YOUR IPHONE!
- Doubles the thickness and weight of your Ipod. I can't imagine that joggers/walkers will appreciate the added weight/bulkiness
- Does not really work as a "Case" in fact the top of your Ipod will not be protected at all. What makes this a little more scary is that the added weight will add more momentum if you happen to drop your Ipod.
- Your external speaker will not work when you are using the Mophie Juice Pack. It is not that the speaker is covered up - but the design on the Juice Pack has it plugging into headphone jack - thus the Ipod thinks that the headphones are in use which disables your external speaker.
- Not cheap .... especially when compared to Macally PowerLink Emergency Battery Pack with 2 GB Pen Drive for iPod and iPhone (Black)
FInal Verdict-
This is a great device for those of us who travel - however if you are looking for a little extra battery life this will probably be an expensive overkill.
4 stars
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Mophie iPod Touch 2G Juice Pack - Surprisingly Useful Despite the Flaws, May 28, 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
The Mophie Juice Pack Rechargeable Battery for iPod Touch 2G adds extended battery life to your iPod touch 2G. The design does have some shortcomings, and not everybody will be happy with the trade-offs. Despite being a very picky person, I found that most of the cons were things I could accept. If anything, I have noticed a few other things that are minor annoyances, but nothing that is a deal breaker. As long as you follow a few tips you will be able to get a lot of use out of this device.
Those who travel frequently or have a long daily commute will be able to get the most out of this. On a crowded bus or plane, you're probably planning on using your headphones anyway. So not being able to use the built-in speaker is not a big drawback. And being able to add 3 - 6 hours of playback time to your iPod Touch 2G is a big advantage.
PROS:
+ Extends your battery life 3 - 6 hours depending on usage (More below)
+ Attractive appearance with good rubberized surface for a nice grip
+ Includes LEDs on the back to indicate remaining battery life
+ Design includes a mini-USB port instead of the iPod dock (I know many consider this a negative, but this is a design choice I am very happy with. More below)
CONS
- Add about a half inch of thickness to the size of the iPod Touch
- Does not protect the top and face of the iPod Touch as much as the bottom and back
- Picks up lint and dust
- Must remove your iPod from the Mophie before docking into a speaker dock (use the auxiliary port instead)
- Requires you to use the headphones for sound, so those who like the external speaker for games, music or video will be disappointed; I rarely use the external speaker anyway so this doesn't bother me as much
COMPATIBILITY AND ALTERNATIVES
This unit only works with the 2G iPod Touch. I'm happy enough with the performance that I may break down and get the Mophie Juice Pack for iPod Touch 1G , since my original iPod Touch 1G is still going strong. Similarly, there are other versions for the iPhone, such as the Mophie Juice Pack for iPhone 3G and the Tekkeon MP1200 myPower Battery for iPhone. Make sure you actually have the iPod Touch 2G or explore one of the alternatives if you have a different iPod or iPhone. For a shorter charge boost at a lower price look at the Macally PowerLink Emergency Battery Pack with 2 GB Pen Drive for iPod and iPhone.
TIPS AND THOUGHTS
~ Your juice pack will last much longer if you make sure you turn the unit off when not in use. Most of the time people think the unit is off but it is really in sleep mode. Also, make sure you turn off the wireless when it's not in use. Otherwise, your iPod may drain this unit searching for wireless signals while you're not even using it.
~ The way you use your iPod will change how much extra battery life you get from the juice pack. Those who watch videos or play games will get less extra time out of this unit than listening to music alone.
~ I wish the USB port would have been on the side instead of the bottom; this prevents you from standing it up while it charges.
~ Make sure your mini-USB cable is actually data and power capable to sync your iPod with it. Some only provide power, and those are actually good for plugging into travel or car chargers. I have so many mini-USB cables that this was a positive for me in that I have one less cable to bring.
~ The lack of an external iPod dock connector means you will have to take your iPod out to use with speaker docks. As a work-around I have gotten into the habit of using the auxiliary input meant for any MP3 player or audio source. Just keep an extra auxiliary cable on hand.
CONCLUSION
For those who love to use their external speaker, this unit's design mean's it's not for you. For those who want extended battery life for commuting or travelling, you were probably going to be using headphones anyway. This unit still gets a positive vote from me because it does the primary thing I wanted it to do.
Enjoy.
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