Nearly every hardware critic agrees that Apple’s iPhone is an evolutionary leap in cell phone gadgetry. Those same reviewers unamimously condemn the company for its battery policy. The iPhone’s battery life is woefully inadequate and the battery cannot be easily replaced. Normally a company puts limitations on a product in order to upsell an additional accessory or upgraded model, but in order to address this problem one must turn to third party vendors.
There are several battery packs available for the iPhone, all with their strengths and weaknesses. Some devices are “generic” and are meant to be used to charge any USB device, but these require one to carry the appropriate USB charge cable. Others are “emergency power” only and are very small and dangle precariously at the bottom of the iPhone. Most people don’t want to carry a bunch of extra gadgets and would prefer an integrated battery solution. NitroX agrees and have released their iConn Plus iPhone case with integrated battery power.
Product Features
Simple – Easy to use. Simply clip your iPhone into the Nitrox iConn case and you’re done
Elegant – The Nitrox iConn’s stylish and elegant case design fully protects your iPhone making physical damage a thing of the pas
Battery – The Nitrox iConn increases your 3G surfing time by 5 hours and talk time by 8 hours. Now you can utilize the iPhone’s features to the fullest and never again worry about limited battery life
Certified – The Nitrox iConn is certified for the Apple “Works with iPhone” product certification
Specifications
Model: Nitrox iconn+ case/charger
Length x Width x Height: 66×137x22mm (4 x 1.2 x 7 inches)
Net weight: 88 grams
Power Input: 5V/1Amp (Max)
Power Output: 5V/500mA(Typical)
Battery: Li-polymer 3.7V/1200mA perh
A note about battery life
One thing that should be noted right up front is the misconception about “estimated” battery life with a smartphone. Cell phones and other smart devices are absolute marvels at battery efficiency as they vary the power of their CPUs, backlighting, radios and other features in order to maximize the available juice (read “10 Ways to Increase iPhone Battery Life” here). Many smartphones turn off powersaving features when they are plugged in… and the iPhone does not make any distinction between being plugged into a wall socket, USB port, or external battery pack.
Ergo the iPhone is running at “full speed” when running on external battery power. Many vendors claim “twice” the battery power, and if you look at the rated milliamps of these products then they are right. In practical use, you will not get twice the running time, and your mileage will vary.
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s take a look at the actual product…
The NitroX iConn Plus case comes in a clear plastic retail package that shows off the case itself. What is not shown is the paper manual and standard USB cable.
Once the case is out of the box, we can see that it is about the same width as the iPhone, but a little longer and about twice the thickness. The case looks really nice being made out of black leather and durable plastic. There is an embossed “iConn+” logo on the top flap, which is reinforced.
The back of the unit is what holds the lithium ion battery with additional 1200mA of juicy goodness. A small circular hole is punched out so the camera can still function. The top and bottom are held together by a strap, which connects with a small pad of velcro. The sides and top of the case are open to allow access to all of your iPhone’s buttons. The iPhone plugs into a little connector and the plastic backing is molded so it keeps a relatively good grip on the phone. The case has speaker and microphone ports (which sound a bit muffled) on the left and right of the case since the original ports are blocked by the iPhone connector.
The USB port, hinge, and speaker port
The bottom of the device has a small USB port, which is used to charge the external battery. Once plugged in, a small orange LED on the right side of the case lights up and turns green once completely charged. Both the iPhone and external battery can be charged through this “more standard” USB port, but the iPhone charges first, then the external battery. You can also sync your iPhone using the external USB port as well. The only major problem is that this USB port is blocked when the case is closed, so you must have the flap open during use.
With the phone mounted and velcro unstrapped, you can flip open the case like a Star Trek communicator (we’re talking classic ST, not TNG). The top flap just dangles there, which really tends to get in the way. When closed, you have a decent amount of impact protection, but won’t help against liquids, pocket lint, or other dirt. Honestly, most people drop their phone when getting it out or when in use, so if the flap is open then it’s pretty much like not having any protection at all.
On the next page we render our conclusion…
As mentioned earlier, the iPhone will not conserve power when using an external battery, and there is no switch to use the external battery. If the iPhone is installed, then it’s on.
This is NitroX’s first smartphone case, and is a very good entry, especially compared to the plethora of crap iPhone cases out there. It provides a good amound of impact protection, is durable and looks good, and of course the major benefit of charging your iPhone.
Many users will want this case as a battery backup, and since there is no “on/off” switch for the external battery, the iPhone sucks down the extra juice like a snotty preschooler. If this switch were present then you truly could charge your iPhone battery two or possibly three times (assuming the phone wasn’t completley drained). Also, there is no way to tell how much juice is in the external battery.
If I were to add any features to this case, it would be some sort of “open” screen protection, a visual battery indicator, and a power toggle switch. Other than these issues, the NitroX iConn+ case is a great way to extend your iPhone’s battery life and look great while doing it.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||