Have you ever had that experience of seeing an advertisement for something, excitedly ordering it only to be more than a bit disappointed? I certainly have. So I did my best to keep my enthusiasm in check when I came upon an advertisement for the “Smart Backup Battery Pack” from Richard Solo. I had been thinking about getting a backup battery for my iPhone ever since seeing Patrick’s blog posts for the simple yet practical
and the sleek and sexy Juice Pack
After all, although my iPhone gets the best battery life of any device I have used in years, it gets enough of a daily workout that I almost always need to charge it mid-day. Moreover, if I am not near my home or office desk I am cautiously sparing with its media functions to ensure that I have enough juice for calls and email.
So I contacted Richard Thalheimer to inquire about the product and before long mine was on the way to me. I must note that dealing with Richard was a pleasure. Despite the sleek ad and the positive interactions with him, however, I withheld judgement on the Smart Backup Battery Pack. After all, I have been disappointed in far too many products recently to get excited about this one.
The battery arrived a few days ago and I have to tell you, this is one fabulous product. Richard has a winner on his hands here and I am telling all my iPhone-loving friends about it.
The unit comes simply but nicely packaged. There is a wall charger, a retracting mini-usb cable and the battery itself. The battery 
is 1 and 3/4 inches wide, and 2 and 3/4 long with the protective cap for the Apple -approved and licensed 30-pin connector. A 5 page document describes how the product came to be, as well as charging and use instructions and tips for extending battery life. Richard explains:
“My kids and I love our iPods, (and I love my iPhone even more!), however, I do get a it nervous toward the end of the day if my battery starts running down. This led me to work with a leading manufacturer to design and develop a new backup battery using Apple’s special 30-pin connector.”
I followed the instructions and fully charged the battery. The unit has three LEDs toward the top. One indicates that it is charging, one indicates proper function and the third notifies you when the battery is fully charged. When the LED flashes red it indicates that it is low and needs to be recharged from a power source. It is well-thought out and simple to use.
The battery is light enough that I threw it in my briefcase. Later that day, when my iPhone was running low on juice, I simply removed the protective cap covering the 30-pin connecter and inserted it into the bottom of my iPhone. The iPhone immediately begin to charge. The battery fits nicely into the iPhone’s port, however, it is not a terribly secure connection. I would recommend being careful to hold both the iPhone and the battery when it is not resting on a horizontal surface. 
Three aspects of it stood out in particular.
–If the battery is plugged into the iPhone and the mini-usb is used to charge the battery it will charge both the battery and the iPhone simultaneously. That means that you can easily travel with your iPhone, the battery, and it’s cable and charger without the need to bring any additional phone charger. Interestingly, it is designed to charge the iPhone first.
— You can immediate use the iPhone once it begins to charge.
–It works with the iPhone and all 30-pin iPods.
This is an excellent example that some of the best products come, not from those individuals who want to develop something and sell it, but from somebody who uses a product and wants to make it better for him/herself. Richard has done just that here and I cannot recommend his product enough.
Pros
- Small
- Easy to use
- Well built
- Usable with multiple iPhone/iPods
- Charges battery and Apple device simultaneously
- Reasonably priced.
Cons
- Not securely connected to iPhone/iPod when charging
- I didn’t find this 6 months ago.
You can get the Smart Backup Battery Pack for $49.95 (discounts for purchasing more than one), and you’ll find it at:
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