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The iPod touch is a great addition to nearly anyone’s pocket. As long as you don’t need the phone features, having most of the functionality of an iPhone and none of the monthly bill is a win-win proposition. The iPod touch gets decent battery life, but try putting a dent in 32GB worth of video on a single charge. The built-in battery will only get you through a dozen or so episodes of the original Batman series, but Mophie’s Juice Pack can more than double your total battery life, which is also great for fueling your raging Peggle addiction—or is that just us?
Keep on rockin' in the free world. Or checking email.
For users familiar with Mophie’s product line, this Juice Pack is similar to earlier offerings, but customized to the second-gen iPod touch. In our Mar/09 review, we gave the iPhone version 4 stars, and the touch version features many of the same strengths. Weighing in at a mere 2.9 ounces, the Juice Pack is easy to carry around, and since it doubles as a hard case, it can be more attractive than a dongle-style external battery pack for users who like to keep things simple. Four blue LEDs on the back keep you apprised of your power situation with the touch of a button, although we have to admit they’re of the retina-searing variety. The battery pack also allows for iTunes syncing while it’s installed, which is good, because there’s no dock connector—and the chunky form factor probably wouldn’t work with most docks anyway. Instead, Mophie packs along a USB-to-Mini USB cable to use for charging and syncing. Unlike its iPhone counterpart, the touch version features a pass-through headphone jack, to account for the second-gen touch’s bottom-mounted port. We didn’t notice any difference in sound quality, and the Juice Pack works with headphones with inline remotes.
Dedicated hard cases can offer more complete protection, but as a battery pack, the Juice Pack excels at keeping the electrons flowing to your iPod touch.
Juice Pack for iPod touch 2nd Gen
COMPANY: Mophie
CONTACT: www.mophie.com
PRICE: $99.95
REQUIREMENTS: Second-gen iPod touch (also available for first-gen touch and iPhones)
LED power gauge. Can sync to iTunes without removing Juice Pack. Only 2.9 ounces.
Doesn't use standard iPod charging cable. Can be hard to remove. LEDs on the back are like staring into the sun.
