Mophie Juice Pack Plus, $99.

We compare two iPhone battery cases.

Does your iPhone’s battery give up the ghost before you finish watching that movie or posting on Facebook?

The easy fix is a specialised accessory known as a battery case. That name pretty much says it all: it’s an iPhone case that contains its own secondary battery to complement the iPhone’s. They dramatically boost the number of hours you’ll get from your iPhone before plugging it in for a recharge.

One downside is they add bulk and weight to the phone, making it about 50 per cent thicker and twice as heavy.

Advertisement: story continues below

Padacs Power Case 16, $25.

It won’t slide as gracefully into a pair of skinny jeans but it’s still small enough for a pocket or purse.

The Mophie Juice Pack Plus boasts a battery rated at 2000mAh, compared with the 1400mAh of the iPhone 4 and 4S. this means you can run your iPhone for almost 2½ times longer than normal. The Juice Pack Plus case is also very solid, yet surprisingly comfortable, and with a choice of six colours, could almost have been made by Apple itself.

Although the Padacs Power Case 16 offers a lesser-rated 1600mAh battery, that’s still sufficient to more than double the battery life of your iPhone when you’re out and about.

The glossy-black plastic case looks appealing but feels less sturdy than the Mophie.

An undersize hole for the iPhone’s camera causes a ”whitewash” effect on photos taken with the flash, which rules out the Power Case if you regularly take night-time snaps.

THE VERDICT

The Mophie Juice Pack Plus is a superior product but its $US100 price tag, compared with just $25 for the Padacs Power Case 16, will result in plenty of iPhone users settling for the cheaper option.

Mophie Juice Pack Plus$US100 ($99)mophie.com

Padacs Power Case 16$25padacs.com

Toss up

MacRumors commissioned this mock-up based on alleged iPhone 5 case schematics.

(Credit:MacRumors.com)Editors’ note: This post was originally published June 9, 2010, and has been updated frequently.

First, an apology to those who’ve read this article before in its various iterations, you probably have a bad case of deja vu.

Truth be told, I originally published this column shortly after theiPhone 4 came out back in June 2010, which is why you see a lot of dated comments — but they are fun to read.

Hopefully, this will be the last update, but you never know, considering how long this whole waiting-for-iPhone-5 saga has gone on.

As those of you who’ve read earlier versions of this column are aware, with the release of theiPhone 4S, Apple did include some features I was hoping would be in theiPhone 5, so the list is now shorter; it’s been culled from 20 down to 15 features.

In this update, I haven’t thrown in any new items, but I did shift their order a little (I moved “better battery life” up a notch) and added some new information.

As a reminder, the 15 items in the list are ordered from least important to most in a reverse countdown. I’ve also included what I think are the odds of Apple actually implementing each request.

As always, feel free to agree or disagree with me and make your own suggestions (and to post your own ordered wish list).

Click on any image to begin the slideshow.

iPhone 5: 15 most-wanted features

The much anticipated Apple [NASDAQ: AAPL]  iPhone 5 gets better every day. And even though Apple spoiled us with the iPad 3 release last month, it looks like the iPhone 5 will have a release date of June, 2012. In addition to a June iPhone5 release, the latest Apple rumors are revolving around a 3D camera, OLED display, new chips, a much better camera, NFC, improved Siri and a longer battery life. In addition to the news of the iPhone5, we are already starting to hear reports about iOS 6 and it’s damn good.

However, with Apple’s World Wide Developers’ Conference (WWDC) now just eight weeks away, things can change fast. that conference, which is usually where Apple unveils its new mobile OS, might also be where Apple releases the iPhone 5, too, but it’s way to early to tell.

Here are the latest and greatest rumors surrounding the upcoming iPhone 5.

iPhone 5 Release Date

The iPhone5 release date has been a bit of a mystery so far – is it fall or is it summer? well, according to a Foxconn employee the iPhone 5 will be released in June of this year. According to CNET, “A Foxconn recruiting office is telling potential hires that the iPhone 5 is expected to go on sale in June, according to a Japanese broadcaster. In a conversation recorded here by TV Tokyo and aired April 2, a Foxconn recruiter says the company needs to hire about 18,000 people to manufacture the iPhone 5.”

While it certainly is an aggressive move by Apple, it makes sense. The last upgrade to the iPhone was only a minor one – iPhone 4S – and certainly pissed off its share of Apple fanboys. There is no doubt that Apple can release two major products in a three month span. keep an eye out for the iPhone 5 to be released in June.

iPhone 5 Specs

There are currently hundreds of rumors swirling around what kind of specs that we can expect to see in the iPhone 5, however, only a few of them seem to be gaining steam. Here is what you can expect to see new in the iPhone 5.

• Bigger screen – the iPhone screen has yet to change. Be ready for a much larger and sharper display.
• 4G Network – Apple is currently behind Android on 4G connectivity, not for long.
• 3D Camera
• NFC – Mobile payments are coming!
• Quad Core A6 Chip – Faster iPhone and better battery life. thank you!

iPhone 5 Photos

Intertational Business Times put a slide show together of the top 5 concept designs for the iPhone 5. Check them out.

As always this is a rumor round up so please take these with a grain of salt.

iPhone 5 Release Date: Latest iPhone 5 Rumor Roundup, June Release, Specs, 3D Camera & Leaked Photos

If you are one of those people on that talks, surfs the web and Facebook on your iPhone all day, you probably have realized that your iPhone battery does not have enough battery life to get you through the day. With this being said, you have probably looked for a solution to this some-what urgent problem. there are a few different solutions to this problem, each having its own set of advantages and disadvantages. take a look at the different options that will allow you to extend the life of your iPhone 4 battery throughout the day.

Car Charger

This may not seem like a ground-breaking solution to your iPhone battery life problem, but it is an effective one. Most people don’t realize how much time they spend in the car on a daily basis. this time can be very valuable to the battery life of your phone. consider buying a good car charger. these often times are a bit more expensive than the average iPhone car charger, but they have the ability to charge your iPhone in almost half the time that it takes an average car charger to charge your iPhone. Make it a habit to put your phone on the charger each time you get in the car. At the end of the day you will notice that you have more battery life left than usual.

External Backup Battery

An external backup battery is another way that you can give your iPhone 4 more battery life. External batteries vary in size, color, price and brand. consider doing a fair amount of research on your external battery options before purchasing one for your iPhone. You want your new accessory to meet your needs. External batteries are great because you just plug them into the charging port on your phone when you feel that your battery level is too low. these are also great because you can carry them with you in a purse or briefcase, which is a good alternative if you want a bulk-free cell phone case.

iPhone Battery Case

Many iPhone users have stated that this is the best way to go if you want to extend the life of your battery on a daily basis. iPhone battery cases are just like regular iPhone cases, which protect the device, but have a battery inside them which doubles the life of your phone’s battery. there are a variety of brands and models when it comes to this iPhone accessory. Do your research before choosing the battery case that meets your needs.

iPhone 4: Backup Battery or Battery Case?

Plus teaching primary kids to code, and iPad stuff: Yandex on iPad users, iFixit tears one down, Forrester’s opinion, and more

A quick burst of 8 links for you to chew over, as picked by the Technology team

The New iPad: how a gut renovation masquerades as incremental innovation >> Forrester Blogs

The new iPad shares nearly nothing with the iPad 2 hardware, according to Apple executives I spoke with. its retina display has 1 million more pixels than a large-screen HDTV. the new A5X chip has, according to Apple, four times the processing power of Nvidia’s Tegra 3 chip. Compared with iPad 2, it has a nicer camera, a video camera, dictation input, and 4G, while still squeezing out 10 hours of (Wi-Fi) battery life. It’s a wee bit thicker and an ounce heavier. And yet, in my conversations with numerous reporters over the past few days, the theme they kept bringing up was “incremental innovation”: Will the next iPad be innovative enough to maintain Apple’s momentum? if the iPhone 4S is a case study, the answer for consumers is a resounding “yes.”

Sort of puts the “iPad 2S” jokes into context.

Apple’s iOS runs HTML5 games three times faster than Android | VentureBeat

The platforms that run HTML5 faster are likely to have an advantage in running a whole new wave of applications and games. So Spaceport.io, the cross-platform mobile game development tool maker, ran a study to find out whether iOS (iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch) is faster than Android at running HTML5 games. Hands-down, iOS won.

“Android” in this case being the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (which got the top mark of the Android devices tested), and “iPhone” being the iPhone 4S.

Browsing behavior in February: Internet Explorer and Chrome down, Firefox up >> Ars Technica

This means that Firefox is retaining a slender lead over Google’s browser. Last month we speculated that the halt in Chrome’s growth might be related to Google’s decision to penalize Chrome’s positioning in its search results due to an advertising campaign that contravened Google’s rules. the sixty day penalty will expire in the next few days, restoring Chrome’s prominent positioning in Google searches.

get your diaries out and watch for those Chrome ads.

BitTorrent pirates go nuts after TV release groups dump Xvid >> TorrentFreak

From February 22nd and earlier in some cases, release groups including ASAP, BAJSKORV, C4TV, D2V, DiVERGE, FTP, KYR, LMAO, LOL, MOMENTUM, SYS, TLA and YesTV began releasing TV shows in the new format. Out went Xvid and avi, in came x264 and MP4.

the scene is set. (By the way, calling them “release groups” is clever spin. Makes it sound like the TV episodes are being kept in cages too small to turn around in.)

However, while the release groups want to move with the times, there are many people consuming their content who either don’t or can’t. in the main, people seem disappointed because their standalone Xvid compatible DVD players won’t play the new releases. some of the reactions are polite enough, but show a misunderstanding of how the system works… at worst, some of the comments show an embarrassing sense of entitlement and an attitude that those downloading for free are actually “customers” of these release groups and as such deserve to be treated better.

an “embarrassing sense of entitlement” among people illicitly downloading content for free? We’re shocked, shocked.

A story about an iPad browser that never was >> Geek & Mild

It was may or June of 2010 (I can’t remember exactly) and we were loving our brand new iPads … except for the web browser, Safari. While advancements had been made in terms of its speed, we felt it still lacked in features and experience implementation – or UI. So we had the brilliant idea to make a new browser for the iPad.

See if you can figure out why it’s not available before you click through.

iPad 3 4G Teardown >> iFixit

Oh my god – it’s full of battery.

Search behavior of iPad users in Russia >> Yandex

According to Yandex.Metrica, by the end of January 2012, at least one million of all online visitors to websites in the Russian internet4 were iPad users. More than 700,000 of them were from Russia. the iPad was officially released in Russia in November 2010. By that time, several tens of thousands of iPads were already in use in the country. in early 2011, their number exceeded 100,000 and then it increased six times during the year. over the same period, the number of both mobile phone users and PC users also went up, but the progress was significantly slower than the growth in the number of iPad users – the number of mobile phone users increased 2.5 times, while the number of PC users grew only 1.4 times.

this sounds like one of those old jokes – “in Soviet Union, search engine watches you!”

The day I tried teaching primary school kids to code (and succeeded) >> Martin Saunders

Inspirational. this is what we want from teachers.

You can follow Guardian Technology’s linkbucket on Pinboard. to suggest a link, either add it below or tag it with @gdntech on the free Delicious service;

Charles ArthurJosh Hallidayguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. all rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Boot up: HTML5 mobile benchmarks, Firefox leads Chrome, pirates v downloaders and more

I remember when concerns about the iPhone 4/4S battery life were floating around, but my experience with the 4S has been good. While the battery life of the iPhone 4S won’t set any records, it easily gets through an entire day of normal use. That’s not necessarily the case while traveling, as I’ve discovered is the case with most phones. I’ve often found myself at the end of the day wondering if my phone was going to last long enough.

I’ve dealt with that situation by getting phone cases with an integrated battery that can augment the phone’s battery. These cases take over when the phone battery starts running dry, eliminating any worry about getting through the day in my experience.

See related: iPhone 4S: Day 1 with an Android phone owner

My search for a battery case for the iPhone 4S turned up a lot of options, and I decided my main two criteria for a purchase was a case as thin/light as possible and one that offered roughly the same size battery as the iPhone 4S. I settled on the Incipio offGRID case as it meets my needs well.

The offGRID is a two piece plastic case that adds a little bulk to the thin iPhone while only weighing 1.9 ounces. That light weight adds a 1450 mAh battery to the mix, making it easy to get through even the busiest day while traveling and into the next with ease.

The iPhone 4S slips into the main case, plugging into the 30-pin iPhone connector. The small top of the case slides over the top, clipping firmly into place. The case provides cutouts for access to all phone controls, and a speaker on the bottom. The microUSB charging port is also on the bottom of the case, which is used with the USB cable (included) to charge both the case and the iPhone. any standard power adapter that works with USB cables should also work just fine.

The thin strip below the iPhone on the front houses a tiny power button on the case and four LED indicators. The LED indicators function as a fuel gauge for the battery, and also indicate charging level when plugged in.

The battery in the case is manually operated, which I really like. Hold the power button on the case down for two seconds and the case battery takes over and both operates the phone and charges its battery. Hold the case power button down again for two seconds and the case is turned off, returning battery operation to the phone.

Using this method of operation means you can run the iPhone off its own battery until it gets low, then turn on the case battery. That adds hours of operation, and recharges the iPhone battery too. You could then run the iPhone for hours again even if the case battery is dry.

The retail price of the Incipio offGRID is about $70, but I found it online for less than $40. That is a great price for a quality battery case. I have always found Incipio products to be of good quality, and so far the offGRID is not disappointing me.

Related:

Incipio offGRID battery case for the iPhone 4S (review)

There aren’t many things more frustrating than having a dead iPhone 4 battery when you need to use your phone. Running out of battery power when you are in the middle of a conversation can be even more irritating. The iPhone 4 has a decent amount of battery life, especially when compared to iPhone 3G/3GS battery. despite this improvement, you may still find yourself needing more battery life than your phone provides. take a look at these tips that can extend the battery life of your iPhone 4.

Make sure your Bluetooth is Off

The Bluetooth technology and capability that comes standard on all iPhones is not helpful when trying to save battery life on your phone. Many iPhone owners use Bluetooth headsets with their phones because of the new laws that prevent you from talking on the phone while driving. Bluetooth headsets are great to use but it is important that you turn off the Bluetooth feature when you’re not using the headset. make it a habit to disable your Bluetooth feature on your phone when you reach your destination. You will see a significant increase in your phone’s battery life.

Use your Lock Button Frequently

A lot of iPhone users believe that the lock button, located on the top of your iPhone 4, is only used for locking your screen to avoid calling someone on accident. this is the button’s main purpose, but it can also be used to save your phone’s battery. Press this button after using your phone. this will automatically stop application from running and turn the screen off. just the power you will save by turning the screen off will make a large difference. this is probably the easiest way to save your battery.

iPhone Battery Accessories

If the two strategies mentioned above don’t extend your iPhone battery life enough then you can always consider buying an iPhone 4 battery case. These cases can triple the battery life of your phone and don’t require much maintenance. The cases are equipped with an additional battery that consistently feeds more battery juice to your phone. There are a few different types of battery cases for the iPhone so be sure to look at your options. look into a traditional external battery for your phone if you don’t want to have the additional battery attached to your iPhone 4 at all times. External batteries are great because they can be stored in secure places (like a backpack or purse) and pulled out when needed.

iPhone 4 – How to Make Your Battery Last Longer

IdolPad has a sleek new style and feel. It runs on Cortex A8 Chipset, 1 GHz CPU, 512MB, 7″ Multi Touch Resistive Screen, Front Facing Camera, 360 G-Sensor, HDMI output on Android 2.3 OS. Also IdolPad offers WI-FI connectivity and a long lasting battery life (4-5 hours), Android Google Market, Flash Player.

Newport Beach, CA (PRWEB) January 26, 2012

Idolian.com is pleased to announce the new 7 inch Android tablet PC IdolPad. Idolian is a tablet PC manufacturer and distributor with its offices in Newport Beach, CA, Arkansas and South Korea. Idolian’s vision is to produce reliable Tablet PC, priced between $100-$299 that any individual or small business can afford.

IdolPad has a sleek new style and feel. It runs on Cortex A8 Chipset, 1 GHz CPU, 512MB, 7″ Multi Touch Resistive Screen, Front Facing Camera, 360 G-Sensor, HDMI output on Android 2.3 OS. Also IdolPad offers WI-FI connectivity and a long lasting battery life (4-5 hours), real Android Google Market, Flash Player. Its compact size and light weight is also easy to carry and fast processor makes it easy to operate even with resistive touch screen. IdolPad can streaming Netflix video and supports Skype video chat.

IdolPad can work as eBook Reader, Game player, MP3 players and as video player. Also IdolPad can get turn into mini laptop with the keyboard case.

IdolPad is available to purchase at special promotional price of $99.99 at idolian.com. Idolian.com offers “Free UPS shipping both ways” for easy buying decisions for customers.

“We are bombarded with orders for IdolPad already. Every IdolPad we get in goes right out the door. It’s amazing how many IdolPad we are selling,” says Simon Lee, Director of Sales.

IdolPad is currently available to purchase from idolian.com and on all the major online retailers such as Amazon and Sears.com. Thanks to its established retail distribution, Idolian tablet PC’s will be widely available at cellular locations throughout the USA and South Korea in the near future.

All of Idolian’s Tablet PC s comes with a 1 year limited warranty that is serviced in the USA and offers extended warranties and protection plans for sale only on Idolian.com.

About Idolian.com: Idolian.com is division of Idolian Mobile, inc, an international telecommunication company that terminates calls throughout the world. Idolian Mobile inc. is headquartered in Newport Beach, California and has two branch offices in Arkansas and Seoul Korea.

Like its slogan “Tablets for everyone,” Idolian.com’s mission is to become a major brand for Android Tablet market that everyone can afford.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/1/prweb9143817.htm

Android Tablet PC for Less Than $100?

How you can get VERY rich during times of economic turmoil, even if you don’t have a lot of money to invest…Watch the Video

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As reports on the upcoming iPhone 5 start to increase in number, some speculations have emerged on whether the upcoming Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) device will be able to solve some of the issues that are affecting the current version of the device.

A good number of the reports were focused on the supposed features and possible release schedule of the iPhone 5. Some of these supposed features include a dual-core or a quad-core processor, while others have pointed to a bigger screen for this next version of the iPhone.

The upcoming device will reportedly sport a new design although it appears that some of these reports on the iPhone 5 were supposedly released sometime before. however some observers have noted that despite the numerous reports on the iPhone 5, it appears that the issue on the battery life of the device was not discussed. the supposed feature of a dual or quad-core would affect the battery life of the device along with the supposed bigger screen of the iPhone 5.

This is one problem that has plagued the iPhone 4S, which has achieved record sales despite later reports which indicated that some units of the smartphone were affected by issues on its battery life. Despite disabling some of the applications, the device was still draining the battery faster than expected.

Some users have indicated that this issue on the battery life of the device may be linked to the Apple iOS 5 although it may be possible that this issue may be connected to the hardware instead of the software.

Due to this some observers have speculated on the possibility that the problem may still come out on the iPhone 5. It may be necessary to have a larger battery for the iPhone 5 if it will feature LTE capability of the quad-core processor.

Due to this some observers have suggested that a dual-core processor should be used instead of the reported quad-core for the iPhone 5 particularly after reports that the iCloud will add to the battery drain on the device.

Possible Effects of Specs on iPhone 5 Battery Life

By: Raphael Labuguen.

Siri? iCloud? Bug? how can the next iPhone avoid the much-publicized battery life problem reportedly (and still) plaguing the iPhone 4S.

The iPhone 5 is still considered as a big all caps RUMOR, but apparently, Apple will release a new iPhone next year and it will use the iPhone 5 moniker.

Rumors this week talked about the iPhone 5 release date and features. From dual-core to quad-core CPU to larger screen and new design, of course, it is still the same old cycle of rumors circulating on the internet claiming that Apple’s iPhone 5 will be the biggest and the most aggressive iPhone yet.

But there’s a catch, majority of rumors don’t talk about the battery life. Yes, quad-core CPU will likely drain the battery juice of a phone faster compared to a dual-core, and it is not a myth. Larger screen? Yes, more pixels per inch and larger display will drain the battery faster compared to smaller screen.

Apparently, Apple’s iPhone 4S received (and still receiving) bad publicity due to the reported bug draining the battery juice of the new dual-core iPhone. according to Apple, the problem is due to a “bug” and only affecting a small number of iPhone 4S users, but based on a discussion in Apple’s own website, many are still complaining.

One iPhone user said he is in love with the iPhone 4S, but doesn’t like the quick battery drain, “I received my phone last weekend and experienced 5 to 8% battery drain per hour. the apple store wiped my phone and disabled some apps – however that did not resolve the problem. the rep blamed having an exchange email account as part of the problem. Don’t get me wrong – I love the phone – however I hate having to keep the phone near a charger throughout the day.”

Another discussion contributor added that the problem may be related to the iOS 5 and not the hardware or dual-core CPU. “Yea, it’s a problem with the iOS 5! my iPhone 4 has this problem after updating to iOS 5.”

Reports say Apple is set to end the problem with a new software update, but what if the problem is not software related?

If Apple’s iPhone 5 will include LTE or quad-core CPU, it must also include a larger battery, or better, they should stick with dual-core CPU and HSPA+ next year to avoid the same battery life problem.

Another reason why the iPhone 5 should use dual-core CPU or larger battery is due to the iCloud which is reportedly adding the juice-draining problem especially the “iCloud Backup” feature.

Can the iPhone 5 avoid the 4S battery life problem?