Mophie Juice Pack For iPod Touch 2G – Review

I love my iPod Touch and use it all the time. While the lack of a 3G radio means it gets better battery life than my iPhone 3G, it still runs dry rather quickly if I am using it to watch a movie or play a game. As a result, I often find myself swapping between Touch and iPhone or keeping one plugged in. Carrying an external battery does, of course, help and there is a new option available.

I reviewed the Mophie Juice Pack for iPhone 3G back in November and loved the device. While the fit wasn’t perfect, my Touch could be charged with it but, unfortunately, the placement of the headphone jack on the Touch’s bottom meant that the battery covered it and made it inaccessible. The new Juice Pack for iPod Touch takes the same design approach as the original but with one significant difference- it adds a pass through for the headphone jack.

The Mophie comes in a nice, giftwrapped  box that screams – "Quality Accessory!"

It is made of incredibly sturdy material that feels soft to the touch.

Like the original, a four light battery meter on the back tells you how much battery is left at the touch (ha… pun-y!) of a button and a miniUSB port on the bottom makes charging a breeze.

The addition of the standard headphone jack next to the miniUSB is the only visual departure form the original.

Once again it is the physical design that is most impressive. Rather than attaching to the bottom of the device the way many external batteries do, the Mophie "hugs" the device like an openfaced case. While it won’t it protect the top and screen, it does cover the sides and bottom quite well.

The battery adds significant weight and size to the sleek Touch but it doesn’t significantly change the usability of the device. This is important since one of the most battery-intensive uses for the Touch is gaming. I have tried a number of different games with the Mophie on it and the battery did not interfere in the least.

In all, this is a quality battery with a great design that adds tons of battery life while not diminishing the Touch’s usability in the least.

What I Like:

comes beautifully packed, great design, no loss of device usage while charging, and adds  battery capacity.

What needs improvement:

At a retail price of $99, it is a significant investment in an accessory that is "iPod Touch 2G-specific".

Bottom Line-

If you use your Touch a lot, especially for gaming, this is definitely worth a look.

The Mophie Juice Pack For iPod Touch 2G is available HERE.