Incase Power Slider – Review
By 
Are you one of those iPhone users that finds yourself running for a charger right around mid-day? Do you conveniently have chargers placed sporadically around your home, work, and car? Or maybe you have mastered the dance between using wifi and bluetooth the perfect amount to keep your battery up all day. But what about those days when the unexpected happens? That day when you get a phone call from that cute girl you really want to talk to, but can’t afford the battery life because you still have six hours before you can make it to a charger? Which do you choose?
Well worry no more iPhone users, Incase has come to the rescue with it’s Incase Power Slider. One of Incases’s latest and probably best cases released for the iPhone 3G (sorry first generation owners). The Power Slider features a variety of both good and bad options. From battery life to thickness, syncing to protection, Incase did an incredible job on this case.
Cosmetically, you either love or hate the Power Slider. Made of a black “rubber-like” material it adds a bit of grip as your holding it, but not that “sticky” feeling you get when trying to pull it out of your pocket. The Slider comes with a built-in 1330 mAh 4.2V battery which promises 120% of the battery life the iPhone normally provides.On the back of the two-piece case is a row of five LED lights, that when the small button is pressed light up from one to five based on how charged the case is. The case fits rather snug on the iPhone, coming apart into two pieces when you take it off. On the inside bottom of the Slider is a iPhone jack which plugs into the iPhone and on the bottom of the Slider is a mini-usb slot which is used with the USB cable to charge the case, or case and phone if you leave the phone incased. The Slider features cut-outs in key areas leaving the ability to use the iPhone’s native hardware buttons. On top there are holes left for the 3.5mm headphone jack, and sleep button, on the left side a slender hole left for the volume rocker and volume control, and the back a small hole exposes the camera. Width and height are the Power Slider’s only real downfalls. When on the iPhone it adds about .4 inch to thickness and another .5 inch to it’s height. Losing the thin look of the iPhone is what turns most consumers away from this beauty.
The Power Slider promises 120% more battery power than the iPhone, and it doesn’t lie. Before the Power Slider I found myself having to run to a charger halfway through the day because my battery was reaching a critical state. Well not anymore, with the Slider on the iPhone all day I have no issues with the phone easily lasting from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed. I am a decently heavy user of my phone, I do a lot of texting, quite a bit of emailing, normal web surfing, topped off with an hour or two of phone calls and an hour or two of games means I was quite surprised with this case. Power isn’t the Slider’s only feature either, it doubles as a protective case. Protecting the back of the iPhone from scratches or marks. Syncing is also a function that Incase took into account when designing the Slider. The same small black button on the back of the case which gives an update to battery life also syncs the iPhone to iTunes, releiving any need to constantly remove the case in order to sync up. My biggest concern with the Slider was the charge time. I was worried that I would either have to charge two seperate things each night, or if I charged them together that one wouldn’t be fully charged by morning. To my delighted surprise, both easily charge during eight hours of sleep, or even fewer if eight hours is too much for you. The case itself charges from empty to full in about three hours.
Power Slider comes with a lot of loveable features, but unfortunately it comes with some that aren’t so fantastic as well. The first, and probably the major downfall for most people (including myself) is the size of it. It definetly makes you appreciate the size of the iPhone. Syncing with the case on also tends to cause problems every once in a while. Sometimes it will connect and then iTunes will lose it mid-sync, other times it takes three or four tries to even get it to sync to the computer at all. Also, if you use any sort of docking station for you iPhone (home stereo, lamp, alarm clock) the case has to be removed before docking it because the bottom of the case connects directly into the iPhone. To top those things off, the Slider also comes with a price tag of $99.
Other than a few minor downfalls the Incase Power Slider is a great buy if you can stand the added thickness, and having to remove the case to mount it to anything you may have in your home or office. It does exactly what it says it will do and more. Providing a large boost in battery life, and protection for the back of your iPhone from those ugly scratches and scuffs.
On a more personal note my Incase Power Slider has already paid for itself. A few days ago while holding the phone between my head and shoulder on a call with handfuls of stuff I accidentally dropped my phone. My heart dropped almost as fast as my phone as I watched my beauty plummet to the concrete floor beneath me. I fully expected to see a shattered screen when I picked up my phone, pieces of white plastic broke off the corners scattered all over the floor. To my surprise however, the only damage done, was done to the case. A small piece broken off the bottom right corner where it had hit the ground first, saving me $300 for a replacement 16G iPhone. My phone is still in working order, as is the case, except for that small piece of plastic which broke off. I love my Power Slider case, and thanks to it saving me from having to replace my phone I will never regret buying it, and the extra battery power is nice, too!
What I like: Added battery power, and protection from scratches.
What needs improvement: The thickness of the case, and syncing capabilities.
It is available HERE for $99.
