Reviews:
The Smart Backup Battery has gotten some excellent blogger reviews. Here are some of them:
"All in all, this battery is an iPhone accessory that EVERY iPhone/iPod owner should have, go and buy it now. I can truly say that this is one of the best items made. The Pros far out weigh the Cons. It has my vote, and it'll have yours too. We like it so much that we've decided to award it the coveted BuyMeAniPhone "Editors' Choice" Award."
"I tested out the Richard Solo backup battery pack and I must say it's an amazing little charger. It managed to charge my iPhone 3G up from 20% to a full charge in about an hour or so. The cool thing about this setup is that you can charge your iPhone 3G and Richard Solo battery pack at the same time!Previously only US orders received free shipping, but now all Canadians can celebrate as RichardSolo.com is offering free shipping to Canada!"
"With its simple, easy-to-use design, the Backup Battery will zap your Apple iPhone and iPod partway back to life when you're running out of juice."
"So does the RichardSolo (made by Sharper Image founder Richard Thalheimer) make for an easy-to-use, no-nonsense backup battery? In my best impression of Marv Albert to date; 'YESSS!!!' ... This thing is great. It's that good"
"RichardSolo's included USB cable attaches to a matching wall adapter, or your computer, providing you with two different ways of keeping the battery up to par."
"Overall, I really like the form, function, and build quality of the Smart Backup Battery for iPhone / iPod by Richard | Solo. It is ideal to take along on trips especially when you are planning on killing too many hours watching movies/shows on your iPod."
"Enter the Smart Backup Battery. Small, lightweight (a teensy 1.75 ounces) and powerful, it's, well, kinda sexy, with an attractive aluminum casing that is virtually scratch-proof. Compatible with both the first and second gen of the iPhone and most iPods, it'll double your battery life. You can even recharge the Smart Backup Battery while it's attached to your iPhone, which recharges at the same time."
"Even better though, you can charge the iPhone or iPod and the Backup Battery at the same time. You plug in the battery to your phone, and then connect the battery to the charger. This will first charge your device, and then once that is done, it will charge the battery. So if you do this overnight, you have a fully charged phone, and backup battery, when you walk out the door. Love it. "
"Do you often find yourself in the middle of day with your iPhone battery in the red? If so, I might have the perfect product for you. ... I found out how amazing this product really was."
"The RichardSolo Backup Battery looks to be a nice small way to extend the battery life of the iPhone or any iPod using the standard dock connector. The cool thing about this backup battery is how it can be plugged into the iPhone and then the charger to top off both devices. This insures when you leave for the day the iPhone and backup battery are both with full gauges."
“My iPhone stopped at the start of class while I was using it. Frantic, I plugged the RichardSolo Backup Battery into it and let it charge for a few minutes. After a good hour and a half wait the battery was up to 80%, and I was back to downloading stuff and emailing.“
"I found the Smart Backup Battery to be indispensable with my iPhone 3G and unlike my American Express card, I don't leave home without it."
"An indispensable accessory has been the Richard Solo external backup battery..."
"Whichever you choose, these batteries are good investments. I wouldn't think about going to court, a deposition, a plane ride or a CLE without carrying one with me."
"As you can see, the 1200 is a handy little unit that does more than just provide battery backup for your Apple device."
Blogs:
German Blogs
Dutch Blog
This is a good-looking product that works great. You're guaranteed to be satisfied, and you have a 30-day return privilege to make sure you're delighted. This is a remarkably convenient and easy-to-use product that I highly recommend." — Richard
Features Overview
- Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and all other iPod devices except shuffle (Note: If your iPod touch or iPod nano has the earphone jack right next to the battery connector, you can not use the earphone jack while you are charging the iPod.) Works great with the 3G iPhone.
- Gives you up to double the battery time
- Small and lightweight for pocket, purse or briefcase
- High-quality aluminum case virtually scratch-proof
- Snaps on to iPhone / iPod instantly — no bulky cable
- Begins to charge your Apple device immediately
- Battery pack includes both USB retractable charging cable and USA AC adapter [100-240V, 50-60Hz] wall charger (works with any international plug adapter — not included)
- USB retractable cable connects Smart Backup Battery directly to computer's USB port or AC wall adapter for convenient charging
- Charge the Smart Backup Battery and iPhone / iPod together (the iPhone / iPod will charge first and then the backup battery — the next morning both are completely charged)
- Lithium-ion technology does not develop "memory" so you can charge often
- Smart, automatic on/off charging technology protects the battery from overcharging
- Advanced circuitry keeps battery cool to touch
- Blue, green, red LEDs indicate charging status
- One-year warranty from RichardSolo.com
Technical Specifications
- 1200mAh polymerized lithium-ion TiPBB3 battery
- Smart Backup Battery itself is charged to 100% in about 3.5 hours
- Output: DC 5V +/- 0.25V
- Output current: 500mA
- Battery weighs: 1.76 oz. [50 gm]
- Battery measures: 1.77" x 2.83" x .49" [4.5 x 7.2 x 1.25 cm]
- Package weighs: 5.6 oz. [159 gm]
- Package measures: 5.7" x 8.86" x 1.1" [14.5 x 22.5 x 3 cm]
- Extended cable measures: 29" [73 cm]
- Operating temperature: 32 to 95ºF [0 to 35ºC]
- Storage temperature: 14 to 113ºF [-10 to 45ºC]
Click for Package Contents
Summary of tips for longer battery life
Lithium-ion batteries, including the RichardSolo Smart Backup Battery are good for approximately 300 charge/discharge cycles. A "charge/discharge" cycle generally consists of an extended charging period, and an extended discharging period. A quick charge, listening to your iPod for 30 minutes, and charging again, for example, does not constitute a full "charge/discharge cycle", but is a portion of one complete cycle which means you will have more than 300 total charge/discharge cycles.
Also, many, many factors affect how much you get out of each charge, as well as how long the battery will last overall. The main factors include charging patterns, the routine amount of discharge (i.e., Do you use it until it dies? Use it for an hour or two and recharge?), temperature, storage, usage frequency, etc. Lithium-ion batteries do not take kindly to frequent complete discharges. When possible, the optimal usage pattern — for any lithium ion battery — is a partial discharge, followed by recharging. A partial discharge can be anything less than a full discharge. However, an occasional full discharge is desirable (e.g., once every 30 charges) to calibrate the battery.
Lithium-ion batteries do not significantly degrade, or develop "memory", even if charged at irregular intervals; irregular charging is acceptable. An iPod, or a RichardSolo Smart Backup Battery can also safely be attached to external power for extended periods of time. (For extremely extended periods of time, such as months, the battery will essentially be the same as if it were not in use. Lithium-ion batteries do not store well for extended periods of time at full charge. However, there is no way around this under these circumstances.) When possible, use the AC wall adapter for extended charging, rather than the USB cable attached to your computer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size is this battery? How does it compare to other compact competitors?
The Backup Battery is 1200 mAh. There is only one other battery on the market, from Kensington, and it is nice as well, though only 1000 mAh--this is why we claim to be 20% more powerful.
How many hours do I get out of the RichardSolo battery?
The answer to that question is not a specific number of hours, but rather the fact that it is up to double the usage time because battery life is dependent on so many factors; screen brightness setting, Bluetooth and wireless use, the strength or weakness of the cell signal, how much Internet browsing you do that day, etc. So the conclusion of all that is that whatever pattern of usage a person has, 1200 mAh will give almost double. So if the iPhone battery is down to about 15 to 20% remaining battery life showing in the iPhone battery icon, then snapping on a fully-charged Smart Backup Battery will bring the iPhone back to full in about an hour or so.
Will you just tell me how many hours of talk time that is?
There is no right answer to that question, other than that you will get about double your normal talk time.
Can I use the iPhone while it is charging?
You can plug the Backup Battery into a power source, and charge the iPhone and battery at the same time (it is smart enough to fully charge the iPhone, and only then will it charge up the Backup Battery), and use the iPhone while it is charging. So it is like getting a free charger for your iPhone, which is a nice benefit, and it comes with both a wall plug and a USB plug charger.
Is this another cheap plastic case?
First off, the case is aluminum, not plastic, so it doesn't scratch. Secondly, please note this is an official certified "Works with iPhone" product. There are other gray market batteries around, but they are not necessarily safe for the iPhone and are not carrying the logo that shows they have passed the test certification. The most important thing here that Apple checks is that the circuitry in the Smart Backup Battery knows when to automatically stop charging the iPhone, which preserves the remaining charge in the battery for later, as well as protects the iPhone.
Why don't you make it so the battery is in the back, in a case, so that it doesn't stick out the bottom?
A few people have mentioned that they prefer a configuration where the backup battery is in a case covering the back of the iPhone. However, that configuration results in covering the antenna of the iPhone, and can result in weak reception and transmission of phone calls. And,the RichardSolo design has the added flexibility of using the Backup Battery without needing to remove your iPhone case, and you can use it with your iPod as well.
I can't load my iPod touch or nano with the battery while having my headphones plugged in?
For iPod touch, and for some nano models, where the earphone jack is right next to the charging pin, it is not possible to plug in the battery and also plug in the earphones at the same time. So you can charge the iPod, or use the earphones, but not both at the same time.
Can I get a copy of the instruction manual?
Yes, click here to download the PDF.
"Made for iPod" means that an electronic accessory has been designed to connect specifically to iPod and has been certified by the developer to meet Apple performance standards.
"Works with iPhone" means that an electronic accessory has been designed to connect specifically to iPhone and has been certified by the developer to meet Apple performance standards.
"iPod is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. iPhone is a trademark of Apple Inc.
Apple is not responsible for the operation of this device or its compliance with safety and regulatory standards.
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