Well the weather forecast was spot on. In Leicestershire we have had -10 temperatures and a fair bit of snow. The forecast for the week shows little improvement so maybe it's time to catch up with the chores you keep putting off! Anyway, enough of real life. It's time to put pen to paper so read on.
It has been mentioned that the iphone 4 has a poor battery life. I do not necessarily agree with this statement, I just believe that the iphone 4 offers the users so much that we all spend FAR too much time using them and hence the battery drains faster! For those of you who cannot access a charger during the day, there is an alternative in the shape of a battery case. One of the best on the market at the moment is,
The Exolife battery case by Exogear.
The Exolife is currently on sale direct from http://www.exolife.co.uk for £54.99, it normally retails at £57.99.
For this you get the case, a USB to mini USB charge/data sync cable and a smokey coloured bumper. The Exolife is available in Black (as pictured) or white but the white is a pre order item. You can also order a pack of three different bumpers which come in green, blue and clear. These cost £11.95 and again are available from the Exogear web site.
The case shell is a shiny, polycarbonate material and has a 30 pin dock connector at its base. The manufacturer claim it is currently the lightest and slimest battery case available. The data available for it makes interesting reading too.
Exolife data.
The battery fitted is a 1500 mAh lithium-ion battery. it provides an extra,
300 hours standby,
7 hours talk time,
6 hours surf time,
10 hours video time and last but by no means least,
40 hours listening time.
So to the layman that means it effectively doubles the life of your iphone 4 battery! And I also forgot to mention the 3 years un limited warranty too!
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| case showing the 30 pin connector |
Fitting the iphone 4 is easy, just slide it from the top and push down gently until it sits flush with the base.
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| iphone 4 partially fitted |
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| iphone 4 fully fitted to shell |
Once the iphone is fitted to the shell it is a simple task to fit the supplied bumper to the shell, thus locking the iphone in place. Just a tip, fit the bumper from the top first. Once fitted, the bumper allows easy access to all the iphone buttons and, as it is one of the lightest, and sleekest battery cases currently available, it does not make the iphone bulky to carry or use.
Exolife in use.
Allow your iphone 4 battery to drain down to single figures before you use the case battery. To turn the Exolife on simply depress the button on the base and hold for about 3 seconds. A small, green led light will come on indicating the case is working. In addition you will hear the familiar sound of the iphone 4 charging.
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| base showing on/off switch to the left and the covered mini USB port to the right |
On the back of the case, just below the Exolife text, is a small, horizontal slit. When in use this will flash with 4 blue segments, indicating how much charge is left in the Exolife battery. It also illuminates to show how much charge is available in the case. To see the charge left simply hold the on/off switch down for about 5 seconds.
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| rear of case |
The Exolife case can be recharged without removing the iphone. The nice feature is that you can also sync your iphone with itunes at the same time. Recharging is self explanatory!
Because the Exolife battery is slightly larger than the one fitted to the iphone 4, you should be able to get a little over 1 full charge plus enough if you really get caught out!
Another nice addition to this case is what is called, Exosave. Basically a posh name for an auto off feature when the case battery is not in use!
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| Exolife charging iphone 4 |
So that is the battery side of the Exolife covered but how does it perform as a case? I would say it offers the minimum of protection to your phone and I certainly won't be conducting a drop test! It is certainly not an "Otterbox Defender" when it comes to protection and I most definitely recommend using a screen protector. ( I use a screen protector 24/7 for every case I have tried and use).
I can also see the polycarbonate becoming scratched with prolonged use however, you don't purchase this sort of case for protection alone. It is a battery case that provides "some" protection and it does this job very well indeed. What the makers have also done is to make sure that all buttons are easily accessable and have also allowed a generous cut out around the rear facing camera lense and flash.
I have used the case off and on for about 4 weeks and it is brilliant. I can easily go for the whole day without worrying about running out of battery power and trust me when I say that I use the iphone 4 lots!
The Exolife is light and slim and nowhere as bulky as other, comparable makes of battery case. It is so easy to use even the most ham fisted users (me) can use it with ease!
This case will make the perfect main Xmas present to the iphone 4 lover in your life so get ordering now!
I have no hesitation in giving the Exolife battery case a 5/5 on the "keebs"rating!
I will be back later this week with a look at what's hot on the app front. I will also do another review so you will have plenty to keep you interested. Until then,
stay warm and safe,
Andy.
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