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I have been using a mophie Juice Pack 3G for several months now and it seems about time I share a few thoughts here on iPhoneFreak. I originally picked it up because I was attending CES this past January and needed something that would allow me to retain some battery during the flight (from Florida to Las Vegas) and also for the long hours that come with covering CES. I initially intended to offer a review based on my use experience during CES, but I have actually used it pretty consistently ever since.

If you check out the mophie website you will see that the Juice Pack 3G offers up to an additional 350 standby hours, 6 hours of 3G talk time, 12 hours of 2G talk time, 6 hours of 3G Internet use, 7 hours of Wi-Fi Internet use, 28 hours of audio playback and 8 hours of video playback.

Of course, in my real world testing I do not feel that I was able to fully achieve those times, but I would also say that I was not exactly scientific in my testing. My experience is based on actual use and was not just done for testing purposes. That said, I do not think you would really see the full “up to” times with any external battery pack.

The Juice Pack is a simple design, but it feels solid both by itself and also when connected to an iPhone. Using the Juice Pack is simple, just slide the iPhone in and make sure the dock connector on the bottom is fully connected. Once you connect the Juice Pack to your iPhone, it begins to charge the internal battery on the iPhone. Then once that is complete it begins to drain its own battery before moving on to your iPhones internal battery. As far as the other features of the Juice Pack, it offers a 4 light LED battery status indicator on the back along with a USB port on the bottom that allows you to charge both your iPhone and the Juice Pack at the same time.

When in use it does add some extra weight and size to your iPhone, but then again any external battery pack will do that. The Juice Pack weighed in at 2.6-ounces, which can be compared to the 4.8-ounces that the iPhone weighs (both weights are according to my postal scale).

As far as the added thickness to the iPhone and the extra weight, it is noticeable and certainly makes it a bit harder to put it in a pocket. That said, I do prefer the slip on design the Juice Pack offers as compared to some of the other external batteries that just plug into the iPhone dock connector and stick off from the bottom. It feels much more secure and much less likely to cause any damage to your dock connector.

In my use, I generally took my iPhone out of the Juice Pack when I had it in hand, but the battery pack worked well when I was able to put my iPhone aside, such as while in a car, or in my backback when traveling. It was able to serve me well while waiting for my plane to board and then while using my iPhone during the flight. I was actually able to use my iPhone in the airport as opposed to looking for a place to charge it, or worrying that I was going to run out of battery while watching a movie during my flight.

All-in-all the Juice Pack 3G is a great option and has served and will continue to serve me well. I am sure you could find some cheaper options when it comes to external battery packs, but I would say the $99 price tag is fair as compared to the overall value.

Another nice perk is that the Juice Pack 3G is shipped with a full charge, so you can begin using it immediately. Which is great for people like me who wait to the last minute to order and have no time to make sure it is charged.

Alternatively, I think I may end up passing on my current Juice Pack 3G in favor of the juice pack air, which is also from mophie and is expected to be available on April 21. But the only reason for that is because I am a person who generally keeps my iPhone in a case at all times. That said, mophie makes a great product and should be considered by anyone looking for an external battery.

In addition to the Juice Pack for the iPhone 3G, mophie also has similar options for the iPod touch as well as the original iPhone.

[Product: mophie]