Mophie Juice Pack Reserve Micro: A power pack for your keychain
This slim, lightweight battery pack's Micro-USB plug means it can give a power boost to your phone, e-reader, or other mobile device.
You know the old saying: you can never be too rich or too thin, or have too much battery power for your Android phone.
If you're forever running low on juice, you've probably thought about packing along a spare battery -- but that's a hassle. Not only do you need a way to keep it charged, you also need a convenient place to stow it.
The original Mophie Juice Pack Reserve offered a keychain-friendly external battery, but only for iPhones and iPods. The new Juice Pack Reserve Micro brings that same mobile-power goodness to Android phones and other Micro-USB devices.
Unlike the iDevice version, which has the chunky, somewhat unflattering look of a Zippo lighter, the Micro is slim and sleek, with rounded edges and an all-black casing. It measures 1.77 inches by 3.56 inches by 0.5 inch -- small enough to slip into your pocket without overloading it.
As you can see in the photo, it has two plugs that tuck away on either side: a standard USB that's used to charge the battery, and a Micro-USB that plugs into a device to charge its battery. There's a built-in multicolor LED that indicates the charging status of both the connected device and the Micro itself.
The Micro packs a 1,000mAh rechargeable cell. That's probably not enough to fully recharge a typical phone (the Samsung Galaxy S3, for example, has a 2,100mAh battery, so you'd barely get it to 50 percent), but it's enough to let you make some calls, send some e-mails, or even finish that movie you're watching. It could also potentially supply extra juice to your camera, Kindle, or other small device (tablets not included).
Now for the bad news: The Micro costs $39.95. There are any number of Android-friendly mobile power packs -- with much bigger batteries -- for half the price. Of course, most of them aren't suitable for keychains, so what you're really paying for here is convenience. Mophie's backup power goes where you go, and you can pretty much forget about it until you need it. (Note to Mophie: Lightning version, please.)
I'll update the post in the near future with some hands-on impressions. In the meantime, what do you think: is this pocketable juice pack worth the money, or too pricey?