The iPad 2 gets terrific marks for battery life. In 8 months of use, I don’t remember ever running it down to less than 50% battery life at the end of the day. And this semester I’ve been using it for 3-hour classes — showing slides, drawing diagrams, zooming in and out of PDFs, etc. — and I end up with about 70% battery life left (starting always with a topped up battery).
Still, there are moments when you wished the iPad 2 had just a little more juice in it, so that you could go on a TV show marathon or a weekend trip without having to bring along the AC adapter and charging cable.
Welcome the Frankencase
Enter the Mili Power iBox battery case for the iPad 2. It’s a form-fitting, relatively slim, snap-on case with a built-in 8000 mAh battery designed specifically for the iPad 2. It’s made of smooth, shiny silver-colored plastic that adds a few millimeters to the sides of the iPad 2 and about a centimeter to the bottom (to accommodate the 30-pin connector). The case itself covers the entire back but leaves room for the Smart Cover’s magnetic hinge. The battery pack occupies about 2/3 of the case, and leaves an indentation into which you can fold the Smart Cover when standing the iPad on its side.
There are cutouts on the top, sides, and back for the various buttons and switches as well as the camera. The case is plasticky (it’s an all-plastic exterior), but sturdy (no flexing and creaking). The silver color is a good match to the iPad 2’s aluminum back, so it looks stylish when snapped onto the iPad 2.
There’s a power switch on the lower left corner of the case; the Mili Power iBox doesn’t start charging the iPad’s battery until you press the power button. Once pressed, four little blue LEDs show you the remaining capacity. The bottom of the case sports a micro-USB slot which is used for both charging and syncing. On the one hand, it’s convenient because it’s easier to borrow a micro-USB cable than an Apple 30-pin cable; on the other, you can’t use the VGA adapter or the HDMI adapter with the case on.
The iPad 2 is a large and heavy gadget to begin with, and the Mili Power iBox doubles the thickness (at the thickest parts of the case) and adds significant weight to the iPad 2. Falling asleep while reading a book or watching a video and having the iPad 2 fall into your lap or tip over onto your chest can be an inconvenient experience.
More power to your iPad 2 and you!
Mili promises to double your iPad’s battery life. We first tested it with a depleted iPad battery, and got about seven intense hours of use from it, including several hours of gaming (SoulCalibur) and video playing (GoodPlayer), with Wi-Fi turned on all the time.
Our second experiment started with a fully charged iPad 2 and a fully chagred MiLi Power iBox, and used it as “normally” as we could. That meant a couple of hours of use each day on the average, doing a mix of activities: checking email, surfing the web, viewing video, reading books, playing games, etc.
The total use time went all the way to nearly 15 hours of mixed use on the MiLi Power iBox‘s battery alone, with Wi-Fi turned on all the time. Clearly, this battery case will let you take long flights or go on a weekend getaway or do a TV show marathon without having to remember to pack the iPad’s charger and cable.
Some downsides
The MiLi Power iBox is not without its downsides. As mentioned, it adds significant bulk and weight to the iPad 2. And because the case is thick, accessing the orientation lock switch can be difficult (those with fat fingers will be out of luck). The fit is not as snug as I expected, and the top edge of the case easily comes off.
The buttons are a little hard to reach.
The bottom line
This is not a must-have accessory. But if you’ve fully embraced the idea of the iPad as a personal computer that you can bring with you almost all of the time, and your regular routine precludes you from plugging in to charge the device (think day-long conferences, or frequent trips to rural locations) then the Power iBox will serve you well.
Price: Php5,500
Availability: Apple Premium Resellers such as Digital Hub, Power Mac Center, and Beyond the Box
Likes
- Doubles your iPad 2 battery life — take off for the weekend without bringing a charger
- Compatible with the Smart Cover, so you can keep your screen protected
- Charges and syncs with a micro-USB cable, so it’s easier to borrow one if you forget yours
Dislikes
- Adds significant bulk and weight to the iPad 2
- Orientation lock switch hard to access and volume rockers a bit hard to press
- Not really that useful for casual and moderate users
