iPhone external batteries

Anyone moving from a standard cell phone to the iPhone will agree that it has great features but the battery life has much to be desired.   This of course put me on a search for an external battery that would allow me to watch movies or extend the use for taking notes in long meetings.  Below are a two impressive batteries that I tried.  However, only one performed as expected.

Naztech n301 Battery

This is really an impressive piece of technology. Pressing the button will cycle through it’s settings of flashlight, flashlight and USB power mode, USB Power and off. The size makes it easy to carry and comes with a nice pouch to store cables.

According to the website the Special features are:

• Polymer Lithium Technology
• 1800 mAH of Power
• Universal for PDA, iPhone & iPod

Based on this information I purchased the product, charged it up and then plugged in my iPhone. However, nothing happened. I tried several iPhone cords but never got the power to work with the iPhone.

I attempted to contact Naztech. They do not list any support number but do have a support form. I filled in the form and requested information on the problem. I was hoping maybe there was an accessory cord. The form says they will respond withing 48 hours. I waited one week and repeated the process. I waited an additional week, still no response to either request. I sent a third request and this time mentioned I was planning on blogging my experience. This got a response. They check with their techs to see if if indeed the product supports the iPhone. Within a day I got the message that indeed this product DOES NOT work with the iPhone and they had no solution for me. They also said they were not aware of making any claims that it did work with the iPhone and wanted to know where I got the impression it did. I emailed the link below from their website that has the bullet points on 8/23/08. I was under the assumption they would correct the error so others don’t purchase this product thinking it works with their iPhone. However, to date the error remains on the website.

I do not recommend this product for use with the iPhone.

http://www.naztech.com/products.php?id_prod=52 

Lenmark Power Port

The Lenmark Power Port can be purchased at your local Radio Shack or Staples.

Product Description: Lenmar Universal Powerport, Any Where Charger

• Universal Power Pack will charge or supplement iPods, Sony PSP, cell phones and PDA’s or any USB Powered or chargeable device – Black Color
• Can recharge your device up to 4-5 times on a single charge. Includes PowerPort Battery, 3 ft. charging cable with tips for charging most USB Powered devices including: MP3 Players, Cell Phones, PDA’s, Digital Cameras and Camcorders, Gaming Devices and more.
• 5V 7.8Wh
• Lithium Ion
• Warranty: 2 Years

Battery Features Chemistry Lithium Ion Voltage 5 Capacity 1560 Product Features

Warranty 2 Years

This is very light weight 5 volt, 1560ma, Lithium Ion battery is slim enough to put in your shirt pocket and be barely noticeable.

One button turns it on for charging your iPhone or any other USB device. It comes with several

The best part is that this external battery works with the provided cables and adapters or the cable that came with the iPhone.  The bad part is it only works for 25 seconds.

UPDATE: Tech support was very responsive and correctly diagnosed that my battery was defective.  I had it replaced and the new one works perfectly.

http://www.lenmar.com/Web/Main.aspx?MenuID=4&EntityID=37&ResourceID=9&ProductID=PPU2100B