HomeElectronicsPowerSkin Protective Case with Built-in Battery for HTC Desire HD/Inspire 4G - Black |
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59 of 63 found the following review helpful:
 A good start, not quite what I wanted though. Jun 28, 2011
By Chad Baker
"darkbeach72"
First off, there's very little information on what this product really is, or does, on the web site. So I hope this helps. Basically, you're getting a battery in a silicone sleeve that plugs into your phone's microUSB jack. My main problem with this product is in the disconnect between how I WANTED it to work, and how it DOES work. Hopefully I can prevent others from making this mistake, or at least let them make an educated purchase.
How I wanted it to work:
Act as a transparent addition to my existing battery. All other functions are the same. I just have a huge virtual single battery in my power-vampire Inspire 4G.
How it does work:
It acts like a charger.
Let me explain some of the ways this sucks. First, your phone always thinks it's charging. Your phone doesn't see this battery as a battery, it sees it as a charger. So your battery metering applications are all useless now. Your battery meter on your phone shows "lightning bolt" instead of a value. There are 4 dots on the back of this pack that show you it's charge level, and when those run out, your battery pack becomes a useless weight, but then your phone battery indicator starts working again because you've switched over to your (hopefully now fully charged) internal battery. Since your phone thinks it's charging, the amber charge light is always on while this skin is on. I don't know how much power it wastes doing this, probably not much, but it's a waste. Also, if you've set your phone's screen to not sleep while you're on a charger, your phone's screen will never sleep while you're on the battery pack. You'll need to disable that setting in Applications>Development (why it's not in Power Saving is beyond me) in Settings. There are probably hardware limitations that PowerSkin can't control behind these annoyances. I don't know, but as a user, it's a bit sucky.
It also takes up your phone's data connector, but doesn't appear to allow any data to pass through the cable. If you're using the provided charge cable connected to the battery pack, your phone doesn't pop up as a USB device, and you can't sync or do anything data related in that slot. You'd have to take the case off in order to do anything data related via USB. This isn't so bad since you can do most of that stuff by wifi, but it's still annoying.
Silicone? Really? Silicone is sooo 2007. This is the material that every high end iPhone or Android case manufacturer has long since stopped using because it's a nasty sticky lint magnet with zero durability. Silicone is for phone cases that you buy on ebay for $.99 for a 3-pack with free shipping. For $60, they should be using something that feels firmer, doesn't stick to your pocket liners, and keeps its shape longer.
It's not a terrible product, but for the way that it actually behaves, you might be better off just buying one of those humongous gazillion mAh battery packs that don't piggyback. If I was PowerSkin, and I was faced with the challenge, I would have tried to design a battery skin that replaces the OEM battery and directly connects to the original contacts inside the battery door, then upgrade the battery in the case to something like 3000-5000mAh. That way, the phone would just have one battery, you wouldn't lose a data port and all battery metering would still work. Someone builds that, I'm buying it.
Bottom line, it's a $15 battery with a $1 case. I would have been a lot happier at a $30 price point. For $60, see "How I wanted it to work" above.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 85% more battery for htc inspire. Jul 29, 2011
By Joao
This item works as an extra battery that could be used when you are running out of charge. The advantage from having an usual battery is that you don't have to shut off the device and is very fast and convenience to connect.
While is charging you have the case installed and when you finish charging you can remove it.
A huge advantage is that with the Power Skin, charging the battery is much faster than with the USB cable.
When i'm at 15% battery I connect the PowerSkin and in 40 minutes I have 85% charge.
Is what I needed, I travel a lot and sometimes is dificult to find a place to charge.
Convenience backup battery.
J
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 (Almost) Perfect Battery Case Nov 30, 2011
By Patrick Cleary
PROS: It seems to offer great protection, covers all corners of the phone quite nicely and holds the handset snugly. I would trust this case when it falls. The phone is relatively easy to remove , but has to be disconnected from the case in order to transfer data. The button on the back not only shows approximate charge level but turns the battery on and off.
CONS: This thing is THICK! Phone and all, it's 7/8" from back to front. No complaints though, since any external battery is going to take up extra space. It's no Otterbox, but it wasn't designed to be. The phone needs to be disconnected from the case for data connectivity and for plugging in any headphone/audio plug with a connector larger than 1/4" in diameter (unless you whittle away the soft-touch silicone, that is).
Overall, it's a really sweet case. I would recommend they allow data connectivity through the battery and make a (much) wider headphone hole, since cutting the silicone away probably voids the 1-year warranty.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
great item Oct 03, 2011
By Jeradiah3
this has been one of the best items ive ever bought.im able to keep my phone charged for hours and i dont have to worry about battery issues anymore
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Functional and stylish Oct 03, 2011
By kanazak
Very happy with my purchase. The powerskin has more than doubled the battery life of my Desire HD. Although it is somewhat bulky, it is stylish, and it feels very comfortable in the hand.
See all 28 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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