Griffin TuneJuice 2 review

Battery power for your iPod

28 March 2007 12:00 GMT / By Chris Hall

Those canny people at Griffin have updated their previous version of the TuneJuice, hence the “2” appendix we have here. Essentially, this is a small battery box that connects via the dock connector to your iPod to provide extra, um, juice.

The principle is very simple and not much has changed over the previous version except the battery type – the TuneJuice 2 holds four AAA batteries, which are thoughtfully shipped in the pack to get you started. Griffin suggest you use rechargables to reduce the impact on the environment. The reason for the change is simple – the former TuneJuice required a 9V battery and they are not as common as AAA.

The box plugs into the dock connector and provides battery power straight through to your iPod. It doesn’t charge the iPod battery though – so this will only work whilst there is some juice in your iPod. The box itself feels sort of rubbery, so probably won’t slide around too much on the tray table of a Boeing 767.

Due to its size and simplicity, it is perfect for times on the move when you might be away from your computer or mains socket, so unable to charge your favourite music player. So, perfect for a trans-Atlantic flight where your battery is likely to run out, but your tunes don’t. Of course, it is equally useful for keeping the teenagers quiet on a camping holiday where a simple visit to the camp shop will restock the power via TuneJuice.

Griffin claim to get 14 hours of audio out of the TuneJuice - that's with a fully charged iPod, of course. If you have an almost flat battery in your iPod, then of course, you don't get the same performance. Unfortunately there is no battery life indicator on the TuneJuice, so it's basically guesswork.

Verdict

All in all, for the price, this is a great little accessory for iPod owners – as long as you have the dock connector, you’ll be able to squeeze some life out of TuneJuice.

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Review Recap

Made by: griffin
Price as reviewed: £15.95
The good: Simple, price
The bad: Won't charge iPod battery, no power indicator
Quick verdict: All in all, for the price, this is a great little accessory for iPod owners
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