Today’s article is about a very exciting exciting product from Mophie, the ‘Juice Pack’. The Juice Pack is basically a battery extender for your iPhone or iPod Touch that also doubles as a stylish hard-shell case.

It got very good reviews and a lot of media coverage since its appearance at CES 2009, but does it stand up to the hype?

Available for both the first and second generation of iPod Touches and iPhones,  the Juice Pack charges your device when inserted, while still offering protection from accidental drops and slips – with its sturdy rubberized exterior.

The Juice Pack connects to your device via the 20-pin Apple dock connector, and to the computer or wall charger through a standard USB port.

When connected to a computer, the Juice Pack’s ‘pass-through’ design enables you to sync with iTunes and charge at the same time – without having to remove your iPhone/iPod from it.

The photos, while they show off the design, don’t tell the full story of the Juice Pack. The iPod touch fit snuggly inside, and it started charging immediately. It adds very little to the total weight – insignificant when compared to other hard shell cases. The rubberized surface also improves handling.

The enclosed battery has 1800mAh of energy and extends your battery life by a factor of 2. The lithium polymer technology of the battery is known to be more resilient to physical damage but it’s also known to have a reduced lifecycle (about 500 charge-discharge cycles) when compared to lithium-ion technology.

If you prefer another case for your device, don’t worry, you can disconnect the Juice Pack and still have a fully charged device. The integrated power distribution “instructs the iPod Touch to always drain out the juice pack first”. Fully charging the iPod touch took around 2 hours from 10%, as fast as it would charge connected to a computer.

The Juice Pack is not the average battery extender. It is by far the smartest accessory I’ve seen so far and also impresses with its simple Apple-like design and attention to details. It’s the first Apple certified battery extender for the iPhone 3G.

The Juice Pack provides you with tremendous convenience in situations when you don’t have access to a power socket or a an USB port – and is a must have for traveling or long commutes.

While some have picked on the price tag for this device, I won’t, because I don’t think that’s fair. Everything about the Juice Pack suggests quality,  and it’s very clear who this company addresses with its products. People who buy Apple products look at quality and overall experience before looking at the price tag.

I highly recommend the Mophie Juice Pack. Visit the Mophie website here.

We thank Mark Olson from Max Borges Agency for providing this sample. In this article we reviewed the Mophie Juice Pack for iPhone 3G – with the pictured iPod touch (1st and 2nd generation). Models specifically designed for iPods provide access to the audio jack on the bottom.