RichardSolo BluePack S3 Review

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I’ve been a big fan of the products distributed by RichardSolo since I reviewed their first iPhone battery for JustAnotheriPhoneBlog. That battery provided an extra 1200mAh of juice. I liked it! Then Richard gave me the opportunity to review the RichardSolo 1800 for iPhone. It was a bit bigger, bumped the extra runtime significantly and added a flashlight. I liked it even more.

Now RichardSolo has introduced the BluePack S3. It ups the storage to a mind-blowing 2600mAh. That should be enough juice for even the heaviest iPhone user to never need to carry a wall charger again. That, however, isn’t the half of it because this new battery takes things to an entirely new level.

The company describes the device this way-

The BluePack S3 is beautifully designed, encased in a compact, high-quality aluminum shell that is virtually scratch-proof. It is both small and light-weight, making it perfect to carry with you at all times in your pocket, purse, backpack, briefcase, etc.

Safari

They aren’t kidding. The design is sleek and industrial and the scratch-resistant aluminum looks built to take anything you can throw at it.

When you squeeze on it there is absolutely no give in the case!

I was actually surprised that the 2600mAh battery is as small and light as it is. The curved sides, flush button and recessed ports all go toward making this a surprisingly “attractive“ battery. Translation… it just looks cool!

It has 3 blue LED’s on the side that indicate both charging status and remaining battery life. A built-in LED flashlight is activated by pushing and holding the power button. I never thought I would care about having a flashlight like this but since I’ll be carrying this battery with me all the time now it is a nice added feature!

Inside the BluePack S3 includes advanced charging technology and automatically switches off to protect the battery from overcharging.

Charging iPhones and iPods

Safari

The BluePack S3 works with all generations of iPhone and all iPod’s except the shuffle. When used with an iPhone rechargeable polymer lithium-ion battery can add 10 hours of talk time, 20 hours of video playback, and 80 hours of audio playback.

The battery is connected to the iPhone or iPod touch by a short, included cable.   If this seems a bit cumbersome compared to some of the sleeker, form-fitting battery options out there there is good reason… it is. Nothing beats the beauty of a battery you just slip on the iPhone and keep going. There is, however, a downside to such batteries… they only work with one specific device. If you upgrade the device to a newer model or want to charge something else you may be out of luck. This battery, on the other hand, works with my iPhone 3GS, my touch and my nano. In fact… it does even more and THAT is what makes this battery so special.

”Near-Universal“ Charging

If I am out for the day I will likely have my iPhone and touch, a bluetooth headset, my Kindle and, if I am in the car, the Jabra SP700. If any of them run out of juice the BluePack S3 can save the day. You see, the BluePack S3 is designed to charge all of them. In addition to the iPhone/iPod cable the unit ships with both a standard and a micro-USB cable. That means the battery can easily charge the majority of portable electronics you carry on a given day. This includes the BlackBerry Storm, BlackBerry Bold, T-Mobile G1 and the new Palm Pre. All this contributes to making the BluePack S3 the most versatile battery I have used.

To make the device universal RichardSolo ships it as a complete kit.

In the box…

The BluePack S3
100-240V dual-port AC wall charger,
3.5 DC dual USB cable (to charge the BluePack),
USB 2.0 cable for iPhone/iPod,
Mini-USB and micro-USB cables for BlackBerry.
Carry bag

The Specs…

Features Include-
2600mAh rechargeable polymer lithium-ion battery with built-in ultra-bright LED flashlight
Housed in sturdy aluminum — resists scuffs & scratches
Apple certified — works with all iPhone/iPod models (except shuffle)
Can add up to 200% more talk time to your iPhone
Charges most mini/micro USB port devices including BlackBerry Storm, BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220, BlackBerry Curve 8900, T-Mobile G1, HTC phones, and others

Cool blue LED indicators for charging status and remaining battery capacity

Short circuit protection / Smart technology prevents over charging
One-year manufacturer’s warranty

Technical Specifications-
* Output: 5V DC
* Output current: 1000mA
* AC adapter output: 5V DC 2A
* AC adapter input: 100-240V
* Weighs: 3.2 oz. (92g)
* Measures: 3.75″ x 2.15″ x .47″ (95 x 55 x 12mm)
* Cables measure:
o Dual USB cable: 47″ (1.2m)
o USB 2.0 cable for iPhone/iPod: 3.9″ (10cm)

o Mini-USB and micro-USB cable for BlackBerry: 13.7″ each (35cm)

What I Like-
Well built
Sleek looking
Huge capacity
More universal than other external batteries
Includes all cables and a case
Flashlight

What I Don’t-
Not form-fitting
Requires user to carry numerous cables

As usual RichardSolo offers a 30-day return privilege and even emails a prepaid return label if you want a refund for any reason. They ship to U.S. ZIP codes and Canada and there is no sales tax outside California.

The battery is currently backordered until August 3 but can be ordered directly from RichardSolo for an MSRP of $89.95.

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About the Author

Dan Cohen
Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”) Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him. Dan is married to Raina Goldberg who is also an avid user of Apple products. They live in New Jersey with their golden doodle Nava.

2 Comments on "RichardSolo BluePack S3 Review"

  1. davrosdiablo | July 29, 2009 at 7:43 pm |

    It sounds great, but I don’t carry a bag around with me. All I have is my iPhone in my pocket. So if I did buy this it would have to live in my pocket too, which is not an option.

    Definitely appropriate for people that carry a bag, otherwise I’m stuck waiting for the next InCase Power Slider.

  2. Dan Cohen | July 29, 2009 at 7:49 pm |

    Yeah it is a lot to carry between the unit and the various cables. The upside is the ability to use it with multiple devices. That is something the incase battery won’t.

    If you are looking for the incase what about the mophie juicepack air?

Comments are closed.