Eton introduced the Mobius rechargeable battery case with solar panel. Designed for the iPhone 4.. the rechargeable batterycase features a high-efficiency monocrystal solar panel that needs onlyone hour in the sun to provide an additional 25 minutes of talk time..!!
Differentiating itself from solar-charging solutions on the market today, Mobius features a quick charge time and the ability to store charge until you need it. The high-efficiency monocrystal solar panel re-charges the 1800 mAh Rechargeable lithium ion battery pack on the back of the case. Only one hour of solar charging provides an additional 25 minutes of talk time, 20 minutes of internet use, 35 minutes of video playback and more than two hours of audio playback....
Mobius can also be charged via the included Micro-USB cable and will sync with iTunes for maximum convenience. Once the battery has been re-charged, the user is in control as to when the extra battery power is used. Mobius features a standby switch to turn off direct power transfer to the iPhone 4, allowing the case to charge and store energy in its own battery ? only using the power when you need it...!!
The durable and ergonomic battery case has both a battery charge and solar charge indicator, so the user always knows the power status of the Mobius. Weighing only 3.4 ounces, Mobius also features a USB connection to charge the battery via computer, as well as the unique and proprietary snap fit design protects the glass on the back of the device.
The Eton Mobius Solar Panel and Battery Case for iPhone 4 and 4S is sold for $80 from Amazon. And if you haven’t guessed it yet, I was interested in the case purely for its solar panel charging system. How awesome would it be to charge my iPhone by harnessing the power of the sun? Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite that easy.
I find it simpler to describe the Eton Mobius by breaking the entire case down to 2 sections. First, the iPhone compartment — it’s a partial snap-on case made out of hard plastic with a glossy finish. More specifically, it’s a partial snap-on because the part which holds the dock connector slides down and allows the iPhone to snap into place. This design is actually quite clever because there are no removable parts to deal with. Unfortunately, it also means that removing the iPhone from the case is a nearly impossible task because the plastic is so hard that it doesn’t give and there’s barely enough room to wiggle it out. I also discovered that the glossy plastic is quite easily scratched just by being placed on hard surfaces.
As for the rest of the case, it’s pretty standard issue. There are cutouts in the case for the iPhone’s sleep/wake button, volume rockers and silent switch. The cutout for the headphone jack and noise cancellation mic is the largest that I’ve seen in a case like this.
Eton also left a pretty sizeable chunk out for the iPhone camera, which helps the camera to take in as much light as possible and to prevent the flash from bouncing around.
The second component is the solar panel which is on the other side and doubles the thickness of the case to 0.875″ or 2.22 centimetres. Compared to other iPhone battery cases, the Eton Mobius is really bulky. The “high efficiency” monocrystal solar panels are enclosed by cheap transparent plastic, surrounded by a border of rubberised plastic.
On the lower aspect of the case, things start to get confusing and honestly, a little crowded. There are 2 cutouts for the iPhone’s speakers, a solar charging indicator, a standby switch, a batter indicator button, 4 battery LED indicator lights, and a micro-USB port.
Solar Charging with the Eton Mobius
If you think that you’d be able to just pop your iPhone into the case and start charging right away with the power of the sun, you’re dead wrong. And naturally, that’s what I did. I took a brand new Eton Mobius, inserted my iPhone and placed it under direct sunlight for a couple of minutes. And you know what? It just doesn’t work that way. In fact, the case drained my iPhone’s battery.
Here’s how the Eton Mobius works (or at least, is supposed to work): first, the 1800mAh battery pack needs to be charged either by using a micro-USB cable connected to a computer or wall socket; or by using the solar panel. Only then can it release the charge to the iPhone. So essentially, I was trying to charge my iPhone with a flat battery pack, and the solar panel was slowly recharging the battery pack, which released whatever tiny amount of charge it had to my iPhone. This initiated my iPhone’s charging process. In a matter of seconds, the battery pack had no more charge left it in, and stopped the charging process. While that was happening, the solar panel recharged the battery pack and the entire process is repeated. Did I mention I had my iPhone in silent mode? So whenever the charging process started or stopped, my iPhone would vibrate and consume more charge.
Differentiating itself from solar-charging solutions on the market today, Mobius features a quick charge time and the ability to store charge until you need it. The high-efficiency monocrystal solar panel re-charges the 1800 mAh Rechargeable lithium ion battery pack on the back of the case. Only one hour of solar charging provides an additional 25 minutes of talk time, 20 minutes of internet use, 35 minutes of video playback and more than two hours of audio playback....
Mobius can also be charged via the included Micro-USB cable and will sync with iTunes for maximum convenience. Once the battery has been re-charged, the user is in control as to when the extra battery power is used. Mobius features a standby switch to turn off direct power transfer to the iPhone 4, allowing the case to charge and store energy in its own battery ? only using the power when you need it...!!
The durable and ergonomic battery case has both a battery charge and solar charge indicator, so the user always knows the power status of the Mobius. Weighing only 3.4 ounces, Mobius also features a USB connection to charge the battery via computer, as well as the unique and proprietary snap fit design protects the glass on the back of the device.
The Eton Mobius Solar Panel and Battery Case for iPhone 4 and 4S is sold for $80 from Amazon. And if you haven’t guessed it yet, I was interested in the case purely for its solar panel charging system. How awesome would it be to charge my iPhone by harnessing the power of the sun? Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite that easy.
I find it simpler to describe the Eton Mobius by breaking the entire case down to 2 sections. First, the iPhone compartment — it’s a partial snap-on case made out of hard plastic with a glossy finish. More specifically, it’s a partial snap-on because the part which holds the dock connector slides down and allows the iPhone to snap into place. This design is actually quite clever because there are no removable parts to deal with. Unfortunately, it also means that removing the iPhone from the case is a nearly impossible task because the plastic is so hard that it doesn’t give and there’s barely enough room to wiggle it out. I also discovered that the glossy plastic is quite easily scratched just by being placed on hard surfaces.
As for the rest of the case, it’s pretty standard issue. There are cutouts in the case for the iPhone’s sleep/wake button, volume rockers and silent switch. The cutout for the headphone jack and noise cancellation mic is the largest that I’ve seen in a case like this.
Eton also left a pretty sizeable chunk out for the iPhone camera, which helps the camera to take in as much light as possible and to prevent the flash from bouncing around.
The second component is the solar panel which is on the other side and doubles the thickness of the case to 0.875″ or 2.22 centimetres. Compared to other iPhone battery cases, the Eton Mobius is really bulky. The “high efficiency” monocrystal solar panels are enclosed by cheap transparent plastic, surrounded by a border of rubberised plastic.
On the lower aspect of the case, things start to get confusing and honestly, a little crowded. There are 2 cutouts for the iPhone’s speakers, a solar charging indicator, a standby switch, a batter indicator button, 4 battery LED indicator lights, and a micro-USB port.
Solar Charging with the Eton Mobius
If you think that you’d be able to just pop your iPhone into the case and start charging right away with the power of the sun, you’re dead wrong. And naturally, that’s what I did. I took a brand new Eton Mobius, inserted my iPhone and placed it under direct sunlight for a couple of minutes. And you know what? It just doesn’t work that way. In fact, the case drained my iPhone’s battery.
Here’s how the Eton Mobius works (or at least, is supposed to work): first, the 1800mAh battery pack needs to be charged either by using a micro-USB cable connected to a computer or wall socket; or by using the solar panel. Only then can it release the charge to the iPhone. So essentially, I was trying to charge my iPhone with a flat battery pack, and the solar panel was slowly recharging the battery pack, which released whatever tiny amount of charge it had to my iPhone. This initiated my iPhone’s charging process. In a matter of seconds, the battery pack had no more charge left it in, and stopped the charging process. While that was happening, the solar panel recharged the battery pack and the entire process is repeated. Did I mention I had my iPhone in silent mode? So whenever the charging process started or stopped, my iPhone would vibrate and consume more charge.
Eton Mobius Solar Battery Case For iPhone 4
Reviewed by Prakhar Srivastava
on
08:19:00
Rating:
Reviewed by Prakhar Srivastava
on
08:19:00
Rating:
