Just Mobile Gum Plus Backup Battery For iPhone, iPod Touch

This holiday season, if you’re looking for power on-the-go for your iPhone, one of the best solutions is a portable backup battery. If you need a lot of power and high style, the Gum Plus by Just Mobile may meet your backup power needs.

Gum Plus by Just Mobile

Right now I have two types of backup batteries that I use with my iPhone 4. The first is a battery/case combo where the battery is built into a thick case. I like the case since it protects my device, but the whole package is very clunky.

The second type of backup battery is a very small, extremely portable battery pack that simply plugs into the iPhone 4 dock connector. This one is my favorite since it is very small, however due to its size, I only get about two hours worth of charge which translates to about 50% battery life on my iPhone 4.

Recently, I was pointed towards the Gum Plus, which is another type of backup battery. The difference with this battery is that the Gum Plus seems to fall right in the middle of my two existing backup solutions.

Small & Large

The Gum Plus has the small size and portability that I like (instead of a clunky case) coming in at 3.1 x 2.3 x 0.9 inches and the large battery capacity to charge my iPhone 4 to 100% in about 1 hour (instead of half that amount in double the time). To say the least, the Gum Plus is extremely useful, so let’s get into some technical details.

The first thing that the Gum Plus has going for it is the design, which is very minimal with rounded aluminum; it is very MacBook-like. The device has a single USB port for charging your other devices and a single mini-USB port to charge the actual battery pack.

Flexible Charger

On top of the Gum Plus is a single button to view the five LED charge indicators (one is a low charge, five is a high charge). Included in the box is one dock connector to USB cable, one mini-USB to USB cable, and a great little pull-string pouch with an internal sleeve to separate the Gum Plus from the cables.

The nice thing about using USB as the charging port is that the Gum Plus can charge beyond iDevices. So while it will charge your iPhone, iPod, and iPad, it will also charge your Blackberries, Android devices, and whatever other USB/mini-USB device(s) you have.

The only issue with the Gum Plus and USB cable set up is you cannot just drop the battery and your device into a pocket and go. With the iPhone, for example, and Gum Plus tethered together, they become rather clunky in tight spaces, so I find the backup battery is better used as a desktop charging solution or if you are mobile, thrown into a backpack or similar storage solution.

4400 mAh Battery

In terms of charging power, the Gum Plus is Apple Certified and Just Mobile states that the high-power USB output is enough to charge an iPhone to 90% in one hour. Well mine charged to 100% and it was at 2% when plugged in, so your mileage may vary. In any case, the outstanding battery life comes from the internal 4400 mAh battery (with 1000mA output) and has be tested to recharge an iPhone up to four times before the Gum Plus needs to be charged.

Overall

The major downside to the Gum Plus is the price. The device itself comes in at $69.95USD (about $71.00CDN) with additional $25.00USD (about $26.00CDN) for shipping. While the price of the device is comparable to competing products, it is the shipping that kills us Canadians. UPDATE November 29: I have been informed that users can actually find the Gum Plus locally by visiting the following Just Mobile web page!

Overall, if you’re looking for a small, lightweight, and fashionable backup battery for your devices, check out the Just Mobile Gum Plus.