Review Part 2: Kensington PowerBack™ Battery Case with Kickstand and Dock

This is part two of my test drive of this unit. The original sneak peak can be found here:

http://www.iphonelife.com/blog/5811/review-part-1-kensington-powerback%E2%84%A2-battery-case-kickstand-and-dock

This case reminds me of the old Mophie style battery pack for the iPod Touch, where you slide the device in but the top part of the device stuck out. In this case, it's not as bad as the Mophie design. This case and battery pack is one piece. Again, you just need to slide the iPad into it and you are ready to go. There is a 30 pin connector that the device slides into. The upper portion of the iPad is exposed after you insert it, but the back of the iPad is fully protected with the case.

The case itself is covered in rubber on the outside.  It's plastic inside. At the top of the case, it's a rubber flap where you insert the iPad. There is a hole in the back that shows off the Apple logo. The back of the case protrudes a bit as that's where the battery is. It's also where the pose-able metal stand folds into when you are not using it. This whole setup does add some weight but I did not think it was too bad considering what you have here. One thing I noted was that this seems to be like the Apple case where it attracts fingerprints and other stuff. You can see that in one of my pics.

There is a metal stand that unfolds so you can use the case in portrait or landscape mode. You can also twist the end of the stand when in landscape mode so the angle is ideal for typing. I'm typing on it right now and its fairly comfortable to use with the onscreen keyboard.

When your device is cradled in this case, your buttons are all accessible.  The battery pack is recharged using the included mini USB cable. You need to use your own power brick with it. You can also sync to iTunes with this setup as well. I did not have any issues with that. Some of the speaker on the device itself is covered but the case was made to carry the speaker output so you can hear the sound. I did not have any issues here either.  At the bottom of the case, there is a button and four light battery meter for the case battery. The mini USB connector is in the back of the case. 

I think this is a really nice case that incorporates a lot of the things we all like in one fairly compact place.  In my opinion, and if I owned this, I would not be using this case as my primary case at home. I would be using this if I was going out for the day or if I was traveling.  For normal everyday use, especially with the iPad great battery life, you do not need this at home. It excels though when you are out and/or away from a power source.

Features

•Built-in 4400mAh battery provides up to 5 extra hours of power for app use, web surfing, movie watching and more

•3-position steel kickstand holds your iPad hands free in typing, portrait or landscape modes

•Soft touch finish case protects your iPad from bumps and bruises

•Battery fuel gauge LED

•Micro USB charge and sync port lets you charge and sync without removing the PowerBack™

•Built-in speaker deflectors for clear, crisp sound

Specifications

•Lithium Polymer battery

•Input (Micro USB): 5V DC, 0.5-2.1A

•Output (30-pin): 30-pin: 5V DC, 2.1A

•Capacity: 4400 mAh

•Weight: 12oz

It's available for pre-order also for $129.99. There is also a video on this page as well that you should also check out.

http://us.kensington.com/html/17806.html