Going Hands-On with the PowerSkin Smartphone Case with Built-in Battery

Protective smartphone skins that also come packed with built-in extra batteries are some pretty hot items these days (given the fact that they're capable of seriously expanding the functioning life offered by the aforementioned mobile devices), and for this reason, we were quite eager to check out the PowerSkin, which we've stumbled across while roaming the halls of Mobile World Congress, 2011.

So, the PowerSkin is protective silicone rubber case designed to work with multiple smartphone models, including here the iPhone 4 (of course), and that, according to the manufacturer, is capable of virtually doubling the functioning life of the mobile device it protects.

The case can allegedly boost the iPhone 4's functioning life to around 8 hours, while stand-by functioning life is set at roughly 350 hours, these impressive achievements being obtained with the help of the XPAL Verified battery technology and the 2,000 mAh Li-Ion power pack included in the PowerSkin.

Of, and of course, there's also the little issue of charging, the device featuring a 5V, 0.5A power input and output, plus the fact that this thing is also eco-friendly, being manufactured from 100 percent recycled materials.

Last, but certainly not least, it's also interesting to note that the PowerSkin comes equipped with an On/Off button for power management, as well as LED battery status lights, allowing users to view exactly what the status of their battery charge is.

The PowerSkin really feels smooth to the touch but, unfortunately, it does add quite a bit of the bulk to any smartphone's form factor.

However, given the fact that it seriously expands the available functioning life, we'd say that it's quite a fair trade-off, especially for the smartphone power-users out there, who will certainly not mind the thicker body in order to be able to use their electronic companion for longer periods of time.