Boost your iPhone's battery life with a solar case

I blame my decision for not upgrading to the new iPhone 3G on the phone's poor battery life—among other things. But if you already made the switch, at least consider prolonging the phone's battery life the eco-friendly way. Users have complained about battery life since the phone was launched this past summer and many writers, including our own Ben Patterson, offered readers several battery-boosting tips to help them out.

Surprisingly, there are a couple of eco-friendly ways to boost your iPhone's battery life. One is a solar product called Freeloader Globetrotter, which I mentioned in a recent post, and the other one is this really practical Solar Powered iPhone Leather Case I spotted over on the Red Ferret blog.

The case seen here features a solar panel on the outside designed to harnesses the power of the sun, and charge your iPhone throughout the day. No sun? No worries. This flip case comes with a built-in rechargeable battery that can also be charged via USB, and best of all, it holds enough juice to fully charge the iPhone within three hours. The flip case is compatible with both the original and 3G iPhone, and only retails for $48 over at Brando.com.

Related:
Solar charger for your iPhone
Top iPhone 3G battery-boosting tips
Apple's own battery-saving tips