Top iPhone 4 and iPad battery life extending products of 2011 (so far)

Even as devices like the iPad and iPhone continue to gain more battery life with each new generation, there are always going to be users who need more juice – especially in an era in which there are ever more power-hungry things to do with your device’s screen turned on. The iPhone 4 has a number of worthwhile choices, and while the iPad 2 doesn’t have anything yet (unfortunately), the original iPad has a surprisingly viable option. Here at the midpoint of 2011, here are Beatweek’s top rated iPad and iPhone battery products of the year – so far:

Mophie Juice Pack Air and Juice Pack Plus for iPhone 4: Mophie’s iPhone battery offerings have evolved over the years from a comparatively awkward cradle to a sleek ruggedized rubber case. The Juice Pack Air covers the iPhone 4 controls and buttons and replicates them nicely, while protecting all four corners and offering matching styling with brushed silver down the sides. The $79 Air won’t quite double your iPhone 4 battery life, but the thicker $99 Juice Pack Pro will. Learn more.

Kensington PowerBack for iPad: The idea of a battery cradle for the iPad sounds like an intimidating proposition, but Kensington pulled it off about as well as could be expected with the PowerBack. It’s thick, it’s heavy, it doesn’t protect the iPad’s top corners, and it doesn’t even double your iPad’s battery life. Nor is it physically compatible with the iPad 2. But it gets the job done, and for power-hungry iPad 1 users, it’s a godsend. Learn more.

As we said, these are merely the best-tested options on the market in 2011 so far. After all, the year is only half over. But for those who want to buy a battery product for their iPhone 4 or iPad now, rather than waiting for our “Best of 2011″ awards at the end of the year, here you go.