Tuesday, May 19, 2009

The Top "Must-Have" Accessory for the T-Mobile G1

If you've read my previous post reviewing the T-Mobile G1, you'll know that my biggest complaint by far has been the lack of battery life. Having to carry a spare battery around and/or plug the unit in to the PC every chance you get is no way to live with a mobile device.

I finally broke down and bought the Seidio 2600 MaH extended battery, although I didn't pay retail for it (I purchased a barely used one from a private eBay seller for around $30 including shipping, instead of around $60 at retail). I was holding out because I didn't want to make my G1 any bulkier, but I just couldn't take it any more.

I'm pleased to report that the additional 5mm in thickness is hardly noticeable, and the battery adds virtually no weight to the unit. The battery also comes with a new back cover (as the battery is too thick for the standard cover). One advantage of the replacement cover is that it's non-slip, so you can put the phone in your shirt pocket and it won't fall out.

The best part of the upgrade is the extended run time. The best time I ever recorded with the "stock" G1 battery, with all features turned off other than basic phone and data functionality, was about 14 hours. Yesterday I used the phone extensively for 16 hours (including listening to music and a ton of Twitter/Web/email usage), and it still had 40% left when I plugged it in last night. By my calculations that would have yielded a total runtime of ~27 hours, and that was with heavy usage. With 'normal' usage I'd imagine I could squeeze a good 30 hours out of a charge.

So, if you have a G1 and you're losing your mind because you keep running out of juice, bite the bullet and buy the Seidio battery. It's worth every penny. Let's face it: the G1 will never be as slim as the iPhone, and unlike the iPhone, it's great to actually have the option of adding an extended battery to the unit. So, rather than pining after the iPhone's litheness, embrace your G1's rubenesque stature and rub the 30 hour runtime into the noses of your iPhone owning friends (as they run for the closest charger!).

No comments: