Android G1 Goodies
While the world of technology continues to promise batteries that will last our entire lifespans or charge themselves off dewdrops & pixie dust, those of us living in the present with power-hungry devices could use some more immediately choices.
Several months ago I purchased two spare batteries and a portable charger for my digital camera. After many charge cycles and real world use, the only difference between the manufacturer’s batteries and charger and the no name one from Taiwan? About 400{a31f233dcfb9a68fbfb0fafc3ce96f3dbf18fa49e3f406b8ddf4c360aa321eb6} mark up on the part of the former.
I’m considering doing the same for my Android G1 (aka The Google Phone). I knew going into this that GPS/3G/WiFi phones use an enormous amount of juice. While I’ve never had any problems by carefully regulating services are on/off as needed, some new goodies on the interwebs have tempted me in the power management department.
neTimes offers a variety of accessories for the G1 (HTC Dream) that range from “meh” to “shiny!”. A couple that have piqued my interest include:
Android G1 Desktop Cradle: Allows charging and data sync and has an additional slot for a spare battery. At under $17, I was hard-pressed to find a better deal.
Android G1 Travel Battery Charger: Although you can charge the G1’s battery in situ with a standard mini-USB cable (I add an AC-to-USB adapter to my kit for lots of devices with this option), if you have additional batteries, this little adapter might be the thing for you. AC prongs fold away for storage and it can also charge via your USB port/cable.
Additional Batteries: The battery that ships with the Android G1 is ~1100mAh and replacement/extras (and here) in this range can be found for under $20, but there are a range of more robust solutions. If size matters, aftermarket batteries up to 1600mAh with the same form factor as the original battery can be had but at the premium of $45-55. If you don’t mind an larger form factor (sticks out 4mm according to sellers), batteries of up to 2200mAh are available for under $30 (eBay, so Buyer Beware and check specs carefully).
