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Accessories Sprint carrying extended battery

Stang70Fastback said:
I wish I did but I don't have it anymore. I am sans-case now. It came out rather well, but I'm a neat freak and since it didn't fit perfectly it annoyed me to no end, lol.



Three reasons why you should get it:

1. YOUR PHONE WILL LAST FOREVER.

2. The added bulk gives the phone a nice feel, gives you a better hold on the phone, and overall isn't that big of a deal.

3. It's like adding a roof rack to a Lamborghini. If you value style above ALL ELSE, you'd probably leave it off. However, if you actually DRIVE your Lamborghini on long cross-country trips and actually go all over the place, you will definitely want a roof rack, since the car manages to look stylish at the expense of no room to carry stuff...
...plus a lot of people would say the "bulky" roof pack just looks badass.

/one-giant-analogy

lamborghini_gallardo_angle_side_ski_box.jpg
Click to expand...
Nice car. I'm fully aware that using this battery would be awesome and I don't have to worry about battery life. That bulk is just a turn off. Plus I already spent money on cases for the EVO. I know I'm being picky here but are there other options? Are there any other batteries that have more juice without adding anymore bulk? I hear some good and bad reviews for the 1750 mah battery. I don't know man. I might just end up getting the 3500 but would love to know the other options. Thanks.
 
there is a recent thread about the 2000 mah battery that fits beneath the stock door.

waiting on users to receive and test them
 
I guess it depends on what you do with your phone, but for me when I rooted and flashed a custom ROM/kernel I saw such a significant improvement in battery life (about 2x) with my typical daily use (which is moderate to heavy) that I haven't felt the need to get a higher capacity battery. I mean, no, it's not going to improve the battery life if I watch videos all day, but checking email, surfing, or even listening to music really doesn't require the Evo to run at full horsepower like it obviously does when stock.

I know that not everyone necessarily wants to mess with the internals that much for risk/warranty reasons, but when the 3,500 mah eBay battery overheats, puffs up, and breaks your Evo, do you think Sprint/HTC is going to cover that under warranty?

I can afford the Sprint $60 one, but like others have mentioned here, I really don't think I should have to pay more money to Sprint to get the best performance out of their phone. It should come to me that way (they should hire the developers of the ROM and kernel I'm using). I also don't like the idea that a new battery door (which may or may not fit like OEM) will cause me to lose my protective case for my phone. I don't think Sprint is going to honor/accept my excuse that my phone broke when I dropped it because their extended battery prevented me from using my protective case.

Anyway, just wanted to throw that there for people who are thinking about rooting/flashing their Evo's -- improved battery life is typically a benefit of that or at least it definitely can be if you opt for the right kernel.

Good thread though -- it's good to know what's out there, especially good to know what Sprints up to, as they always slyly put solutions like this out to correct "problems" with the phones post-release. ;)
 
Internetpilot said:
I guess it depends on what you do with your phone, but for me when I rooted and flashed a custom ROM/kernel I saw such a significant improvement in battery life (about 2x) with my typical daily use (which is moderate to heavy) that I haven't felt the need to get a higher capacity battery. I mean, no, it's not going to improve the battery life if I watch videos all day, but checking email, surfing, or even listening to music really doesn't require the Evo to run at full horsepower like it obviously does when stock.

I know that not everyone necessarily wants to mess with the internals that much for risk/warranty reasons, but when the 3,500 mah eBay battery overheats, puffs up, and breaks your Evo, do you think Sprint/HTC is going to cover that under warranty?

I can afford the Sprint $60 one, but like others have mentioned here, I really don't think I should have to pay more money to Sprint to get the best performance out of their phone. It should come to me that way (they should hire the developers of the ROM and kernel I'm using). I also don't like the idea that a new battery door (which may or may not fit like OEM) will cause me to lose my protective case for my phone. I don't think Sprint is going to honor/accept my excuse that my phone broke when I dropped it because their extended battery prevented me from using my protective case.

Anyway, just wanted to throw that there for people who are thinking about rooting/flashing their Evo's -- improved battery life is typically a benefit of that or at least it definitely can be if you opt for the right kernel.

Good thread though -- it's good to know what's out there, especially good to know what Sprints up to, as they always slyly put solutions like this out to correct "problems" with the phones post-release. ;)
Click to expand...

I don't think this battery is a correction at all. The phone was delivered exactly how it was supposed to be delivered. Almost flawless. Battery life is a matter of opinion and honestly I had no problem with it since Launch Day. I understand this is a smart phone on a very small battery. Using Laptops for school and work have taught me plenty about the importance of having backup power and chargers handy. I bought a high performance vehicle in the spike of the Gas Crisis over a year ago knowing that I was going to pay for premium as it was required (2004 Cobra). I could have been like everyone else and complained about the price of me having to buy premium gas, but no, I bought the car with expectations as I did my EVO. Honestly, look around... How many iPhone users almost always have a charger handy? They all do. They are constantly charging their phones and you don't hear most of them complaining. Their phones are always hooked up in the car, at work, or whereever. I hear more people on a daily basis ask to borrow someones iPhone charger then I ever thought.

One thing people tend to fotget is that Sprint had and has little to do with the design and build of the phone (I know their input was important based on hardware and software, but they were not the phone Engineers). Modifications will always make the phone better in some people's perception and while some of us may say the phone should have been delivered like this or like that it's all a matter of opinion. With out the ability to make something better through customization we lose interest. Check out the DINC threads... check out all the other Android phones... We are one of the most promenet phone categories out there (The EVO) becuase we have soo much customization and interest due to this. With out customization we're just another phone on the block. Sprint & HTC delivered this phone in the best way possible. Strong enough to be a huge competitor in the ever growing SmartPhone market for almost a year running @ a stock platform. You look into modification and we are probably the top phone on the market at this point with all the options.

It's just like cars... some people are happy with what they get. Some of us, well we will never be happy with "just normal"

I have an itch no matter what I'm doing. Cars, Phones, Computers, Gaming Consoles, Sports, or whatever. I'm continually trying to make what I have better.

My point is: This battery is an option. This battery is not a correction or a solution to a problem.
 
SaleenFiend said:
I don't think this battery is a correction at all. The phone was delivered exactly how it was supposed to be delivered. Almost flawless. Battery life is a matter of opinion and honestly I had no problem with it since Launch Day. I understand this is a smart phone on a very small battery.
Click to expand...

All you have to do is go to the Sprint website and read the Evo owner reviews to see that a significant majority of Evo owners there seem to think the battery is inadequate. Of course, that's still just opinion, but so are your statements that the battery is fine.

My calling it a correction is more from a total package perspective. I don't think Sprint really wants to get into the quagmire of ROM/kernel tweaking, so in order to improve battery performance (apparently a big complaint from Evo owners), the easiest thing to do is endorse a 3rd-party extended battery, which is exactly what they did. Now if the Evo was perfect as-is, why would Sprint go to all the trouble (and at least a little risk) in endorsing a 3rd-party battery upgrade? Additionally, why would they give it to complaining owners for free? Because they're just being nice? Whether they like it or not, if they release a higher capacity battery without a new model of phone with it then they're admitting something. And regardless of who actually made it, the Evo is a Sprint branded phone. I know plenty of people who switch carriers because they don't like the phone selection.

I'm new to this forum, but not to other phone/PDA forums. I'm telling you this only so that you know that I forgive you (haha) for not knowing that I despise anything Apple. Yes, Apple was the original device with a completely useless and underpowered battery, which is especially pathetic when you consider their devices' comparatively limited feature set and ridiculously simplistic (ie, dumped down) interface. And don't even get me started on price. Perhaps the reason why Apple owners are walking around with charge cables is because the greedy, inferior device design doesn't offer a user-changeable battery? I definitely do not subscribe to the theory that "If Apple made it that way then it must be good/right." In fact, I'm more a subscriber to "If Apple made it then it's likely a common-sense-defying abomination of technology" (I use the word loosely) and then I thank heaven for the alternative devices.

Of course, all this (and most of what I typically post) is just my opinion...
 
Internetpilot said:
All you have to do is go to the Sprint website and read the Evo owner reviews to see that a significant majority of Evo owners there seem to think the battery is inadequate. Of course, that's still just opinion, but so are your statements that the battery is fine.

My calling it a correction is more from a total package perspective. I don't think Sprint really wants to get into the quagmire of ROM/kernel tweaking, so in order to improve battery performance (apparently a big complaint from Evo owners), the easiest thing to do is endorse a 3rd-party extended battery, which is exactly what they did. Now if the Evo was perfect as-is, why would Sprint go to all the trouble (and at least a little risk) in endorsing a 3rd-party battery upgrade? Additionally, why would they give it to complaining owners for free? Because they're just being nice? Whether they like it or not, if they release a higher capacity battery without a new model of phone with it then they're admitting something. And regardless of who actually made it, the Evo is a Sprint branded phone. I know plenty of people who switch carriers because they don't like the phone selection.

I'm new to this forum, but not to other phone/PDA forums. I'm telling you this only so that you know that I forgive you (haha) for not knowing that I despise anything Apple. Yes, Apple was the original device with a completely useless and underpowered battery, which is especially pathetic when you consider their devices' comparatively limited feature set and ridiculously simplistic (ie, dumped down) interface. And don't even get me started on price. Perhaps the reason why Apple owners are walking around with charge cables is because the greedy, inferior device design doesn't offer a user-changeable battery? I definitely do not subscribe to the theory that "If Apple made it that way then it must be good/right." In fact, I'm more a subscriber to "If Apple made it then it's likely a common-sense-defying abomination of technology" (I use the word loosely) and then I thank heaven for the alternative devices.

Of course, all this (and most of what I typically post) is just my opinion...
Click to expand...


Sprint Endorses third party product often. This is far from a first.

I hate to see the complaints after an ATT Inspire release (1250mah)
 
Internetpilot said:
Which is definitely saying something, eh?
Click to expand...

Stang70Fastback said:
Oh I agree. The stock battery is embarrassingly inadequate, and I'm happy Sprint is... quietly... stepping up and admitting it.
Click to expand...

Giving a few customers a free battery isn't saying anything. I can call any day of the week and raise hell with Sprint and get some type of rebate or refund. I just did - Insurance Deductible will be refunded when I file a claim.

**As per reference:
You are on a secure session with a Sprint Specialist.
Session ID: 2061743
**

I wouldn't quiet call this an admission. Sprint has been working on Customer Service ratings and this is just a continual process for them becoming the best.
 
damn it, just got these two new extended batteries from sprint. charged them and when i took phone off charger it was 100% and litterally after 60 seconds it was at 87%. this is freaking crazy.

android system shows 50% usage when i open up the battery meter.

what the hell is causing this.

i was fine using my regular size battery and spare all day long. than all of a sudden last month they start draining like crazy.

i figured with 2 extended batteries there will be no way to run out of power using both in one day. but if its going to drop 13% in a minute, than im in trouble.

i will test them out tomorrow but i feel something in my phone isnt right.

i dont use the task killers bc they say its not needed and i got away for 6-8 months without it and it was just fine.
 
mr29rose said:
damn it, just got these two new extended batteries from sprint. charged them and when i took phone off charger it was 100% and litterally after 60 seconds it was at 87%. this is freaking crazy.

android system shows 50% usage when i open up the battery meter.

what the hell is causing this.

i was fine using my regular size battery and spare all day long. than all of a sudden last month they start draining like crazy.

i figured with 2 extended batteries there will be no way to run out of power using both in one day. but if its going to drop 13% in a minute, than im in trouble.

i will test them out tomorrow but i feel something in my phone isnt right.

i dont use the task killers bc they say its not needed and i got away for 6-8 months without it and it was just fine.
Click to expand...

Don't jump the gun. I got this battery credited from customer service (they were great by the way) two days ago and when I first charged it, it did the same thing you described. I left it charging over night and I was impressed by the battery life it gave me the next day. It easily handled my work day and gave me 13-14 hours of heavy use. I now don't have to turn it off part of my work day to conserve battery or baby the thing and worry about it dying on me. Today, it did even better by giving me 15 hours. Great battery.
 
mr29rose said:
damn it, just got these two new extended batteries from sprint. charged them and when i took phone off charger it was 100% and litterally after 60 seconds it was at 87%. this is freaking crazy.

android system shows 50% usage when i open up the battery meter.

what the hell is causing this.

i was fine using my regular size battery and spare all day long. than all of a sudden last month they start draining like crazy.

i figured with 2 extended batteries there will be no way to run out of power using both in one day. but if its going to drop 13% in a minute, than im in trouble.

i will test them out tomorrow but i feel something in my phone isnt right.

i dont use the task killers bc they say its not needed and i got away for 6-8 months without it and it was just fine.
Click to expand...

10% drops are a common sight on these phones when coming off the charger from an extended charge.
 
SaleenFiend said:
Sprint Endorses third party product often. This is far from a first.

I hate to see the complaints after an ATT Inspire release (1250mah)
Click to expand...

For the record, I never said this was an isolated incident. Sprint really will go above and beyond with third-party solutions to problems (perceived or real) with their phones. I've been a Sprint customer for a total of 4 phones now and every single phone (including a rather basic Nokia flip phone) had consolation efforts provided by Sprint to overcome issues (again, perceived or real) encountered by customers.

It's not a bad thing or a criticism of Sprint. It dies say something about the Evo battery though -- at minimum, customers are perceiving the battery to be innaccurate. Remember, the vast majority of customers are not "techies" and will never come to this forum. They're not interested in tweaking their devices to get the most out of the OEM battery. They view the battery as inadequate, so they want a bigger/better one.

Like I said earlier, my solution was to use a custom ROM/kernel, as well as some configuration tweaks and use practices. I'm currently happy with the OEM battery because of that, but one of my coworkers also owns an Evo and she thinks it stinks because of the battery. She's not interested in even my most basic suggestions for solution, so she'll probably return it and get a different phone, which is a shame. She's even talking about leaving Sprint completely and going with AT&T to get an (GASP) iPhone. I know -- I had to leave the room and I threw up a little bit in my mouth (haha)!

I am going to tell her about the extended battery, including how some have gotten it for free. She's going to be neck-deep in customer support to return it anyway. So thanks all for posting this -- we may have saved an Evo user from going over to the dark side! :D
 
mr29rose said:
damn it, just got these two new extended batteries from sprint. charged them and when i took phone off charger it was 100% and litterally after 60 seconds it was at 87%. this is freaking crazy.

android system shows 50% usage when i open up the battery meter.

what the hell is causing this.

i was fine using my regular size battery and spare all day long. than all of a sudden last month they start draining like crazy.

i figured with 2 extended batteries there will be no way to run out of power using both in one day. but if its going to drop 13% in a minute, than im in trouble.

i will test them out tomorrow but i feel something in my phone isnt right.

i dont use the task killers bc they say its not needed and i got away for 6-8 months without it and it was just fine.
Click to expand...

I'm relatively new to the Evo and Android, but from what I've read on XDA, here, etc., it would seem that at least the Evo (maybe other HTC and/or Android phones?) doesn't trickle charge very well. Meaning that after the charge system declares the battery is full, it stops charging. Other devices I've owned will then go into a trickle charge mode to keep the battery topped off while its plugged into the charger. Apparently the Evo either doesn't do this, doesn't do it well, or doesn't do it reliably. There's also a lot of talk out there about the OEM kernel not being able to fully charge the extended batteries available for the Evo -- that it's optimized for the stock battery (which is why quite a few 3rd-party extended batteries come with their own external charger).

There are numerous custom kernels (typically with "SBC" somewhere in the name), but that would require you to root/flash your phone ROM.

If this is something easy to reproduce, I would take it in to Sprint and show them. Maybe you'll get a free external charger for your new batteries.
 
Internetpilot said:
For the record, I never said this was an isolated incident. Sprint really will go above and beyond with third-party solutions to problems (perceived or real) with their phones. I've been a Sprint customer for a total of 4 phones now and every single phone (including a rather basic Nokia flip phone) had consolation efforts provided by Sprint to overcome issues (again, perceived or real) encountered by customers.

It's not a bad thing or a criticism of Sprint. It dies say something about the Evo battery though -- at minimum, customers are perceiving the battery to be innaccurate. Remember, the vast majority of customers are not "techies" and will never come to this forum. They're not interested in tweaking their devices to get the most out of the OEM battery. They view the battery as inadequate, so they want a bigger/better one.

Like I said earlier, my solution was to use a custom ROM/kernel, as well as some configuration tweaks and use practices. I'm currently happy with the OEM battery because of that, but one of my coworkers also owns an Evo and she thinks it stinks because of the battery. She's not interested in even my most basic suggestions for solution, so she'll probably return it and get a different phone, which is a shame. She's even talking about leaving Sprint completely and going with AT&T to get an (GASP) iPhone. I know -- I had to leave the room and I threw up a little bit in my mouth (haha)!

I am going to tell her about the extended battery, including how some have gotten it for free. She's going to be neck-deep in customer support to return it anyway. So thanks all for posting this -- we may have saved an Evo user from going over to the dark side! :D
Click to expand...

When you say "innacurate" how exactly are you defining this? I'm just trying to be clear on what you mean.

Also, save your Co-Worker the trouble, ask her if she has ever experienced battery life on an iPhone. It's not much better. Has she came from a line of smart phones besides BlackBerry?

Internetpilot said:
I'm relatively new to the Evo and Android, but from what I've read on XDA, here, etc., it would seem that at least the Evo (maybe other HTC and/or Android phones?) doesn't trickle charge very well. Meaning that after the charge system declares the battery is full, it stops charging. Other devices I've owned will then go into a trickle charge mode to keep the battery topped off while its plugged into the charger. Apparently the Evo either doesn't do this, doesn't do it well, or doesn't do it reliably. There's also a lot of talk out there about the OEM kernel not being able to fully charge the extended batteries available for the Evo -- that it's optimized for the stock battery (which is why quite a few 3rd-party extended batteries come with their own external charger).

There are numerous custom kernels (typically with "SBC" somewhere in the name), but that would require you to root/flash your phone ROM.

If this is something easy to reproduce, I would take it in to Sprint and show them. Maybe you'll get a free external charger for your new batteries.
Click to expand...

From what I understand is when you leave the charger connected the phone automatically kills charging once you reach 100%. Although the LED still shows green as if it is charging and staying at 100%, but what really is happening is that your battery is no longer charging. Therefore your battery is actually losing a charge during this phase.
 
SaleenFiend said:
When you say "innacurate" how exactly are you defining this? I'm just trying to be clear on what you mean.

Also, save your Co-Worker the trouble, ask her if she has ever experienced battery life on an iPhone. It's not much better. Has she came from a line of smart phones besides BlackBerry?
Click to expand...

Oops. I'll correct it the autocorrect. DARN THAT AUTOCORRECT! (haha) I'm going to complaint to Sprint and see if they give me a free artificial intelligence upgrade...hee hee. Anyway...I originally typed something close to "inadequate" but it was apparently corrected to "inaccurate".

You're preaching to the choir about iPhone. As soon as anyone complaining to me about any current smartphone they may have starts talking about, "Forget this! I'm trading this in on a iPhone..." I just give up. iPhones have their place and purpose I guess, but then so do mental health asylums...doesn't mean I want to sign up for a two-year stay. ;)

SaleenFiend said:
From what I understand is when you leave the charger connected the phone automatically kills charging once you reach 100%. Although the LED still shows green as if it is charging and staying at 100%, but what really is happening is that your battery is no longer charging. Therefore your battery is actually losing a charge during this phase.
Click to expand...

Yes, and a much clearer explanation of the problem than mine. Although I've read a lot about custom kernels helping with this problem, especially the problems with fully charging higher capacity batteries in the phone (versus an external charger), I've read just as many reports of these "SBC" kernels causing the battery to "cook" so hot that you could fry an egg on it, so I decided to stay away from "SBC" kernels and just use a ROM, kernel, and general configuration that is as miserly on the battery as possible.

A second battery and/or external charger really isn't a convenient option for me when I have a Seidio Innocase Rugged (which basically amounts to a 2.5-3x layer case, so switching out the battery would be quite a pain. I also don't care much for the battery cover -- it just looks wimpy and like it's going to break the 3rd or 4th time you have to remove and reinstall it.
 
Well my battery is in the mail so when i get it i will take pics and give a review and then i have a idea for a case and if it works i will post those to but that will be at least 2 or 3 weeks away
 
SaleenFiend said:
Giving a few customers a free battery isn't saying anything. I can call any day of the week and raise hell with Sprint and get some type of rebate or refund. I just did - Insurance Deductible will be refunded when I file a claim.

**As per reference:
You are on a secure session with a Sprint Specialist.
Session ID: 2061743
**

I wouldn't quiet call this an admission. Sprint has been working on Customer Service ratings and this is just a continual process for them becoming the best.
Click to expand...


I tried to find this the other day to hlep support my claims about Sprint working on Customer Service

Sprint Takes Lead in Call Satisfaction and First Call Resolution | Vocal Laboratories Inc.
 
cookie_monster said:
i agree with this 100%. Sprint used to be well, lets just say i hated to call sprint, now i dont mind it not just to get a refund but its a great experican now to talk to sprint with them customer focused now and then that chat thing is well sweet too.
Click to expand...

Yea, but sometimes the people are over the top. TOO NICE. It kinda pisses me off when they ask me 20 times if they have satisfied me. Sometimes I just want to end the conversation.
 
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