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Samsung offers free extended battery for new Galaxy Nexus purchases

Anthony Domanico — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:33:37 +0000

Haven’t yet splurged on the Android 4.0 flagship Samsung Galaxy Nexus? Samsung is offering a free extended battery and back cover to customers who purchase the Galaxy Nexus through Samsung Direct. Samsung Direct offers the Verizon branded variant of the Galaxy Nexus, which will run you $299.99 with a new 2-year contract or 2-year contract extension, and a whopping $799.99 without contract. Once you’ve added the Galaxy Nexus to your cart, the free gift will also automatically be added, and your Galaxy Nexus will ship with the extended battery and back cover.

Of course, you could save yourself even more money by purchasing the device from Amazon, which has the Verizon variant of the device for $99.99 with 2-year contract, and $499.99 for the AT&T and T-Mobile unlocked version. The extended battery will run you an additional $33.95 for the Verizon variant.

Regardless of the channel, if you do pick up the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, we strongly recommend getting the extended battery to go along with it. The Galaxy Nexus suffers the same mediocre battery life that has plagued nearly all LTE smartphones to date, with the Razr MAXX being the lone exception. Be sure to check out our full review of the Galaxy Nexus to aid in your purchasing decision.

Samsung Direct’s promotion runs through May 10th, 2012, or while supplies last. Anyone out there planning on taking advantage of the Samsung Direct offer, or do you plan on holding out for newer devices such as the Galaxy S III?

Monday Nexus news roundup

Dustin Earley — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 22:53:18 +0000

Now that the Verizon Galaxy Nexus is in full effect, news on the device is dropping faster than RIM’s profits (ba-dum tsss!). If we were to cover every individual nugget of Nexus news that hits the web, your Twitter and RSS feeds would look like a green, red, yellow and blue bomb went off. And while that might not necessarily be a bad thing, doesn’t everyone else deserve a little face time too? That’s where today’s Nexus news roundup comes in. Here’s a list of all things Nexus that popped up online today, gathered in one neat place for your reading pleasure.

Limited edition Galaxy Nexi being handed out to employees

They did it with the Nexus One and Nexus S, and now they’re doing it with the Galaxy Nexus. Google just loves to make limited edition versions of their Nexus handsets and give them to employees to spread holiday cheer. If you just can’t live without a battery cover plastered in various Android icons, then you might wanna hop on eBay or get a job at Google. That’s the only way you’re gonna get one of these bad boys. ^[1]

Verizon Galaxy Nexus car dock: three-pin connection not included

There’s not a whole lot to this story, but it’s good to know nonetheless. The Verizon Nexus car dock that attaches to your windshield via suction cup does not have a three-pin dock connection built in. Instead, you have to use the device’s micro-USB connection. The GSM Nexus car dock supports the pins, so why the Verizon version doesn’t is a mystery. ^[2]

Verizon Nexus extended battery on sale now

Don’t be sad that your Verizon car dock doesn’t utilize the latest in dock connecting technology, be happy that an extended battery for your device is half off at VerizonWireless.com. Normally $50, the 2100mAh extended battery can be yours for a low, low $24.99. The original $50 price tag shows up on the product info page here, but the discount will be reflected at the checkout. Better hurry. Who knows how long this will last? ^[3]

Google Wallet available for unrooted Galaxy Nexi

Rooted Galaxy Nexus users have been enjoying Google Wallet since the device has come out, while unrooted users have had to sit back and wait for an NFC system of their own. Not anymore. A region-based (it only works in the US) Google Wallet .apk has been made available for unrooted Galaxy Nexus devices. The only requirement? Allow the installation of non-Market apps. You can find more info here. ^[4]

Tips on fixing the Galaxy Nexus’ low-res contact images

Complaints from Galaxy Nexus users on the low image quality of contact pictures is nothing new. For some odd reason, the contact images Google syncs look incredibly poor wherever they’re placed throughout the UI. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to fix that. DroidLife has some tips on how to get high-res images to stick, but they’re a far cry from an official solution. ^[5]

An in-depth look at the data connection problems surrounding Verizon LTE

Verizon’s LTE network is incredibly fast. There’s no denying that. But there’s also no denying the connection problems that have come with it. David Ruccock over at Android Police has taken the time to go in-depth with the issue, and offers his insights on why the issues still exist today. ^[6]

That’s all we have for now, but don’t surprised if a couple more stories happen to make the list.

References

New Li-ion battery technology offers 10x battery life and faster charge times

Dustin Earley — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 22:48:16 +0000

As smartphone internals like processors and graphics chips continue to evolve, they become more efficient with each generation. However, battery technology has started to slow down when it comes to the lithium-ion juice inside smartphones. The only way battery life has been extended in phones recently is due to power consumption advancements in other hardware. But thanks to some researchers out of Northwestern University, that’s about to change.

Documented in a paper titled “In-Plane Vacancy-Enabled High-Power Si-Graphene Composite Electrode for Lithium-Ion Batteries,” researchers at Northwestern are claiming that they have developed a new lithium-ion electrode that will hold a charge for ten times longer than current Li-ion batteries.

We have found a way to extend a new lithium-ion battery's charge life by 10 times. Even after 150 charges, which would be one year or more of operation, the battery is still five times more effective than lithium-ion batteries on the market today.Harold H. KungNorthwestern University

The technology behind the improvements are, as expected, relatively complicated, but what they mean for smartphones and other portable electronics is not.

Right now, most Android phone batteries last anywhere from a full day, to 5 hours, to everything in between. With moderate use on WiFi, I can sometimes make my Nexus S last a full 24 hours on one single charge. Of course its screaming to be plugged in by that time, but it happens. Now imagine if that same phone didn’t just last for one day, but for ten. Personally, I cannot even imagine what it would be like to only have to charge my phone three times a month. As hardware continues to be less power hungry, cell phones could theoretically eventually last for a couple weeks or more.

That kind of battery life may be a ways off, but if this latest development in battery technology is utilized soon, we’ll be seeing dramatically improved charge times and charge life before you know it.

The full paper on the developments can be found in Advanced Energy Materials.

1700 mAh Extended Battery For HTC Dream

Eric Weiss — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:29:18 +0000

There is one thing most HTC Dream owners can agree on. Battery life is lacking. An extended battery is an option, but they are so big that they come with a new back plate which makes the G1 as thick as a brick. This is not a viable solution.

With those facts in my mind I went in search of the highest capacity battery out there that would keep my phone the same size. And boy what an adventure!

After searching I online I found a 1600 mAh battery at Fommy. Manufactured by 4U, it seems like Fommy is the only place that sells them. Online, Fommy has a mixed reputation. I found people on various message boards saying their item had been on back order for weeks, while others were pleased with their transaction. I decided to risk my $35 for the possibility of 45% more battery.

A package arrived less than a week later and I was pleasantly surprised. Your mileage may vary; I am less than 300 miles away from Fommy. Instead of the 4U 1600mAh battery I received an unbranded 1700mAh battery! It clearly states on it “Replacement For HTC G1” so I popped it and charged it overnight.

On a typical workday I use my G1 for a couple phone calls, texting, Twitter (like a maniac), a couple emails a day, and a handful of quick fact checks on the internet. In general I like to keep everything on except for Bluetooth. I do use Locale to try to manage my settings, but that’s. I love Locale but seriously it has become overly complicated for what should be essentially a series of IF THEN ELSE conditionals. To put it politely, an inexact science.

With the stock battery (1150 mAh) I would need a “top-off” after my lunch break and on the drive home in order to make it through the day, even after Cupcake. With this new battery there is an obvious improvement. I still can’t make it the entire day without a “top-off” but I’m definitely not in a desperate search for the charger. I have found my commute from work is long enough to give me enough juice for the rest of the night.

Now, this whole review could be a waste. I have contacted Fommy and they said I received the 1700 mAh battery because the 1600 mAh battery was out of stock. This is probably in response to the many message board posts complaining of their Fommy orders being on back order for weeks. They were unable to answer my question of who manufactures the 1700 mAh battery and if they have plans to sell the 1700 mAh battery any time soon(although judging from my results they should). That said I can only assume the 1600 mAh battery would provide significant improvements over the stock G1 battery as well. In either case I think it is well worth the forty dollars to have a battery that will last you all or most of the day.

Check out the 1600mAh battery at Fommy.com

1700mAh capacity in the original form factor.

Free G1 Batteries To Thank My RSS Readers

Taylor Wimberly — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 19:49:12 +0000

Almost one month has passed since I began blogging and we just hit 100 RSS subscribers. It might be a small number to you, but it is a milestone for me. To show my appreciation, I would like to give away two extended life batteries for the T-Mobile G1.

To enter the contest, just do something to promote our site and then leave a comment here. You could post a link to us on your blog, Tweet, or anything else you can show proof of. Just include a link in your comment so I can verify it. In order to qualify, you must live in the US due to shipping charges.

The contest will run for one week from today. Next Friday, we will randomly select two winners. Be sure to leave your email when you comment so we have a way to contact you.

I know you want a bigger battery

Stay tuned to our site for more give aways like this. As the site continues to grow, we will be doing more and more contests you can participate in. We have some exciting changes coming up including a site redesign and bringing on board more writers. I am hoping to create a more community feel for the site, but any suggestions you guys have I would like to hear.

Thank you,
Android and Me Staff