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.

Network Management

The first thing to understand is what data networks use the most power. From that, network usage can be monitored to extend battery life. Networks that the G1 can connect to are Wi-Fi, 3G cellular, and 2G cellular. All three have their strengths and their weaknesses, and all three use a varying amount of power.

Of all the wireless networks the G1 can connect to, Wi-Fi uses the most power. It is also the fastest network for the G1. Wi-Fi is good when external power is available either while connected to the network or to re-charge the phone between uses. Wi-Fi is most appropriate at home or in a coffee shop, especially if there is a table near a power outlet to plug in the phone’s charger. What you lose in power consumption is often made up in data transfer speeds.

The most common network for the G1 to connect to is the T-Mobile 3G network. Compared to other 3G networks, T-Mobile’s is usually quite fast and is available in most metropolitan areas. 3G networks still use more power than 2G. Although most of the phone’s features work well on a 2G network, they are simply faster and more responsive on the faster 3G network

If you are painfully low on battery power or outside of most metropolitan areas, switching to 2G is an option. Most of your phone’s features will still work, but things like maps may need to be cached via third party software. 2G is the best network for conserving battery power.

Managing your network will help you extend the time between charges on your T-Mobile G1. One of the best ways to manage networks is through a battery management app.

Power Manager: Intelligent Device Management

Home Screen for Power Manager

Power Manager, available in the Android Market, is a powerful power profiler that can change most aspects of your phone’s power usage based on the amount of battery left or how the phone is being charged. Because USB charging is slower, there can be different settings for USB charging and charging via an A/C adapter. Phone features can be automatically disabled as the battery level drops.

Triggers for automatically turning features on and off can be:

• Plugging the phone into the A/C adapter
• Plugging the phone into a USB port or a USB charger
• Battery level reaching a particular percentage, like turning off Wi-Fi if the battery drops below a pre-determined level.

To manage power consumption, the following can be automatically adjusted based on a pre-determined trigger:

Creating Triggers for a Custom Profile

• The amount of time the phone is awake during a call can be adjusted to between 10 seconds and 2 minutes
• The phone can be set to stay awake whenever the keyboard is open
• The ringer mode can be set to normal, silent, or vibrate only
• The brightness of the screen can be set to a value between 0 and 255
• The screen timeout can be set to a value between 30 seconds and 10 minutes, with another option for setting timeout to never
• Wi-Fi can be turned on or off
• Bluetooth can be turned on or off
• The cellular network locator can be turned on or off
• The GPS system can be turned on or off
• Data synchronization can be enabled or disabled

There are also options for leaving the above features unchanged from the last state.

Another powerful feature of Power Manager is the easy touch toggles for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and Cell Locator. By simply touching a button on the screens, these features can be enabled and disabled. Power Manager also constantly checks the health of your battery, on the off-chance that it starts to go bad.

Portable Power: External Batteries and Chargers

Another good tool for people who simply can’t be near A/C power are one of the many external chargers available. These chargers output USB level power and are available as sealed rechargeable units or small units that take AA batteries. One thing that seems to work well for people who drive a lot is a car charger. Plugging your G1 in when driving is one of the most effective ways to extend battery life. Older USB chargers for other phones may work with the your phone. The only downside is that they charge the phone more slowly than chargers designed specifically for the G1.

Conclusion

With a little bit of care and feeding, the G1’s battery life can be more than adequate. Most users report that a combination of these techniques works very well for battery management. By carrying a charger in your bag and plugging in the phone whenever A/C is available, the G1 battery is quite adequate.