Bigger importance-case or spare battery?

[Android 19]

Hi all,
thought i would contribute something other than yet another release date rumor, or story, or text from a girlfriend who knows a second cousin's brother who used to work for verizon-but still stays in touch. My question is whether you guys would rather have a case for the bolt or a spare battery? I know both would be ideal, but money can be tight at times. And for those who have ever had a spare battery-do you need a separate charger for it-or do you just fully charge inside the phone, swap, and carry the other charged battery where you need it?

 

[Chris Kerrigan]

I'd go with the spare battery. If you're anything like me, I baby my phone and treat it better than I realistically treat my car. Cases can be useful, but having that extra juice when you might really need it is personally more important to me in the long term than anything else. Especially since we don't know how good or bad the Thunderbolt actually will be on battery life, especially when connected to 4G.

 

[Android 19]

good points chris. Hell, i certainly baby my phones more than my car! Think i am way overdue for an oil change and tune up-oops! lol but with a spare would you just fully charge in the phone then swap it out-or is there a spare battery charger that would also have to be purchased? I already plan on doing my best to maximize power with the bolt-power control widget, brightness and backlight adjustments, etc.

 

[Chris Kerrigan]

good points chris. Hell, i certainly baby my phones more than my car! Think i am way overdue for an oil change and tune up-oops! lol but with a spare would you just fully charge in the phone then swap it out-or is there a spare battery charger that would also have to be purchased? I already plan on doing my best to maximize power with the bolt-power control widget, brightness and backlight adjustments, etc.

If you want to keep your spare fully charged without having to plug your phone in twice and fully charge it twice, yeah you'll need to buy a spare battery charger as well. Keep an eye on Seidio, they usually have some sort of spare battery/spare battery charger combo.

 

[Android 19]

Good man Chris, thank you kindly for the help!

 

[Astrodroid]

I'll be on the lookout for a charging cradle like the one I use for my Palm Treo. it has a little panel that flips out and you stick your spare in there and close it and then use the cradle as normal with your phone with the other battery in it. So you always have a fully charged battery ready to go when you need it, even if you rarely need it. Sometimes I'll forget to charge my phone overnight and will just grab the spare out of the charger in the morning and swap them out. I like not having to have both a cradle for the phone and a separate charger for the spare that also always has to be plugged in.

 

[Charmed Juan]

I always get a spare battery and a cradle charger that charges the battery only. I listen to podcasts or books all day so my battery is close to expired by quitting time.
At the end of my work day, I exchange batteries and I am good for the rest of the day.
Having said that, I always have my phone in a case. I work in a rather harsh environment so protecting the phone is important too.

 

[Android 19]

good point there

 

[itsdollar]

I always get an extended battery. For the Thunderbolt I will probably get the case that goes with it so both options are covered.

 

[bunique4life05]

Personally I thought about a battery first, but then saw how a custom rom like CM7 based on 2.3 could improve battery life. That 2.3 itself alone promotes better battery life. Another idea I have be toying with is under clocking or over clocking the phone and seeing effects it has on battery. However, I won't know anything until I have the phone and put these ideas in action. Lastly to top it off a seidio 1600mah extended battery if it's worth it.

I am waiting on otterbox commuter case and seidio active case to come out. Between the two case I will choose what case is best for me. I am already leaning towards seidio based on the evo design with either manufacturer. The reason for seidio has better protection around the corns of phone over otterbox. Those the actually cases may be different for the thunderbolt.