BlackJack's Extended Battery - The New Humphone?

[Jerry Raia]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/dcharti/sets/72157594427040120/' target='_blank'>http://www.flickr.com/photos/dcharti/sets/72157594427040120/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"I just received the extended battery &amp; door for my Samsung i607 Blackjack Smartphone, and I posted a Flickr set with comparison shots to the old battery, as well as a 60GB iPod, which is the only gadget who’s size is closest for comparison. The most surprising thing to me is the new battery door which, as you might guess, is on the right. It’s actually a pretty clever design, considering the extended 1800 mAh battery is obviously fatter than the shipping 1200 mAh model."</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/images/Jerry-BJBigBatt.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/> <br /><br />At long last some pictures of this! This could make the BlackJack a Double Humphone because it already had one where the camera is. Still, as David points out, the phone is so slim anyway the humps (my term), don't matter all that much. I'm inclined to agree if it extends how long you can stay away from a power outlet.

[dstrauss]

Sorry, but I don't want a double humped camel (in fact, give us an i608 WITHOUT the camera and ditch the first hump). For me, it just totally spoils the aesthetics of a great looking device.

[edgar]

I use 3g all day long (imap mail every 10 mins) and make calls - I have yet to run out by days end, although I have swapped to the spare battery a couple times to make sure.

I bought this for the slim size, that almost double the battery thickness, BAH!

[rdecker]

Everything is a trade off guys. If you want slim and long battery life you need to disable 3G. If you want 3G; gotta 'go thick'.

[iJITSU]

It doesn't make it a "double hump" phone, it makes it a no hump phone. The extended battery door actually levels the entire back out to the thickness of the camera.

[Mike Temporale]

That's a very interesting replacement door. As much as I like to have the extra power, I'm not finding it to be an issue. The BJ is much better on the battery life than the i320 was. And I was getting by just fine with that device.

I might add this to my wish list, but right now, I'm not sure if I'll be spending the coin for it.

[Jerry Raia]

My usage patterns don't dictate the need for this either. Nice to have the option though.

[dcharti]

Hey guys, this is David Chartier, I posted the pics. Thanks for reading!

To clear things up though, yea: it's definitely not a 'double hump' phone, and it gets *rid* of the hump. It obviously adds some girth, but it's no thicker than the thickest point of the camera hump on the phone itself, so it's really pretty manageable, and a completely worthwhile tradeoff if you're jonesing for some more battery life.

I haven't really been able to push the battery just yet, although I did do one test that proves quite a bit: I use NewsGator Go!, an RSS reader, and I probably have around 50 feeds in it. With a regular battery, if I tell the phone to sync all those feeds, it'll usually kill one bar on the meter, at least come close. I did a sync around 1, and have used data and made a few phone calls since then, and I still haven't cracked even one bar yet.

Completely unscientific I know, but it says quite a bit to me, at least for my usage patterns. Hope this helps!

[Jerry Raia]

Thanks for the pictures and for clearing up the hump issue. I couldn't tell from the pictures what the hump configuration was. :lol:

[JohnJohn]

I am always up for a double hump, but my wife...nevermind

I think Samsung has really done a nice job with this extended battery and new back cover design. This is a must have for me. Thanks for posting the pictures.

[amg212]

To clear things up though, yea: it's definitely not a 'double hump' phone, and it gets *rid* of the hump. It obviously adds some girth, but it's no thicker than the thickest point of the camera hump on the phone itself, so it's really pretty manageable, and a completely worthwhile tradeoff if you're jonesing for some more battery life.

What is the weight differential? Does the phone feel significantly heavier? Does the additional weight at the bottom (for the battery) and the hollow (?) space at the top make the phone feel lopsided?

Since the tracks for locking in the battery cover are only on the lower part of the phone, how does the extended battery door stay in place? Is there anything sliding against / cutting into the rubberized back?

Does having the battery door thickening up the phone interfere at all with the access tabs to expose either the USB connector or the microsd???

[dcharti]

What is the weight differential? Does the phone feel significantly heavier? Does the additional weight at the bottom (for the battery) and the hollow (?) space at the top make the phone feel lopsided?

The weight feels great; definitely not 'significantly' heavier at all, and I don't think it's lopsided either. I honestly think the phone is easier to handle and use with the slight extra girth.

Since the tracks for locking in the battery cover are only on the lower part of the phone, how does the extended battery door stay in place? Is there anything sliding against / cutting into the rubberized back?

The door seems very well designed - remember this is a kit from Samsung, not some two-bit 3rd party who already went out of existence. It feels really secure, and it doesn't damage the back of the phone at all. The bottom part of the door obviously fits into the attachment slots, and the top of the door is simply designed very well to fit against the body; it doesn't seem to 'pop off' or catch on anything, and it's contoured to fit, look and feel like it was supposed to be part of the phone all along.

Does having the battery door thickening up the phone interfere at all with the access tabs to expose either the USB connector or the microsd???

No, and this is another area where Samsung just really hit the design out of the park. The door has breaks in its design that allow for those tabs to easily open and get out of the way of the cables.

If it helps, and if y'all don't mind a little blog-pimping, I hope to write a follow-up post at my blog to cover some of these topics, and I'll be sure to take pictures of some of this stuff (like open tabs) so you can get a better idea. I have a Digital Rebel XT I'm in the process of learning how to use, so I at least have a camera that can take good pictures - as long as I figure out how. :)

I hope to get the post up Saturday, as I'm home in WI for the holidays, and we plan on taking a mini-pseudo-honeymoon in Chicago over the next couple days cuz we didn't get one this summer. I'll post here once I get it up, but feel free to keep asking questions and I'll get to them when I can.

[jychow]

HI. Just acquired a samsung i-320n. wonder if this new battery fits the device? thanks. :)

[Mike Temporale]

HI. Just acquired a samsung i-320n. wonder if this new battery fits the device? thanks. :)

Nope. the i320 has a different battery design. Stupid, but it does. :?