It’s no secret that the T-Mobile G1’s battery is one of the weakest aspects of the phone. Quite simply the 1150 mAh battery is not enough. It’s downright anemic by today’s standards and when you put into consideration the drain that 3G, Wi-Fi, and GPS add, you’ll be at 50% battery by midday. This isn’t an issue if you’re near an electrical outlet, but what if you’re not, what to do then? We’re going to be taking a look at battery solutions in the next few weeks here at Android Central to find the ideal solution. We first start off with the Freedom Mobile Power for T-Mobile G1 ($49.95). It’s a compact solution that allows for charging your G1 wherever you go, so how does it perform? Read on for the rest of the review!
Design
The Freedom Mobile Power is a pretty simple idea, really. It’s a compact mobile solution that’s able to hold a charge so that your G1 can get juiced whenever its battery gets low. The case is stylish enough with a black aluminum body and silver accents; you can hardly tell it’s just a “battery charger”. The Freedom Mobile Power is also really easy to use. It has a built in mini-USB cable that dongles out to charge your G1 or any mini-usb device, a mini-USB charging socket to charge up the Freedom Mobile Power, and an indicator light (red, orange, green) to determine charge level.
Usability
Basically, you use any ordinary mini-USB charger to juice up the Freedom Mobile Power through its charging socket and when you want to charge your G1 you use the built-in mini-USB cable to connect to your G1. The Freedom Mobile Power can hold up to 2 charges at one time and even after 6 months, it’ll hold up to 60% of power and still have enough juice for one charge. Though it says the Freedom Mobile Power re-charges from flat in 4 hours, in my testing, it was much quicker. I would estimate that it took a little over an hour to get the green indicator light to turn green. The Freedom Mobile Power is relatively foolproof. When you need a charge, break the top open (the top cap can be held magnetically via the bottom of the device) and insert the mini-USB cable. Charging a dead G1 didn’t take much longer than average and it still had some charge left over. 
I have absolutely no complaints about the performance of the Freedom Mobile Power, it’s convenient, capable, and fills in a need. Not to mention, it’s always nice to have a charge ready just in case of emergency. Also, the Freedom Mobile Power has the ability to charge both the phone and itself at the same time (just plug in the usb charger to the Freedom Mobile Power and the built-in mini-USB cable to the phone, and you’ll charge 2 devices with 1 cable).
Final Thoughts
Overall, many users may find that the Freedom Mobile Power is a fairly specific yet highly usable product. Those who have strict charging schedules may find the device a little too specific for their needs and only see the Freedom Mobile Power’s usefulness in the most emergency of situations. But to those who are always on the go and can never find an electrical outlet this device is for you. Frequent Travelers and on-the-go away from the office type people will surely find the need to have a device such as the Freedom Mobile Power in their day-to-day life. Not having to worry about their phone’s battery dying would put many at ease. Sure, the price is just a little steep but we believe that this battery solution should be recommended to anyone who ever worries about being on the go with a dead battery and nary an outlet in sight. Not to mention, it can charge pretty much any other mini-USB device too!
PROS
- Extremely Convenient
- Stylish Solution
- Holds 60% of battery after 6 months
CONS
- On the expensive side