I have owned many mobile phones over recent years, as I am sure everyone has, and while none have been especially extraordinary, some have absolutely been crap. The most common problem I have ever had with my mobile phones has been with the battery. The battery has either stopped working or it just would not last long enough and I would need to purchase and carry a replacement battery.

I tend to use my cell phone often, both for work and for personal use, so having another battery is often worthwhile but having to replace a faulty or damaged battery is a pain. My newest phone is working ok but I would like a replacement battery for times when I am travelling.

Cell Phone Battery

These are the details of my most current phone (yep, I know it is a bit obsolete, I really should purchase a new mobile phone):

Nextel i930 by Motorola

Positives:
The Nextel i930 by Motorola syncs seamlessly with Microsoft Outlook and supports iDEN and GSM networks for world roaming. The smart phone has excellent call quality, a speakerphone, and an SD expansion slot, plus it automatically obtains POP3 and IMAP4 e-mail accounts over the Internet.
Negatives:
The Nextel i930 by Motorola uses the older Windows Mobile 2003 OS rather than Windows Mobile 5, and it lacks Bluetooth. It’s also big and heavy, and it has weak battery performance.
Facts:
The Nextel i930 by Motorola is a good choice for executives looking for a world phone that syncs seamlessly with Outlook–if you can live with the poor battery performance and the lack of Bluetooth.

World-traveling executives take note: The Nextel i930 by Motorola is the first Windows Mobile smart phone that supports Nextel’s iDEN network and dual-band GSM world roaming. Certainly, the melding of PDA functionality, world-phone capabilities, and Nextel’s Direct Connect walkie-talkie service is appealing, but all’s not perfect with this handset. Aside from its heft, weak battery performance and the lack of Bluetooth connectivity will make some potential users think twice before shelling out $500 for the Nextel i930. That said, we know a lot of mobile professionals have been waiting for this multifunctional smart phone, so we suspect it will garner a lot of interest from the business world.

Although cell phones are getting smaller and smaller, Nextel seems to be immune from this trend. At 3.5 by 1.9 by 1.2 inches and 5.9 ounces, the Nextel i930 by Motorola is a phone better suited to slipping into a belt holster instead of your jeans pocket. Plus, the external antenna adds more unwanted bulk. On the upside, with its heft and its solid construction, this phone should be able to withstand a lot of punishment. Aesthetically, the i930 sports Nextel’s typically rugged-industrial look. The black and silver casing is rather bland, but the external screen is fairly large. It displays 4,096 colors and shows the time, the date, network and battery strength, and caller ID (where available). Above the screen, you’ll find the i930’s camera lens and flash. There’s no mirror for self-portraits, but you can use the external screen as a viewfinder.

Supersize: The Motorola i930 is a heavyweight.

There’s a large button on the side of the hinge that flips open the cover of the Nextel i930 by Motorola. This seems like an extravagance at first, but the cover itself is so thick and heavy that it makes this an almost necessary feature. When you open the cover, you’re presented with a bright and vibrant 2.2-inch, 65,000-color display. You can choose from seven screen layouts, six color schemes, and several wallpaper options, and you can increase the display font size.

The Nextel i930’s dial pad is fairly roomy, and the keys are well separated for easy touch dialing. That’s important for those who use the i930 for composing e-mail messages, since this smart phone doesn’t have a full QWERTY keyboard. We also like the wealth of controls above the dial pad. Surrounding a five-way navigation control are buttons for making and ending calls, two soft keys, a button for backing one step out of menu options, and a key that automatically takes you to the home screen.

The familiar Windows Start icon resides on the lower-left corner of the Nextel i930’s home screen. Along the top of the page, you get one-touch access to your most recently accessed tasks–Messaging, Internet Explorer, Camera, and so on. The rest of the page displays the date, the time, the number of your last call, voicemail and text-message alerts, and notifications for upcoming calendar appointments.

The left spine of the Nextel i930 features rubberized controls for volume and access to Nextel’s Direct Connect walkie-talkie calls, as well as a headset jack. The right spine includes an SD expansion slot and an infrared port. On top of the phone, you’ll find the speakerphone button and a smart key, which enables you to access your Recent Calls list when the cover is closed; to dial a number with the flip closed, you can select a number and press the Speakerphone button. The speaker is on the back of the phone.

Buckle up: You can use the included belt holster to carry around the large Nextel i930.

In terms of accessories, the Nextel i930 comes packaged with all the basics, including a belt holster, a USB cable, a synchronization cradle, and a travel charger.

Anyone looking for the latest and greatest Windows-based smart phone will be disappointed to learn that the Nextel i930 by Motorola uses Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition rather than the latest Windows Mobile 5 operating system. That means you can’t take advantage of Microsoft’s Direct Push technology to access corporate Outlook data remotely. If you simply want a phone that syncs seamlessly with Outlook from your desktop, however, the i930 certainly fits the bill. ActiveSync quickly and successfully imported all of our Outlook contacts, calendar and task information, and stored e-mails from the in-box, though not from any in-box subfolders. The i930 is compatible with Microsoft Exchange Server.

In addition to Outlook e-mail, you can obtain your POP3 or IMAP4 e-mail settings automatically over the Internet; the phone downloaded the settings for our Comcast e-mail account without a hitch. However, this feature doesn’t work for Web mail accounts, such as Yahoo or Hotmail–in that case, you’ll have to access your account through the Pocket Internet Explorer Web browser as you would on a PC. We had no problems opening Word attachments with the installed Windows Mobile ClearVue Suite, which also lets you view Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, BMP, JPEG, and PNG files. Also, you’re not limited to just e-mail for communication, as the device supports instant messaging (with MSN Messenger preloaded), as well as text and multimedia messaging.

The Nextel i930’s phone-book capacity is limited only by available memory; the handset comes with 64MB of flash memory. Of course, you get the advantage of having access to full Outlook contact information with the address book, including street addresses and notes. The Smartdial feature simplifies searching for contacts. Type 242 to spell Cha, for example, and all contacts with those three letters in their names will appear.

One of the main draws of the Nextel i930 is its world phone capabilities. The handset comes with a SIM card, so you can make and receive calls in the United States and more than 100 countries using a single phone number. This also includes support for Nextel’s nationwide and international walkie-talkie services, which means you can instantly connect with users in the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and Peru. Other features include a speakerphone, a vibrate mode, a calculator, a task list, voice memos, and GPS capabilities for emergency calls. While all these capabilities are great for a mobile professional, we are absolutely baffled and disappointed by the lack of Bluetooth.

In addition to 64MB of flash memory, the Nextel i930 features an SD expansion slot.

As for other features, the Nextel i930 by Motorola comes with a VGA camera and a camcorder. The phone’s camera can take pictures in four qualities (Best, Basic, Normal, and Fine) and four sizes (640×480, 320×240, 260×120, 176×200, and 96×66). You can also adjust the contrast and the brightness settings, as well as choose from two shutter sounds; there’s no silent option. Once you’ve taken a picture, you can rotate or flip the image, rename the file, view it as a slide show, or set it as wallpaper. You can also send it to colleagues, friends, and family via e-mail, text message, or via the infrared port. Picture quality is decent for a camera phone, with bright colors and decent contrast. The camcorder takes video with sound and offers many of the same options as the camera, along with three quality settings: High, Normal, and Good.

Thanks to Windows Media Player 10 Mobile, you can enjoy multimedia treats on the Nextel i930 by Motorola. You can customize your phone with a variety of wallpaper, color schemes, and font sizes. The i930 comes with Solitaire and Jawbreaker, although you can always download more games.

We tested the Nextel i930 by Motorola (GSM 900/1800/1900; iDEN 800 in the Chicago area), and call quality was generally excellent, with callers sounding loud and clear. For the most part, people said they couldn’t tell we were using a cell phone. The speakerphone is among the best we’ve used, as callers noted how loud and clear we sounded.

Unfortunately, performance took a turn for the worse when it came to battery life. We reached a little more than 90 minutes of continuous talk time from the lithium-ion battery, which fell far short of Nextel’s already unimpressive rating of 165 minutes. It’s also worth noting that the handset heated up significantly after about 20 minutes of talk-time use. Likewise, the rated 95 hours of standby time was short enough, but we got only 38 hours. Also, the Nextel i930 took its time to power up, which is typical of Windows Mobile phones.

So I guess the real question is do I spend the money purchasing a new Nextel i930 by Motorola mobile phone battery or do I just buy a new phone with a better battery? Replacement batteries are fairly inexpensive but a new phone would be nice. Always decisions need to be made.

I have owned numerous cell phones over recent years, as I am sure everyone has, and while none have been that extraordinary, some have absolutely been rubbish. The only problem I have ever had with my cellular phones has been with the battery. The cellular phone battery has either died or it just would not last long enough and I would need to purchase and carry a replacement battery.

I always use my mobile phone heaps, both for my work and for home use, so having a backup battery is often worth it but having to replace a faulty or damaged battery is a pain. My current phone is working ok but I would like a replacement battery for those times when I am travelling.

Cell Phone Battery

These are the details of my most current phone (yep, I know it is a bit obsolete, I really should find a new cell phone):

Sony Ericsson W850i

Positives:
The Sony Ericsson W850i has great performance and a wealth of features, including a 2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and a digital music player.
Negatives:
The Sony Ericsson W850i has poorly designed navigation controls and limited integrated memory.
Facts:
The Sony Ericsson W850i offers the great performance and high-end features we’ve come to expect from the company’s Walkman phones, but its usability is hampered by unintuitive controls.

Photo gallery: Sony Ericsson W850i

So I guess the real question is do I spend the money buying a new Sony Ericsson W850i cellular phone battery or do I just buy a new phone with a better performing battery? Replacement batteries are reasonably inexpensive but a new phone would be great. I must make a decision…

I have owned a number of cell phones over recent years, as I am sure most people have, and while none have been that outstanding, some have absolutely been useless. The main problem I have ever had with my cell phones has been with the battery. The cell phone battery has either broke or it just would not last long enough and I would need to purchase and carry a replacement battery.

I always use my cellular phone regularly, both for work and for home use, so having a backup battery is often worthwhile but having to replace a faulty or damaged battery is disappointing. My current phone is working ok but I would like a replacement battery for those times when I am travelling.

Cell Phone Battery

These are the details of my most current phone (yes, I know it is a bit past it, I really should find a new cell phone):

Motorola Razr V3 (T-Mobile)

Note: This product is part of the Motorola Razr series. .

Quick take: The original Motorola Razr V3 for T-Mobile is almost identical to Cingular’s version of the phone. Read our review of the first Razr V3 for a full analysis.

So I guess the true question is do I spend the money getting a new Motorola Razr V3 (T-Mobile) mobile phone battery or do I just get a new phone with a better battery? Replacement batteries are quite cheap but a new phone would be nice. Decisions, decisions…

I have owned plenty of cell phones over the last few years, as I am sure most people have, and while none have been especially great, some have absolutely been useless. The most common problem I have ever had with my mobile phones has been with the cell battery. The cell phone battery has either died or it just would not last long enough and I would need to buy and carry a replacement battery.

I usually use my mobile phone heaps, both for my job and for private use, so having a backup battery is often worthwhile but having to replace a faulty or damaged battery is so annoying. My current phone is working ok but I would like a replacement battery for times when I am not in the office.

Cell Phone Batteries

These are the details of my current phone (yes, I know it is a bit past it, I really should find a new mobile phone):

Motorla Razr V3m (Alltel) - fire red

Note: This product is part of the Motorola Razr series. .

Quick take: The Motorola Razr V3m for Alltel is an alternate version of the Razr V3m for Verizon. Though the feature set is comparable, Alltel’s Razr V3m comes in both silver and fire red. You can get it for $249 with service. For a thorough analysis of the Verizon model, please see our review.

So I suppose the right question is do I spend the money purchasing a new Motorla Razr V3m (Alltel) - fire red cell phone battery or do I just buy a new phone with a longer life battery? Replacement batteries are fairly inexpensive but a new phone would be good too. Always decisions need to be made.

I have owned many cellular phones over the last few years, as I am sure everyone has, and while none have been especially brilliant, some have absolutely been crap. The only problem I have ever had with my cell phones has been with the batteries. The battery has either stopped working or it just would not last long enough and I would need to get and carry a replacement battery.

I tend to use my cellular phone heaps, both for work and for home use, so having a second battery is often worth it but having to replace a faulty or damaged battery is such a pain. My current phone is working ok but I would like a replacement battery for those times when I am not in the office.

Cell Phone Batteries

These are the details of my most current phone (yeah, I know it is a bit old, I really should purchase a new cellular phone):

UTStarcom (Audiovox) CDM-180

Positives:
The UTStarcom CDM-180 has a landscape internal display, as well as voice commands and dialing.
Negatives:
The UTStarcom CDM-180 is hampered by a small navigation array, a disappointing VGA camera, poor audio quality, and low battery life.
Facts:
A simple phone with a funny shape, the UTStarcom CDM-180 suffers from substandard features and poor performance. And sadly, it doesn’t take full advantage of its quirky display.

If most burly cell phones can be represented by, say, Harrison Ford and sexy phones by Brad Pitt, then the UTStarcom (formerly known as Audiovox) CDM-180 for Verizon Wireless is Danny DeVito–or, if you’re from an earlier generation, Stubby Kaye. Short and squat but not wholly unattractive, the CDM-180 gets its unusual shape from its equally unusual landscape display. Yet despite its distinctive design, the CDM-180 offers an average feature set and a mixed performance. It’s also worth noting that the phone doesn’t take full advantage of the wide body conceit. Still, it may satiate anyone with a taste for a simple yet odd-looking cell phone. At $119 with a one-year contract or $69.99 with a two-year contract, it’s also fairly priced.

Strictly speaking, it’s not its width that makes the UTStarcom CDM-180 fascinating; it’s the lack of height. At 3.0 by 2.1 by 1 inches, the CDM-180 is just as wide as the Motorola Razr V3, but since it’s an inch shorter, it almost looks square when viewed straight on. What’s more, the short and squat form factor not only gives it a snug fit in small pockets but conversely can also be difficult to locate in a large purse or bag. The CDM-180 is a bit hefty at 3.7 ounces, and the external antenna measures a full inch high. Criticisms aside, the phone does have a solid feel, and despite its shape, it is relatively comfortable to hold while talking. Just remember that if you’re a right-hander, your index finger will end up resting on top of the external color screen during calls. If you’re a southpaw, however, the antenna stub makes an excellent index-finger balance point.

The CDM-180 has a bizarre form factor.

The UTStarcom CDM-180’s black and silver color scheme is simple–neither attractive nor repellent. The postage stamp-size external display shows a bright 262,000 colors and displays all the usual information, such as the date, the time, battery life, signal strength, and caller ID (where available). On the left spine is a volume rocker and a camera button, while the rear-facing VGA camera is mounted on the top of the phone near the hinge, just where your finger will go as you open the flip. Below the lens is the battery latch, but since it’s exposed on the right side, it’s far too easy to remove.

The UTStarcom CDM-180’s design is marred by some annoyances inside the flip. First off, you’ll notice the 1.8-inch-diagonal display has a landscape orientation–not something you see every day on a cell phone. With support for 262,000 colors, it does its job well, but we were divided over the usefulness of the landscape design. While it’s useful for typing long text messages, the only other applications that take advantage of the 1.6-inch landscape LCD are the camera photos and the games, which were designed specifically for it. Other images such as wallpaper, however, are simply stretched to fit, and Web pages have a white vertical strip to the right when no graphics fill. Any long menus also require more scrolling since not as many choices fit on a screen.

You would think the UTStarcom’s wider body would result in larger dial and navigation keys, but strangely, that’s not the case. Dial-pad keys are widely spaced, which will help those with large fingers, but the navigation array is shockingly small, as are the dual Back and Speakerphone keys. On a different note, the Send-key backlight is closer to turquoise than traffic-light green, and the End-key backlight hues skew nearer to purple than red. The rest of the dial pad and the soft menu keys are poorly illuminated with a bright but splotchy cool-blue backlight that actually makes it harder to read the keys in the dark.

If you’re going to design a phone with aesthetics that are sure to attract attention, it ought to be packed with features that reflect the interest its looks will receive. Yet for the most part, the UTStarcom CDM-180 offers a run-of-the-mill feature set with just a couple of standouts. The 500-contact phone book has room in each entry for five phone numbers and two e-mail addresses. Contacts can also be paired with any of 20 polyphonic ring tones or a picture for photo caller ID. Other offerings include a vibrate mode, text and multimedia messaging, e-mail support, 1-minute voice memos, 99 speed-dial entries, a calendar with a scheduler, a notepad, an alarm, a world clock, a calculator, and a stopwatch. Aside from the basics, you get a speakerphone, as well as voice dialing and commands, which require training for complete hands-free dialing.

The CDM-180 has a bright flash.

One of the more disappointing features on the UTStarcom CDM-180 is the VGA camera, an endangered species in an increasingly megapixel-camera world. While the CDM-180 boasts one of the better flashes in the biz, all you’re illuminating is a low-resolution VGA picture. Even in moderate light, you’re better off without the flash, which tends to bleach the subject if too close but fails to adequately illuminate outside of about 4 feet away. You get a choice of three resolutions–640×480, 320×240, and 160×120–as well as a variety of photo-editing options. Photo quality was unimpressive, and most shots came out fuzzy.

The CDM-180 has a low-quality VGA camera.

The UTStarcom CDM-180 includes 15 types of wallpaper and a variety of other customizable display options, such as fonts and color themes, as well as 16-character personalization banners. If you want more options or ring tones, you can download them via the WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. Alternatively, the CDM-180 is able to play real music-format tones available via Verizon’s Get It Now download store, although at only 1X speed, browsing, previewing, and downloading can be time-consuming. War of the Worlds is the included game, although the tightly packed navigation array may make any gameplay awkward.

We tested the triband (CDMA 800/1900; AMPS 900) UTStarcom CDM-180 in New York City while wandering the streets, as well as traveling in both trains and cabs using Verizon’s network. Vocal quality was plenty loud but hollow and splotchy–there were more dropouts than we’re used to with Verizon. At the other end, coconversationalists compared it to sounding as if we were in a well, especially on calls to other cell phones, where we experienced a pronounced echo at both ends. Speakerphone volume was low, with expanded complaints of poor hollow sound and echo. Volume for both voice and ringers at the highest of five levels was loud and vibration alert plenty vibratory.

Web-browser performance was better than average; it took the UTStarcom CDM-180 only 15 seconds to get to the Verizon Web home page and slightly less to load subsequent pages. Connection to Get It Now was faster–the store doesn’t want you to wait in order to buy. Ring-tone download of "American Woman" took around 15 seconds and downloading Pac-Man only around 12 seconds, which was quite fast for a nonbroadband phone.

The rated 2.7-hour talk time is surprisingly below average, as is the less-than-eight-day standby time. We got 4 hours, 6 minutes of talk time in our tests, and we met the promised standby time. According to FCC radiation tests, the UTStarcom CDM-180 has a digital SAR rating of 1.15 watts per kilogram.

So I guess the right question is do I spend the money buying a new UTStarcom (Audiovox) CDM-180 cellular phone battery or do I just get a new phone with a longer life battery? Replacement batteries are quite inexpensive but a new phone would be great. I must make a decision…