Tuesday, May 13, 2008

For the Want of a Battery...

I can't believe how many people dump their cell phone because it's "broke", when all it needs is a new battery. It would seem obvious to me that if your battery needs charging more often, it's time for a new one. But a lot of users use this as an excuse to get a new phone. You might be wasting more money than you think.

Now that 2-year cellular contracts are the norm, the contract often now survives longer than the battery. I always buy a spare when the phone is new, even though I might not need it for a year. Recently, I needed another battery, and not for one minute did I think it was really time for a new phone, even though a new phone might be cheap, or free, if I wanted to renew for yet another 2 years.

Fear no battery! You can usually pick one up at your cellular dealer, or, easier and cheaper, is to buy online. And, since the shipping charges are normally the same, why not get 2, or more for other family members. It was just coincidence my wife and I have phones that use the same battery, so I bought three...one in each phone and a spare for whoever needs it first. Then you have time to consider what kind of new phone you really want and delay that next 2-year obligation. If you gotta have a new phone, go ahead and get one and save the battery money. Replacing your phone in less than 2 years makes you...uh...average.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cell phone batteries tend to lose power over time even if they are not being used so I'm not certain getting a spare at the time of the phone purchase is such a good idea. When it comes time to actually put the battery to use you're getting a used battery for the price of a new one. Better to purchase the battery when you actually need it.

Oz Andrews said...

Getting a spare when you get the phone would be to have a spare from day one. True, it could lose power over time if unused, but Murphy's Law says you'll only need one when you don't have it.