Let’s be frank: the iPhone 3G has the worst battery life out of all the iPhones. Add to that the fact that I use my iPhone like a laptop and the battery can die in less than one day. The Monoprice backup battery is only $15 from Monoprice.com and does the job very well. The battery pack should work with all iPods too.

Let’s take a look…

Form

The battery comes in black to match the black iPhones. It has a standard iPod port so just use your iPod or iPhone cable to recharge the pack.

The battery is thicker than the iPhone.

Its width is about the same as the iPhone but it’s quite a bit thicker so you won’t be able to put it flatly down on a table. The actual dimensions, if you are interested, are 6.2cm x 6.8cm x 1.6cm and it weighs 68g.

The raised plug.

The plug is slightly raised from the battery so it can be plugged in even if there is a case on the phone. The downside to this design is that when the battery is plugged in, there is a gap between the battery and the bottom of the phone. The battery’s plug doesn’t feel very secure and it seems like it can snap off but I haven’t had any real issues with it. The top is almost level with the phone’s screen, but the battery is slightly higher.

Charging

The lights flash when charging.

You can check the charge level of the battery by pressing the small, hidden area just to the right of the LEDs. When it’s plugged into your phone or being charged, its LEDs light up but if you’re like me who finds it annoying, just press the hidden button to turn the LEDs off. On a full charge, it can charge my iPhone 3G about 1.5 times so it’ll definitely be your iPhone’s best friend.

Charging the battery takes some time – about 3.5 hours according to Monoprice. Charging the phone is about as fast as charging via your computer or wall adapter.

In conclusion, this battery is simple, it works, is of high capacity, and it’s very inexpensive. Typically, backup batteries like this cost around $30 or more so $15 is a great deal. I’d recommend it to anyone who frequently has a dead iPhone or iPod. If this battery is too bulky, Monoprice also has a smaller (1900mAh) version in black, white, and red.

I’ll just list out a few of the apps I have right this moment. If an app costs money, I’ll try to list out some free alternatives. Hopefully you’ll find that they’re useful!

Instant Messaging:

IM+ ($) [iTunes Link]

IM+ supports Live/MSN, Facebook, GTalk, Yahoo, and many more. Also supports push notifications. It’s a little pricey for an IM client at $10 but it’s one of those apps that will stay with you.
Free alternatives: IM+ Lite or eBuddy

Social Networking

Facebook [iTunes Link]

This is the best way to browse Facebook on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Entertainment

Flixster [iTunes Link]

This is a great app that lets you watch trailers for new and upcoming movies and releases, view the Rotten Tomatoes or Flixster rating, and even finds the nearest theatres and movie play times. Facebook and Netflix integration is also supported.

Midomi SoundHound ($) [iTunes Link]

Identifies songs recording a short clip or listening to you sing or hum!
Free Alternative: Shazam

News

iReddit ($) [iTunes Link]

The iReddit app lets you view Reddit articles, upvote and downvote, post replies, and subscribe to different subreddits. The free version is ad-supported.
Free alternative: iReddit Lite

Navigation

AroundMe [iTunes Link]

AroundMe finds points of interest around you. Browse by type such as Banks, Gas Stations, Hotels, Movie Theatres, Restaurants, etc. and it’ll show you the distance from your current location. Great when you’re in an unfamiliar area trying to find something.

Shopping

eBay Mobile [iTunes Link]

The eBay mobile app lets you search, bid, and pay for items.

Utilities

Photoshop.com Mobile [iTunes Link]

A good free offering that lets you edit and apply effects to your photos.

Wikipanion [iTunes Link]

A light Wikipedia reader.

Dictionary.com [iTunes Link]

The best dictionary I’ve seen. It stores the definitions on your phone or iPod so you can search even when there is no internet connection. Dictionary.com can also play the pronunciation (internet connection required) and does Thesaurus.com.

ConvertBot ($) [iTunes Link]

There are many free unit converters on the app store, but I think this has one of the nicest interfaces. It’s similar to a classic iPod with a scroll wheel to select your unit type. Complete with animations and sound. I’ve had the most fun converting units ever.
Free Alternative:  Convert Units for Free

Delivery Status Touch ($) [iTunes Link]

Expecting a lot of packages? Deliveries lets you track each item and displays them in a very pretty view. It supports Amazon, Apple, Canada Post, DHL, UPS, USPS, and many more. (Full list)

iSSH ($) [iTunes Link]

iSSH lets your SSH into some server and also supports VNC. Very useful if you need to remotely administrate something.

Dropbox [iTunes Link]

Dropbox (for Windows/Mac/Linux) is a service that lets you store files and lets you sync them across several computers. With this app, you can access files such as photos and documents that are in your Dropbox as well as upload photos from your iPhone.

Backgrounds [iTunes Link]

An app that lets you easily browse and download backgrounds that fit for your iPhone.

Games

Implode! ($) [iTunes Link]

Try to blow buildings up by strategically placing different bombs.

Tap Tap Revenge 3 ($) [iTunes Link]

Music game with free and paid tracks.
Free Alternative: Tap Tap Revenge 2

Jailbreak

These apps are available in the Cydia store for jailbroken iPhone or iPod Touch users.

Backgrounder

Lets you run apps in the background. Hold the Home button while an app is running and you will enable backgrounding for that app. Hold it again while the app is running to disable backgrounding. This is useful if you need to switch to another app for a little bit and need to go back quickly. There is an indicator on the backgrounding app’s icon to show that it is still running. Remember that leaving too many apps running in the background will reduce battery life and memory.

SBSettings

An extremely convenient way to change settings without going into Preferences.app. Just swipe the top bar and you can enable or disable 3G, EDGE, Bluetooth, WiFi, kill processes, and change brightness – all without leaving your current app.

3G Unrestrictor ($)

Tricks apps into thinking that you are connected via WiFi. Useful if you want to download large files from the App Store over 3G, view higher quality YouTube video, or use VoIP apps. Includes an SBSettings toggle.

Rotation Inhibitor

An SBSettings toggle which lets you enable or disable rotation for apps like iPod and Safari.

This item appears to be a fairly new product from Hong Kong since I’ve only recently found it on eBay. You can find it there for about $20 and I’ve seen this product in the mall for $45! After a long shipping time I finally received it.

Here is what I have to say…

iPhone 3G FM Transmitter Specifications

SPECIFICATION:

Mini FM transmitter with LCD display
Compatible with all iPods, as well as iPhone, iPhone 3G
Receiver sensitivity: < -80dBm (Per 1%)
Signal noise ratio (SNR>68DB)
Frequency: 87.6~107.9MHz, 0.1 MHz / step
Power from iPod & iPhone
Distance: 33ft (in open space)
Operating temp & Humidity: 14~122 F.O ~98%
Work current: 25mA
Voltage: 3.3V

iPhone 3G, iPhone, Touch, Nano, Classic, Nano3

This particular kit claims to be compatible with the original iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPod Touch, Classic, and 3rd Generation Nano. It may be compatible with other iPods but I haven’t tested them. I have, however, tested it on the iPhone 3G and 3rd Generation Nano. Although, if it works on the 3rd generation nanos then I fully expect that it would also work for other iPods that are not listed here. (Where’s the 2nd generation nano?)

Car Charger, FM Transmitter, USB Connector

The dimensions of the transmitter is roughly 3.7 x 3.1 x 0.9 cm and is fairly large compared to some of the other transmitters from HK. Because it is so wide, it may not plug in with some iPhone cases (such as my Griffin Elan Form). It’s one of the prettier looking transmitters and you can tell that this particular one is designed with the iPhone in mind with black front and a chrome edge.

An extra bonus regarding this kit is that the car charger is actually a USB port which theoretically means it will charge any device that can get its juice via USB like a PSP Slim, GPS, other mp3 player, etc. Unfortunately, the charger’s contacts aren’t very good as it frequently disconnects as you move it around.

Playing some music.

I also tried to charge with the transmitter at home using Apple’s tiny USB adapter overnight. Strangely, my iPhone would indicate that it is charging, but it’s really not! I left the phone “charging” at almost full power and in the morning my it was on the brink of death.

When inserted, the transmitter feels good but slightly flimsy. The face of the transmitter is slightly higher than the iPhone’s screen and the bottom of the transmitter is much higher than the iPhone’s back. I can also tell how cheap the plastic feels by simply squeezing it lightly; it makes a clicking sound as if something is snapping into place.

In my first test in a stationary car, the sound quality is quite good. I have tried another transmitter from Hong Kong and it is very obvious that it has a lot of dead spots. You have to spend some time adjusting its location and angle to get the best sound. For this transmitter, the signal is very good and you hear little fuzz regardless of where it is in the car.

My second test was in the same car, but moving. I heard a light fuzz in the background and the signal quality wasn’t as good anymore as there were some angles and locations where the audio quality was poor. At that time, I received a call and to my disappointment, I found out that calls cannot be transmitted. To make or receive calls you will have to use the phone’s internal speaker to listen to the other side. I suppose this is a good thing if you are concerned about eavesdropping.

You use the buttons on the right side to change frequencies. Strangely, the above specifications sat that its frequency ranges from 87.6 – 107.9 MHz but I could only adjust it from 88.1 – 107.9 MHz.

The LCD screen lights up when plugged in.

Because the transmitter uses the iPhone battery, it does not require any. You charge the iPhone using the transmitter’s connector port at the bottom. I wonder then how fast does the battery drain without being charged?

For a $20 transmitter, this is actually a really good deal. It includes a generic USB car charger so you can charge more than just your iThing and the sound quality is generally clear. The equipment probably isn’t made from the best materials but it’s good enough and the car charger’s contacts disconnect as it is moved inside the socket. Overall, this is a solid product that you can get for a good deal.