Matrin Fields Battery Extender review

[Michael]

A reader recently contacted me and asked me to try out a new product from DOML.com - a battery extender. Having tried out many such products a few years ago, I was inclined to email him back and tell him that such products don't work, but I did a quick check online and some people were claiming that it actually worked.

Hard to believe, but it is true. I even tried this on my own T68i. Inexpensive and effective. I use one on my camera now, even.

http://www.mobileburn.com/review.jsp?Id=445

[Michael]

Oh come now, folks. I figured at least *somebody* would ask us if this story was a joke....

This thing is a freaking killer accessory. For less than US$10 you get over a 10% battery life boost.

I can't see why this stuff isn't built into the batteries already.

[sean]

MY battery became so charged that it kept arcing! I zapped a few older gals before the Bus driver kicked me off the bus :P

Pretty neat gadget all in all.

[The Roo]

OK then, Michael.
Say I do go ahead and get one one these, how long will this sheet of sand-paper last for until I have to pay another $10 for extra 10% hit of battery-life?

[Michael]

I have no idea.

Physically it doesn't appear that it would wear out. There aren't moving parts or anything.

But not knowing how it works, whatever the voodoo is that it uses, I can't say that the x particles won't be overloaded with y radiation over n months of use and stop being effective.

I have no idea how it works, so I can't say.

[jriskin]

Considering your article is their main listed review and there is obviously a refferal thing going on, it seems highly suspect that this device is designed to remove $10 from our CC's and thats about it.

You would think that you would want to do a slightly more scientific test before recommending a product like this and hurting the sites credibility.

Like do several charge discharge cycles with and without it, i mean it might turn out that the standard deviation is +/- 15% regardless of whether the thing is in or not.

It could be that just doing a fresh cycling of the batteries that hadn't been done in a while might increase the battery capacity by 0-15%.

Just food for thought...

[sean]

Originally posted by jriskin
Considering your article is their main listed review and there is obviously a refferal thing going on, it seems highly suspect that this device is designed to remove $10 from our CC's and thats about it.

You would think that you would want to do a slightly more scientific test before recommending a product like this and hurting the sites credibility.

Like do several charge discharge cycles with and without it, i mean it might turn out that the standard deviation is +/- 15% regardless of whether the thing is in or not.

It could be that just doing a fresh cycling of the batteries that hadn't been done in a while might increase the battery capacity by 0-15%.

Just food for thought...
Why do people have to assume the worst? There Michael is the the process of testing the extender another way. It is sort of s difficult thing to measure in a non-scientific way.
Thanks for the ideas of how we could better test it though, but the article goes out of it's way to say this is non-scientific.

[Michael]

Right, we are hardly being coy here.

We say exactly how we measured it, and we say all over that it wasn't scientific.

But then again, real world use doesn't happen in a lab, either.

In any event, I am testing the S55 again with the tests reversed. With the extender first, then without. Somebody raised some sort of issue about the battery "resting" after the first test to the benefit of the second test (which was with the extender).

I don't see how that would occur, since both were fully charged and the second test didn't even start within 8 hours of the first (in the case of the S55, which I did), but I'm willing to test it again anyway.

But what it comes down to for me is that it makes a difference that I can see. And I have been using it since then.

And yes there is a referral code on the link, but it isn't linked to any affiliate program - just their home page. It just makes it easier for them to see where the traffic is coming from.

But regardless, we have links to companies that sell what we review all the time. You know what happens when we don't? I get a flood of email asking for where people can buy the item in question.

And this site has to make money, I see no problem making money from affiliate programs. Most sites of any real size have to make a buck. There are costs associated with running the site, and I have to pay my rent. I make *very* little money from this site, and I, and others, put a *lot* of work into it.

[Michael]

Oh yeah, as to why it is still the top story....

That's because there hasn't been another review since - or even any significant story. The most recent review is always in the top left spot.

The GX-20 will be there when I get it written.