Un chargeur de batterie externe

It may not be the sleekest looking way to charge a spare battery without putting it inside the Dell Streak, but the Lenmar Universal Clip Charger with adjustable contacts and USB plug that you see above gets the job done and only costs about $10 (MSRP $15.95) from places like Amazon, Best Buy, Radio Shack, and other retailers.

StreakSmart reader Robin sent me all the photos in this post and says that charging the battery with the Lenmar Universal Clip takes just about as long (or maybe a bit longer) than charging it in the device. Considering that you would most likely use this while the other battery is in your Streak, though, I don't think a slightly longer charging time is a big deal since both batteries can be charged at the same time.

The first photo may not make it evident, so here's a brief rundown of how the clip charger works with the Streak battery.





You clip the clip (I don't know how else to say that) on the battery then adjust the metal prongs so that they're touching the battery's two outer contacts (the first and last ones if you're looking at them from left to right). The charger automatically senses the polarity and adjusts accordingly, so it's safe and there's no risk of shorting the battery. When the connection is properly made, the LED glows green.



Then you just connect the USB plug to a computer's USB port, a USB wall charger, or a USB car charger. The LED will glow red to indicate charging and turn back to green when the battery is fully charged.



This clip charger isn't the only product of its kind and it may not be the most attractive one out there, but a ~$10 price tag for something that really works is hard to beat. One thing to note, however, is that the charger isn't very well made. Robin says it isn't very sturdy and that you get what you pay for.