As I recall, this happened twice to Texrat himself, and at least one other of the Chosen Ones. The external charging thing is NOT a bit of a pain. It's EASIER and QUICKER and MORE CONVENIENT. Maybe I'm the only one who's ever started to leave the house and glanced at my N900 as said "oh )(*&)! My battery is almost out! If you have an external charger, you've already charged your spare and you just switch batteries. If you DON'T have an external charger, you won't be able to use your N900 for a few hours. Which is better?