microusb fatigue and batteries/chargers

[Rickbol]

Howdy all,

Q:
How many insertion\separations is a microusb jack rated for? (My htc apache miniusb has failed and I just retired it for the shift. I got the apache in 2006 but immediately stuck a big battery on it which meant that didn't connect the usb as much\often as I might have.

I'm concerned that the microusb could fail long before I'm interested in replacing the phone.

As a strategy, I'm considering other batteries and an external charger.

Q2:
Who makes\sells good batteries\chargers for the evo shift? Any significant extended batteries?

Thx,

Rick