Is it pretty standard operating procedure for Android phones to be fast at first then ultimately suck dong after about a year?

12/17/2011 9:17:15 AM

It's like a computer and gets cluttered up with shit after an extended period of time.

12/17/2011 9:21:26 AM

that reminds me, this seems like a good time to root my og Droid

12/17/2011 9:37:36 AM

^^^two things that changed that.... the first Android phones were single core, low RAM, and really low internal memory... now with dual-core processors, 1GB RAM and 32GB of internal memory, it would take a lot to bog it down. the Galaxy Nexus is blazing fast and i already have about 60 apps on it

^that will speed it up quite a bit if you root/wipe and put a custom ROM on it.

[Edited on December 17, 2011 at 2:03 PM. Reason : .]

12/17/2011 2:02:31 PM

When I woke up this morning I took my galaxy nexus off of the charger and played about 5 minutes of a new game, and checked some email

I looked at the battery and it was already down to 50%

This thing eats up power like crazy

12/17/2011 2:08:06 PM

hm I had a friend who just got one and had done a shit ton of things on his phone all day yesterday and the battery was still not close to dying at the end of the night

12/17/2011 2:12:31 PM

Sure it was acutally charging? Even on an LTE phone, it should take way more use than that to drop 50%

12/17/2011 2:48:53 PM

If I just look at my Thunderbolt, it'll drop to about 35%. If I turn it on, it's down to 5%.

12/17/2011 3:17:20 PM

Quote :

"Sure it was acutally charging? Even on an LTE phone, it should take way more use than that to drop 50%"

Yea it was fully charged, its down to 5% now

12/17/2011 3:55:05 PM

Fuck you postal service where is my phone.

12/17/2011 4:36:16 PM

Quote :

"this screen seems to have a slight grain... wonder if it's just mine or if it's supposed to be like that"

12/17/2011 5:15:00 PM

Coming from a 3g phone (OG droid), Im a little disappointed to see that the nexus has significantly worse battery life than my 2yr old battery in the droid. I knew it was going to suck battery but Im not even getting 12 hours with maybe 1 hour of phone calls and email/wwf/texting. Whenever I do that advanced task killer, I literally have like 12+ apps running that I havent touched -- any help for this noob? I have the task killer as a widget and if I clear everything....wait 5 minutes without doing anything on my phone....press it again, it kills like 10+ tasks. I only have like 10 apps on my phone. Ahhh!

12/18/2011 4:14:57 AM

Your first mistake was using atk to constantly kill apps

12/18/2011 10:05:11 AM

okay, i have 3 google/gmail accounts:

personal
spam/craigslist/throwaway
ncsu

i want all of these accounts tied to my phone for gmail purposes, but i only want to save contacts for my "personal" and "ncsu" accounts to my phone's list...furthermore, when i log into my "personal" account, i don't want "ncsu" contacts to be on my contacts list (which i just found out they are and that's annoying)

did i authorize this at some point when setting up the contacts or is this a flaw in design whereby google assumes i want all of my contacts to be shared across my multiple google accounts?

12/18/2011 11:27:22 AM

also, is speed dial supposed to work by long-pressing the number on the keypad? because i have all of my speed dials assigned and long-pressing the button just dials "*2" or whatever the number is

12/18/2011 12:15:14 PM

Quote :

"? I have the task killer as a widget and if I clear everything....wait 5 minutes without doing anything on my phone....press it again, it kills like 10+ tasks. I only have like 10 apps on my phone. Ahhh!"

I'm kind of curious who suggested you use a task killer in the first place?

12/18/2011 5:52:51 PM

what is a better alternative to using a task killer to save battery/run faster?

12/18/2011 6:05:29 PM

^^ Not sure, I think I casually commented to one of my buddies that I seem to have a lot of apps sucking up battery running in the background and it was recommended.

So, if that's a poor route to go, what's the best course for getting the most out of my battery with respect to running processes? Just let the phone do its thing w/o specialty apps, other apps for task killing, etc?

12/18/2011 6:36:58 PM

killing tasks, for the most part, won't really help your battery life. There are certain tasks that android is going to keep running, especially as it optimizes for your use. Constantly killing apps only uses up more battery because android is just going to run those again right after you killed them and the cycle continues. killing apps is useful for frozen apps or only very infrequently if you've been using the device heavily and are now going to basically not use it (say you've been running a music player, browser, nav, etc. and now you're done for a while, then using a task killer can be an easy method to kill those since you no longer need them, but this isn't something you should as a general rule to shut down apps.

part of the way android works is keeping some apps running in the background, namely those that are used frequently. this increases the sensed speed of the device since android doesn't have to constantly shut-down and restart apps. it keeps some running so that it can quickly switch back to it when recalled by the user. so shutting down these apps actually decreases the speed since android will have to restart the process when you open the app (or when the app/process is called on by another app). If you want a faster device then 1) get rid of bloatware/unused apps 2) don't kill apps like it's your business 3) if you want to close an app because you are done, then either back out or use the app's close/exit feature

TLDR: android handles apps/processes very well and will open/close as needed. Using task killers, in most circumstances, won't help, in fact, it may hurt.

from the horses mouth:

Quote :

"By default, every application runs in its own Linux process. Android starts the process when any of the application’s code needs to be executed, and shuts down the process when it’s no longer needed and system resources are required by other applications. A content provider is active only while it’s responding to a request from a ContentResolver. And a broadcast receiver is active only while it’s responding to a broadcast message. So there’s no need to explicitly shut down these components. Activities, on the other hand, provide the user interface. They’re in a long-running conversation with the user and may remain active, even when idle, as long as the conversation continues. Similarly, services may also remain running for a long time. So Android has methods to shut down activities and services in an orderly way: An activity can be shut down by calling its finish() method. One activity can shut down another activity (one it started with startActivityForResult()) by calling finishActivity(). A service can be stopped by calling its stopSelf() method, or by calling Context.stopService(). Components might also be shut down by the system when they are no longer being used or when Android must reclaim memory for more active components. If the user leaves a task for a long time, the system clears the task of all activities except the root activity. When the user returns to the task again, it’s as the user left it, except that only the initial activity is present. The idea is that, after a time, users will likely have abandoned what they were doing before and are returning to the task to begin something new. An activity has essentially three states: It is active or running when it is in the foreground of the screen (at the top of the activity stack for the current task). This is the activity that is the focus for the user’s actions. It is paused if it has lost focus but is still visible to the user. That is, another activity lies on top of it and that activity either is transparent or doesn’t cover the full screen, so some of the paused activity can show through. A paused activity is completely alive (it maintains all state and member information and remains attached to the window manager), but can be killed by the system in extreme low memory situations. It is stopped if it is completely obscured by another activity. It still retains all state and member information. However, it is no longer visible to the user so its window is hidden and it will often be killed by the system when memory is needed elsewhere. If an activity is paused or stopped, the system can drop it from memory either by asking it to finish (calling its finish() method), or simply killing its process. When it is displayed again to the user, it must be completely restarted and restored to its previous state. The foreground lifetime of an activity happens between a call to onResume() until a corresponding call to onPause(). During this time, the activity is in front of all other activities on screen and is interacting with the user. An activity can frequently transition between the resumed and paused states — for example, onPause() is called when the device goes to sleep or when a new activity is started, onResume() is called when an activity result or a new intent is delivered. Therefore, the code in these two methods should be fairly lightweight. So… the TL;DNR Version: Android is hard coded to automatically kill a task when more memory is needed. Android is hard coded to automatically kill a task when it’s done doing what it needs to do. Android is hard coded to automatically kill a task when you haven’t returned to it in a long time. Most services (while possibly running in the background) use very little memory when not actively doing something. A content provider is only doing something when there is a notification for it to give. Otherwise it uses very little memory. Killing a process when it isn’t ready only causes it to have to reload itself and start from scratch when it’s needed again. Because a task is likely running in the background for a reason, killing it will only cause it to re-spawn as soon as the activity that was using it looks for it again. And it will just have to start over again. Killing certain processes can have undesirable side effects. Not receiving text messages, alarms not going off, and force closes just to name a few. The only true way to prevent something from running at all on your phone would be to uninstall the .apk. Most applications will exit themselves if you get out of it by hitting “back” until it closes rather than hitting the “home” button. But even with hitting home, Android will eventually kill it once it’s been in the background for a while."

http://geekfor.me/faq/you-shouldnt-be-using-a-task-killer-with-android/

[Edited on December 18, 2011 at 6:53 PM. Reason : .]

12/18/2011 6:44:39 PM

^ TY sir

12/19/2011 12:19:09 AM

Why is text input on the bionic browser so terrible? If I'm in s text field and it misses a word, if I touch in the text field, it puts the cursor in the waywrong place. I'm pretty sure ios had this right a long time ago.

12/19/2011 2:13:53 AM

So anyone else get a Galaxy Nexus?

I'm getting about ~5%/hour battery drain under normal operations and 3G, about ~10%/hour battery drain with 4G... I knew 4G took battery life, but geez, only 10-12 hours on a charge?

I'm gonna be looking for a 4G/3G widget for ICS pretty soon. Hoping the extended battery helps.

12/19/2011 12:18:02 PM

That's absolutely normal, yep. The 4G radio is powerful and power-hungry. 5% battery drain/hour is very normal for a pocket-computer. Just remember, the more you* use it, the more the battery drains. I just keep mine plugged in at work when I'm at my desk so I don't have to worry about an empty battery at some point later in the day.


*I know you know this, just saying it for the benefit of those who still don't get it.

[Edited on December 19, 2011 at 12:27 PM. Reason : .]

12/19/2011 12:27:04 PM

yea, but idle, 4G/3G shouldn't be that big of a difference. i would have assumed they would have figured out how to reduce the power draw when it's idle like deverting to 3G for background downloading when the screen isn't on, stuff like that. i mean i shouldn't have to turn 4G off to save battery when i put the phone in my pocket, ya know? i mean if it's in my pocket 80% of the day i'd prefer it be smart about it and only drain 5% instead of 10%.

12/19/2011 12:34:34 PM

hell, even my Thunderbolt idles at only a 3-5% loss per hour on LTE. Sounds like there may be a signal issue (likely based on the weak radio reports) or something using data in the background.

[Edited on December 19, 2011 at 12:45 PM. Reason : http://www.droid-life.com/2011/12/19/verizon-support-update-to-address-galaxy-nexus-signal-strength-]

12/19/2011 12:40:15 PM

yea, i saw that... i'm kind of presuming it's in part because it keeps switching from 3G/4G and searching for signal. i'm sure it'll be patched soon.

12/19/2011 12:46:43 PM

Quote :

"That's absolutely normal, yep. The 4G radio is powerful and power-hungry. 5% battery drain/hour is very normal for a pocket-computer."

My iPhone doesn't drain unless I'm using it. 100% at night, 100% when I wake up.

My AT&T 4G LTE hotspot doesn't drain unless I'm using it either. I think it's more Android. A device shouldn't drain unless you're actually using it.

12/19/2011 12:48:10 PM

Quote :

"My AT&T 4G LTE hotspot doesn't drain unless I'm using it either"

Apples to oranges. There's nothing running in the background or anything being constantly updated. And even iphone users are now finding that syncing continuously can drain the battery.

12/19/2011 12:51:20 PM

Agreed although my hesitation to ever moving to Android for a phone is how poor the battery life is. My phone will last days if I'm not using it. I'll probably be jumping on the Prime soon though. We'll see.

12/19/2011 12:53:21 PM

yea, but HSDPA does not equal LTE

12/19/2011 1:24:15 PM

No but I've always gotten between 5-7 mbps with HSPDA which has been plenty for me. More than most people on 4G. Although now that LTE's deployed in my area I'm seeing 25-30 down and 10 up on my LTE hotspot. Worst case I just turn that on and wifi to the phone if I need faster than 5-7.

12/19/2011 2:12:28 PM

Quote :

"I'm getting about ~5%/hour battery drain under normal operations and 3G, about ~10%/hour battery drain with 4G... I knew 4G took battery life, but geez, only 10-12 hours on a charge? I'm gonna be looking for a 4G/3G widget for ICS pretty soon. Hoping the extended battery helps. "

So far today I've gotten 3.83% / hr with minimal usage. By minimal, I mean hardly any

12/19/2011 2:20:14 PM

lemme know if you find a widget that works

12/19/2011 2:42:17 PM

My battery drain this weekend was reasonable... at work it has been horrible. It flip flops between 3g and 4g sitting at my desk, so... I'm speculating that has something to do with it.

12/19/2011 5:04:43 PM

yeah, my work is mobile, so I actually turn off 4g unless I'm gonna be in one spot


My battery life went to shit with my last android upgrade, and driving around switching back and forth... I wouldn't make it past 1ish without needing to plug back in. I got myself an extended battery from ebay, and it is getting me through the day (from about 6am until 6pm) but I do need to plug in as soon as I get back into my truck on the drive home. SUCKS HARD BRO

12/19/2011 5:50:24 PM

http://www.droid-life.com/2011/12/19/itc-rules-that-htc-infringes-on-apple-patent-devices-subject-to-ban-in-april-2012/

lol. If you can't beat 'em, sue 'em. Guess that's Apple's new motto.

12/19/2011 8:38:16 PM

that's been their motto for a while now

12/19/2011 10:53:12 PM

Why doesn't apple just charge other companies to use their patents, like literally every other mobile communications company, instead of trying to get everything banned?

12/20/2011 12:57:45 AM

They don't want competition

12/20/2011 12:59:32 AM

Apple is pretty much murdering HTC right now.

I think it's more about grinding in their boot heel after they've knocked them down.

And Apple pretty much created the smart-phone revolution, I don't blame them for taking what they can get while they can (the patent war won't last for ever, and Apple will eventually lose).

12/20/2011 1:52:02 AM

Apple is pretty much murdering HTC right now.

I think it's more about grinding in their boot heel after they've knocked them down.

And Apple pretty much created the smart-phone revolution, I don't blame them for taking what they can get while they can (the patent war won't last for ever, and Apple will eventually lose).

12/20/2011 1:53:01 AM

Couldn't HTC invalidate this ban with a fairly simple software update?

12/20/2011 2:22:44 AM

^ That's their plan.

Quote :

"However, the ‘647 patent is a small UI experience and HTC will completely remove it from all of our phones soon.”"

12/20/2011 7:28:35 AM

Got the 2.3.6 update pushed to my SGS2 yesterday. Read that several people have had trouble connecting with USB after the update. Lo and behold after I connect to transfer some files it goes into a reboot cycle that I can only fix by removing my SD card and leaving it out of the phone...

12/20/2011 7:51:47 AM

Best app EVAR!
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.krispykreme.HotLights

12/20/2011 10:46:33 AM

Haha, about time they did ^that! I remember talking with you about the need for this as a pager-style device, then as a red-lighted modification to our cell phones way back in the late-90s.

12/20/2011 10:55:20 AM

Yea, this idea was long overdue.

12/20/2011 10:56:22 AM

Near campus... just pulled 16.5/9.5

12/20/2011 7:35:08 PM

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12/21/2011 9:22:56 AM

Quote :

"Why doesn't apple just charge other companies to use their patents, like literally every other mobile communications company, instead of trying to get everything banned?"

If I remember, Steve Jobs was quoted as saying that he wants to destroy Android; cash was not an issue (I have plenty of that!), this was a matter of principal to the point of zealotry.

Quote :

""I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple's $40bn in the bank, to right this wrong," Jobs told Isaacson. "I'm going to destroy Android, because it's a stolen product. I'm willing to go thermonuclear war on this." In a subsequent meeting with Schmidt at a cafe in Palo Alto, California, Jobs told Schmidt he wasn't interested in settling the lawsuit, the book says. "I don't want your money. If you offer me $5bn, I won't want it. I've got plenty of money. I want you to stop using our ideas in Android, that's all I want.""

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/oct/21/steve-jobs-destroy-android

Even with Steve Jobs dead, I think he pretty much got that ball rolling far enough that Apple would have a hard time changing course even if its leadership wanted to.

12/21/2011 10:40:49 AM