Battery, calendar questions from a Pre user

[CP4]

Two quick questions for you kind folks:

1) I've heard the horror stories about the battery, but coming from the Pre do I need to worry? Is it worse than the Pre or actually better?

2) I understand the calendar is somewhat limited, but I couldn't find whether this is something I need to be concerned about: One thing I liked about the Pre (one of my first attempts at a smart phone) was putting events into my Gmail calendar and having my phone alert me when those events were nearing. Is it possible to insert events into the Gmail calendar through the EVO and to have the EVO alert you when they're coming up?

Thanks a bunch!!

 

[wado1]

1. As long as you don't have 4G on for too long you will be fine. I came from a Pre and its not worst.

2. That works, my Google Calendar updates show up on my Calendar widget, I dont know if there are direct notifications. I would believe so though.

 

[retnuh730]

Two quick questions for you kind folks:

1) I've heard the horror stories about the battery, but coming from the Pre do I need to worry? Is it worse than the Pre or actually better?

2) I understand the calendar is somewhat limited, but I couldn't find whether this is something I need to be concerned about: One thing I liked about the Pre (one of my first attempts at a smart phone) was putting events into my Gmail calendar and having my phone alert me when those events were nearing. Is it possible to insert events into the Gmail calendar through the EVO and to have the EVO alert you when they're coming up?

Thanks a bunch!!

I can only really answer #1, since I don't use the calendar apps on either, but the battery on my EVO is pretty much identical to the Pre's. I live in a 3g only area (the South, closest 4G's 400 or so miles away), and the battery drain isn't worse than you're used to as a Pre owner. Man what a missed opportunity the Pre was in retrospect.

 

[le_seus]

1-4g absolutely kills the battery other then that the battery is better then the pre when 4g is off

2-calendar is superior i think as u can set reminders with more options then pre, though still not as customizable as i like. but i have multiple calendars going. not to mention i feel its easier to use then the pre's calendar as each appointment has more room for info/context and being a bigger screen its earier to read. oh yeah the home screen widget shows ur appointments for today or however u want to set it really makes it a lot easier.

 

[CP4]

Thanks for the help everyone. And I agree on what a missed opportunity the Pre was. It had some nice things, but a lot of quirks. My wife has had return her second and third one in recent months due to hardware failures.

Conerning 4g, I do actually live in an area where the 4g coverage is pretty good. Is it recommended to just leave it off and turn it on only when interested in tapping into it?

 

[retnuh730]

Thanks for the help everyone. And I agree on what a missed opportunity the Pre was. It had some nice things, but a lot of quirks. My wife has had return her second and third one in recent months due to hardware failures.

Conerning 4g, I do actually live in an area where the 4g coverage is pretty good. Is it recommended to just leave it off and turn it on only when interested in tapping into it?

Definitely yes for the 4G part, there's no benefit in call quality on 4G anyway, at least on the EVO. The home screen gives you a switch for 4G that you can just tap to turn it on or off, perfect for a quick surf or download.

As for the Pre, I got a launch phone and had to send it in within 6 months for a replacement, the volume buttons didn't work and the keyboard would work sporadically. The hardware just wasn't up to par to be used as a phone. Plus no cases would fit the damn thing, thanks to its curved edges.

 

[curthibbs]

The calendar sucks... seriously!

I just found out about DejaOffice (DejaOffice - Business & productivity apps for your phone or tablet) -- I'm going to try it tomorrow, but it looks promising.

 

[amoricaorbust]

Pre to EVO

the Pre battery wasn't great, but depending on use it would usually last me from morning to night (14 - 16 hours). Currently with the EVO. I'm charging 2 or 3 times a day (every 4 - 6 hours). I've been using it ALOT and need to play with the settings and turning off services but yeah it's a little ridiculous...

[EDIT] 4G, GPS, and Bluetooth is turned off.

 

[dwhitman]

The Android calendar on the whole is better than on the Pre. Most importantly, it has search built in; I couldn't believe you needed an external program to do that on WebOS. There's also an agenda view, which is less important to me, but there were people constantly complaining about on PreCentral.

The one thing I miss is the accordion-fold day view on WebOS. That was an inspired UI trick, and I wish Android would implement it.

 

[Kedar]

1. The Evo battery is twice as good as the Pre's. My Pre lasted 4-6 hours of moderate usage using 800mhz and the scaler. The Evo... I get 10 hours+ with light-moderate usage. I'm going to test the battery out with the Evo and a scaler tomorrow. I just rooted it and I should get 15-20 hours of light usage... I think. The battery is great, but with heavy usage, it can be gone in like 8 hours.

2. Sorry, don't use the calendar much... But I do know that there are 3 different types of widgets for the calendar... so getting to it can be very easy.