Looking for advice! Droid Charge!

[Droidit.]

I semi recently got the Droid Charge.
I did recently(kinda) install the new update
I have a Trident Case
I have a Screen Protector.

So now that you know about my phone here are my questions:
I seem to lose my battery life quickly if I keep the 4g/3g on for more than 5-10 minutes. Is there a way to help this?
Also what are some of the best cases for the Charge?
Any cool or new things about the droid charge i should know?
What is this ROOT thing?
I would really like advice on how to get the most out of my phone!

Thanks

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[starbuckk]

As yiu might expect, a lot of people swear by their Charge, while some others swear at it. I am quite happy with mine.

As you've discovered battery life is challenging. Some tips:

Do not use push mail. Set frequency to 15 minutes if you need it that often.
If you are in a 3g only area, set network to CDMA Only.
Get Juice Defender and experiment with its settings. It will turn off things like data, bluetooth and gps when they are not needed.
If you sit at a desk during the day get a cradle. Besides keeping the phone charged, it gives you a nice desk clock.

Rooting, in simple terms bypasses the protections on your phone to allow things like installing other operating systems and removing bloatware. But it also:
1. Voids your warranty
2. Can ruin (aka "brick") your phone.
Unless you are brave and very technically skilled, not a good idea.

 

[Droidit.]

okay thanks! This helped a lot. i will look for the juice defender and keep my push notifications down.

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[Eighty_3#AC]

Before trying Juice Defender, you should read this...


http://forums.androidcentral.com/ve...efender-causing-loss-odf-data-connection.html

 

[starbuckk]

Yes actually I did have the issues indicated in that thread before the last round of updates. I stopped its ability to manage the data connection because of it. But now all seems well again.

Also, it was a bit difficult to determine a cause since Verizon was also having issues with the data network for just about the entire month of December. So far now though, data reconnects the second I open up the screen, which is what I have it set to do.

 

[jco23]

i used to swear up and down for Juice Defender, now I recommend against it. it's basically another app that runs in the background that can also drain your battery. my advice is to lower your screen brightness and turn OFF power saving mode.

also, cases really depend on what you want - most are thick and make this nice sleak device seem rather bulky, so get a feel out for them first.

I agree on leaving on the 3G connection, as 4G is a bit more of a battery drainer.

rooting is not as bad (or as difficult) as it seems. after rooting my device with a custom ROM called tweakstock, my battery life has increased dramatically. so far, I've gone more than 2 days since my last battery charge.

prior to Tweakstock, I was running Humble 5.0, and could get 12 hours on 4G, 16 hours on 3G, and 2 days (48 hours) on wifi/no data connection.

but keep in mind, you battery life is only going to last depending on how little/much you use it. smartphones have a lot going on, and emable users to use it more often than the traditional cell phone, so battery life is going to be much less.

hope this helps

 

[Droidit.]

Thanks so much! I thought power saving mode was helping but i guess its just a battery drainer?

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[Bob61]

Before trying Juice Defender, you should read this...


http://forums.androidcentral.com/ve...efender-causing-loss-odf-data-connection.html

That was valid only prior to GB being released. No longer that problem after GB. That said, based on my use (had Charge before my Nexus) JD didn't improve performance. I used to be a big supporter of JD when used on my DroidX, but didn't see any benefit when on my Charge.

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[starbuckk]

One of my biggest savings from JD probably comes from one of the custom settings. Specifically I have it leave the data network totally off at night. This prevents any data traffic (who needs push email at 3 am?) while allowing phone calls and text messages through.

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[awal1987]

I've been using juice defender for a while now (jd+) and it seems to be working well. I get like14 hours out of it. I tried the gummy charge ROM and it seemed to suck my batt dry. I will look into the tweak stock ROM mentioned but the rooted version of the 2.3.6 stock works great it just takes a long time to boot up, which is fine for me.

I have had some data connection problems with juice defender but I don't know if it's juice defender or just my phone. Or it might be Verizon with 4g issues...

 

[papa54]

OK I am one of those folks who is well pleased with my Droid Charge.
I've found it best to shut off the power saver and make sure gps is shut down and as for anything else i get good bat life but i am always near a charger.. car/home etc. i use my Charge a lot for GPS where i keep the car charger hooked up through out the trip,, bat does not drain out and charger doesnt over run the Ph. some have problems out the yeng yang but the only problems i have had so far were created by me.. I am rooted and would not have a "smart ph" that wasnt rooted ,,I also use the "root uninstaller" to uninstall junk that root doesnt.. I have no desires for anything remotely called or named or used by Verizon.
I learned early on that if you so much as click that dumb aXX lets golf you are automaticaly signed in for a 10 buck a month program , Compliments from Verizon. they will only undo the installation once after that ya r shafted.. thus if Verizons name is on it ,, I trash it..
of course my service is thru VZ etc .the Charge is a great Ph and as far as i can see i do not see me buying any other ph when my 2 yr is up. .
like i said the gps has never failed me,, 4g comes n goes and i dont care.. my Charge still runs sweet ,, it does switch itself to wifi when posible and thats oko with me.

Just do not go to far out on any limbs rooting etc. as some roms while looking good , dont cut the mustard as well as stock rooted...

 

[Chocu1a]

I recently sold my iPhone 4 & picked up a second hand Charge. All I can say is I love it. The flexibility of a stock android device beats the pants off a jailbroken iPhone any day. Having said that, after rooting & installing TweakStock(custom rom), this Charge is SUPERCHARGED!
To the OP, rooting is VERY simple. YES, it CAN screw up your phone, but so can dropping it on the floor. Just be careful. I am by no means a super user or technical wizard & I had my phone rooted & installed a custom rom in about 15 minutes.
Use this instruction- here for rooting & this instruction- here to install the rom. Just make sure you are very careful to read ALL instructions several times before doing anything.

 

[Droidit.]

So is the iphone better than droid charge? What about the iphone 4s...I am also happy with my charge

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[lpt2569]

So is the iphone better than droid charge? What about the iphone 4s...I am also happy with my charge

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Better at what? That's a loaded question, and you are bound to start another discussion/argument about iOS vs. Android, and which is better. They are different, and both have their pluses and minuses. It is very, very subjective, and depends on exactly what you want out of your phone. I get bored with iPhones, but I love my iPod touch as a media device. My Samsung Fascinate is awesome for me as an every day driver, and I have rooted and use custom ROMS and themes...but a buddy at work has the iPhone 4S and he could not care less about the latest custom ROM I am using, and the ability I have to customize almost anything I want to on my Android device. He wants to use his iPhone for something, then put it down until he needs it again. And he's very happy with that.

 

[Droidit.]

Okay. Well I personally like having my phone do my phone work and my ipod do my music. I have the new ipod nano and absolutely love it. My droid already has apps and I am not picky about them not being from Apple.

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[lpt2569]

Okay. Well I personally like having my phone do my phone work and my ipod do my music. I have the new ipod nano and absolutely love it. My droid already has apps and I am not picky about them not being from Apple.

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So there's your answer!

 

[Chocu1a]

So is the iphone better than droid charge? What about the iphone 4s...I am also happy with my charge

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I loved them both. The app store for the iPhone is so rich with quality programs & games. It has far more quality games at this point. I will miss that.
The customization on Android is all about freedom. I had my iPhone jailbroken for the past few months. Even with the availability of Cydia apps, it pails in comparison to the level of customization in Android.
The decision to keep the Charge over my iPhone was due to the larger screen, 4G lte, & customization.
The iPhone was great, though, just not better, for me.