Charge Noob here!

[Jessica.Kent]

Good morning everyone
My name is Jessica and I just got a new Charge a week ago and I have to say I love it! I had an LG Ally and while it was a good phone, it was definetly a "starter" Android device.. minimal memory and power. I am very happy with how fast the Charge is and the huge change in my memory and apps I can have on the phone.

My question is this, veterans of the Charge: What advice can you give me just starting out with this phone. I am noticing that my battery dies very quickly, for example. I also just realized after about a week that my phone has Swype on it lol (Yes, I know it's a noob move )

So any advice, tips, hints for good apps, power saving ideas, anything would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[AndroidXTC]

Not to much you can do about the power issue. The 4G LTE handsets are very power hungry and also the price you pay for that faster processor. Try dimming the display a bit and make sure you shut down programs that run in the background when not needed.

 

[Jessica.Kent]

Hmm I didn't think of dimming the screen.. will try that. And I am using the Task Manager to kill all background apps that I'm not using, is there something else I should be using for that??

 

[gattaka451]

People recommend Advanced Task Killer. I used it once and it wasn't too bad. I just didn't feel like setting up all the stuff for it. I just use the task manager to kill all the stuff and free up the memory. We're all fans here of rooting the device to get rid of the Verizon crap they force on us, but I'm not too sure you're ready to take that step or how tech savvy you are. Dark wallpapers are better for the battery as well than the lighter ones. I know we all want the pretty colorful ones to show off, but if battery life is an issue, there are some really good ones out there that are black or dark grey.

The app I use to find all mine comes from zedge.net. You can just look up "zedge" in the market to get it for free. They have ringtones, notifications and wallpapers.

 

[Jessica.Kent]

Yeah I'm not able to root my own phone.. I'm afraid I'd brick it. I used to be a Tech at Verizon but my fiance has rooted like 4 or 5 types of phones without an issue but the problem is that he's in Washington and I'm in Michigan so I'm going to leave that to him lol. As far as wallpapers and such, I do use Zedge I love it! I got the app on my Ally that I used to have, and it was one of the first apps I got on the Charge and the wallpaper I have now is dark-ish. Thanks for the info!

 

[Simpson8]

Ways to save your battery but a pain in the butt. When your not browsing or using apps I suggest you slide down the notification bar and turn off mobile data. Also if you go into Settings>Accounts & Sync and turn off Background data when not using the android market and certain apps that will help your battery life.
And the usual things making sure your display is set low, and GPS is off.

 

[MaxBuck2]

In my experience, most people who have battery issues are in fringe reception areas where the phone hunts for signal continually. If you notice your phone switches frequently between 3G and 4G, or if your signal strength is low, you might want to shut off mobile data or log onto WiFi.

By "battery issues" I don't mean the phone drains in 8-10 hours, since that's pretty common wherever you are if you use the phone with any frequency. However, in my home where 4G signal is strong, I can work all day with phone on standby and still have 75% power remaining at the end of the working day (9-10 hours).

 

[InsaneToad]

This may or may not apply to you...... But if you are using the Yahoo app for email you should delete it or at least have the push notifications turned off. The Yahoo app is a huge battery hog with the push notifications enabled.

 

[Jessica.Kent]

@MaxBuck2 I do live in a "country" type area and I've noticed that in my house the phone will be on 3g and when I go outside it switches to 4g a lot. Would that mean I need to change it from the LTE to CDMA?

@InsaneToad I do actually use that app. I have an email I use for professional purposes through them.

 

[deadpenguins]

Welcome to the Charge! A really neat trick I discovered is that if you have auto-brightness off (which you should), you can very quickly change the phone's display brightness by holding a finger on top of the status bar without sliding the notification panel down. You can then slide your finger back and forth to adjust the brightness: all the way to the left being 0% and right being 100%.

Also, and I cannot stress this enough, is that you should NOT get any type of task killer. Since you have an easily accessible task manager (hold the home button), that is all you need to kill an app that you don't want open anymore. Using an automated task killer just drains more battery by forcing the android system into a state of restlessness. In case you're curious why task killers are so controversial and unnecessary, you can check out RAM: What it is, how it's used, and why you shouldn't care

Finally, I find that 4g's only real usefulness is in downloading large apps and streaming. I'm rooted so I have very good batt life, but I remember how abysmal it could be with 4g on. To remedy this, check out LTE switch on the market and throw it on a homescreen so you can easily switch between 3g and 4g, it's worth it.

 

[InsaneToad]

@MaxBuck2 I do live in a "country" type area and I've noticed that in my house the phone will be on 3g and when I go outside it switches to 4g a lot. Would that mean I need to change it from the LTE to CDMA?

@InsaneToad I do actually use that app. I have an email I use for professional purposes through them.

If you can live without the 4g speed, then setting it to 3g only will improve your battery life.

If you can get around using the yahoo app you can improve the battery life also. I use the default email app for my yahoo email now. The sync does not always work perfectly, but my battery life is 75% better now.

 

[swenpro]

Welcome to the Charge! A really neat trick I discovered is that if you have auto-brightness off (which you should), you can very quickly change the phone's display brightness by holding a finger on top of the status bar without sliding the notification panel down. You can then slide your finger back and forth to adjust the brightness: all the way to the left being 0% and right being 100%.

Wow I never knew about this trick until right now. Now I feel like a noob. Thank you !!

Droid Charge - Tapatalk

 

[Jessica.Kent]

Thanks alot for all these helpful tips I appreciate it!

 

[anon(94115)]

Welcome to the Charge! A really neat trick I discovered is that if you have auto-brightness off (which you should), you can very quickly change the phone's display brightness by holding a finger on top of the status bar without sliding the notification panel down. You can then slide your finger back and forth to adjust the brightness: all the way to the left being 0% and right being 100%.

Also, and I cannot stress this enough, is that you should NOT get any type of task killer. Since you have an easily accessible task manager (hold the home button), that is all you need to kill an app that you don't want open anymore. Using an automated task killer just drains more battery by forcing the android system into a state of restlessness. In case you're curious why task killers are so controversial and unnecessary, you can check out RAM: What it is, how it's used, and why you shouldn't care

Finally, I find that 4g's only real usefulness is in downloading large apps and streaming. I'm rooted so I have very good batt life, but I remember how abysmal it could be with 4g on. To remedy this, check out LTE switch on the market and throw it on a homescreen so you can easily switch between 3g and 4g, it's worth it.

The brightness trick is AWESOME! thanks for teaching me something new today

 

[AUmike734]

I'm an Android n00b as well... Been a loyal BB user for YEARS, but recently decided it was time to make the switch (bought the Charge last night).

I definitely want to root it, but am a little apprehensive. I ran hybrid OS's on my BB, but rooting seems a lot more complex... plus there seems to be a TON of choices in regards to ROMs.

What is the difference between Gummy Charged, Altered Beast, etc? Do they run off a GingerBread leak? What are my best options?

I haven't added any apps or all of my emails.. I want to wait until afterwards. Am I able to have a separate shortcut or widget for each of my gmail accounts (don't have a Google Apps acct)? Is there an app that allow you to list your contacts by company name rather than first or last name?

I know I have a lot of questions, so thank you all in advance.

 

[anon(94115)]

Ok first of the scariest thing about rooting is the scare that you put into yourself. If you choose a custom ROM, it is as easy as putting the phone in download mode and flashing the ROM in odin. As long as you do not kick the cord out of the computer, you should be fine.

With most of the ROMs, you have the choice of running one that is based off the GB leak or off of the official froyo build. If in the title it says EE4 that is based off of official Froyo. If it says EP1 it is based off a GB leak. EP1W is the newest leak available.

All of the ROMs a a bit different either in the underlying tweaks, the way it is setup, the look, and etc. The only way you will know what is best for you is to read and try them. I personally have tried all the EE4 ROMs and they all have pluses. The one closest to perfect for me was Gummy. Once I threw LauncherPro on there and the Gingerfire theme it is perfect for me.

You may have to resort to third party apps for what you want to do with the emails. I use K-9 mail and have a unified inbox for all my various accounts, but can also look at the separately. Same for the contacts. I use the stock contact list but am looking at alternatives.

 

[AUmike734]

Thanks a BUNCH!!

That helps tremendously!

I've scanned the 3rd party apps for an email and contact manager... Nothing really jumped out to me.
I'm wanting to set up separate home pages with email and widgets for work, personal stuff plus a home business that I run. I'll keep looking...

I really really appreciate your feedback and suggestions.

 

[anon(94115)]

anytime. If you find a flexible contact app let me know. You might want to check out a new one https://market.android.com/details?id=com.xobni.contacts&feature=search_result that I have heard good things about

 

[AUmike734]

yeah... Smartr Contacts looks pretty good... I may give it a try.

Thanks again!