Android Android Phone User Tips.....

[CannonFoddr]

I'm now the proud owner of a HTC Desire HD Android phone, & been 'experimenting' (playing in other words) with it - finding how it works etc compared to my Old Nokia 5800 smart phone. In the short time I've had it (since Friday 25th actually), found a few things out that you never really hear/read about from reveiws etc.....but regardless of that, it still seems miles bettter than the Nokia S60v5 OS IMHO

Anyway, thought I'll just post a few things I've found out - & see if anyone else with an Android takes up the challedge & can come up with any other tips for a 'newbie' (i.e. Me !)

1) Apps task managers -
NEVER USE THEM - it apparently can cause problems with your battery, & can cause the 'monitoring' of the Android OS to get 'confused'

2) Battery Life -
It seems as though Android 'learns' your typical usage and calibrates the battery somehow.
Turn off things like Wifi, Auto-sync etc & turn brightness down, along with short screen time out to help conserve battery

3) Closing Apps -
Seem like when you close/'go back' from an App, Android DOESN'T remove it from memory - it just stops it from running
Apparently this is part of the 'learning' of the Android OS... when Androids starts to run out of memory - it will 'intelligently' remove lesser used Apps
(Anyone know of a good 'free' App that can show this 'report' ?? - I'm curious to know what's left in the memory)

4) Free Android Apps -
99.9% of the time - 'free' Apps are not totally free. Most have Ad-Support in them & you can't 'switch it off' that easily from within the program
Some tips for stopping the Ads are

• i) Use other Apps to disable the 3G/APN/Wifi (i.e. all network functions) to prevent the App from connecting to the internet to get the ad
  - You just need to remember to switch them back on for other Apps that you do want to connect
  ii) Put the phone into 'Flight mode'
  - same thing, you have to remember to switch back from 'Flight' mode
  iii) Install 'AdFree' App (You need a Rooted phone for this)
  - this should 'block' ads from showing [for some reason it didn't for me]
  iv) Install a firewall like 'Droidwall' (you need a Rooted phone for this) & allow everything EXCEPT the programs you don't want access to the Wifi/3G
  - This is what I'm currently experimenting with, does seem to work - only I get 'Web Page missing' showing in the Apps sometimes

5) Rooting -
I am most probably wrong, but 'rooting' isn't a simple process (depending on your phone).
There's no single program you simply install,run & the phone is rooted (most of the rooting guides I've seen say you require the Android SDk installed)

Although for my phone there seems to be a App called 'VISIONary' that offers 'temproot'/'permroot' functions which allows you to install Apps that require 'root access'

Spoiler: Info about VISIONary

Note: This is a temporary root for Desire HD & T-Mobile G2 which will last until next reboot of your device...... [it] will allow you to run apps that require root access

This will allow:

• Backup/Restore From Titanium Backup
  Running apps that require root access

This Will Not Allow:

• Editing system / recovery / hboot
  This is locked down with the same security as the G2

Any problems I've found yet ??
Well - the only one I have is that it seems to 'stutter' slightly when starting up an App, or become unresponsive at times when tapping a App icon.

Now I don't know whether this is because of the 'temproot' that I've done with 'VISIONary' (I THINK the Temproot is actually held in RAM) or because of the DroidWall app slowing things down (each time I start, perhaps Droidwall MAY BE checking to see if it is allowed Network access) or even if it's because of the screen protector I've put on - but only time will tell

 

[prowler]

For the closing apps part and it still running in the background, I use Autokiller Memory Optimizer which does good, just speeds up the killing app process that the Android system does by itself.

And for the battery life, while it goes for anything, let the battery run out completely before charging it again. A few times I've let it charged over night and it was saying I had little juice left.

 

[Originality]

It's normally considered bad to completely drain the battery, except for the purpose of calibration. For calibrating, it's usually best to go from full to empty around 4 times, and then you can use it however you like.

 

[CannonFoddr]

For the closing apps part and it still running in the background, I use Autokiller Memory Optimizer which does good, just speeds up the killing app process that the Android system does by itself.Isn't that a 'Task killer' then? - I though it's best NOT to have themQUOTEAnd for the battery life, while it goes for anything, let the battery run out completely before charging it again. A few times I've let it charged over night and it was saying I had little juice left.

Aw - maybe that's where I going wrong then - I've been having it 'on charge' while I've been experimenting.. perhaps I SHOULD just let it drain ~4times

 

[Synchromatic]

There is a single rooting application on the computer that's a 1-click root called Unrevoked. Though it only works for some HTC devices.

To be honest though, since there are different methods for rooting different phones (even different versions of the same phone), it would be incredibly hard to simply categorize all rooting into one summary.

 

[CannonFoddr]

There is a single rooting application on the computer that's a 1-click root called Unrevoked. Though it only works for some HTC devices.

& mine not on it - Dam.

As for the summary - I did a Google search & MOST results all showed a similar way of 'rooting'. A few did show other methods & that's how I found out about 'VISIONary'

 

[MelodieOctavia]

No, no no no, and again no...do not let your battery drain all the way. Old Ni-Cad batteries worked this way because it had a "memory" Meaning, if you fully charged it, and fully let it drain, that would give you optimal performance. If you put it on the charger at only half-charge, The threshold would be set at about half way because of the "memory"

Now, these days we use Li-ion batteries. They do not have "memory" and running them down to dead will in fact damage your battery, giving you less than optimal use between charges.


tl;dr: DO NOT LET YOUR BATTERY DIE COMPLETELY. If anything, charge it when it tells you to charge it (~10-15%)

 

[Originality]

Generally that's what I do, charge when it's at 15-20%, although I learned after I rooted my G1 that it's also important to calibrate file that measures battery life. That's why a full discharge is still recommended shortly after using the phone for the first time. Some sites say you should do it 6 times, but I think it only needs around 3 or 4 times to properly calibrate it.

Although, my DHD does have some built in tools for configuring how it behaves when it gets really low on battery (set to 15%). Things like dimming the screen, shortening the timeout for network actions, killing background updating services/apps (e.g. Twitter), etc. I'd guess the calibration file takes that into account, but I can't be sure until I root my DHD and so far I don't need to.

I've downloaded VISIONary though, for when I do want to root it.

 

[CannonFoddr]

While I was looking for advice/tips etc - I did find something about the calibrating of the battery

Apparently - you can 'Calibrate' the battery manually using this guide or this one

 

[SamAsh07]

Could the random reboots be related to my "Advanced Task Manager"?? Because sometimes it reboots even when its cool (Not heated up).

 

[Synchromatic]

Also, just a note. Using visionary does not write over the hboot, so it does not provide S-Off. You could use visionary for a temproot so that you could use gfree to get a permanent root (and s-off). A really handy site that covers quite a few devices is the CyanogenMod Wiki. It has step-by-step instructions on how to root supported devices.

@SamAsh07, your random reboots can be caused by anything (kernel panics, memory leaks, etc.).

 

[CannonFoddr]

Also, just a note. Using visionary does not write over the hboot, so it does not provide S-Off. You could use visionary for a temproot so that you could use gfree to get a permanent root (and s-off).

Well I'm still learning about 'rooting' so most of that is total gobbly-gook to me.. ('hboot', 'gfree', 'S-off' ?? - WTF !!

) but I guess that's like an 'Administrator Account' in Windows - it allows you to do EVERYTHING to the Android OS

The way I see all this 'rooting' business, is like
'Unrooted': Similar as logging in as a 'guest' on a PC. You can use it, run the programs that are installed etc - but can't actually change/install anything that the 'Administrator' won't let you (e.g Apps that require access to system files etc)
'TempRoot': I guess this is similar to having an 'User Account' on Windows i.e. The Administrator has allowed you to do some more stuff (access to network drives, install [some] programs/addons for existing programs already installed etc) - but not access to things like the Registry, Display properties or System tools like Defrag/Scandisk etc.
'PermRoot' or 'Full Root': This is more like being an 'Administrator' - you can do virtually anything to the OS, such as change the registry, alter system files etc for 'better' performance (but also run the risk of bricking as well)

As long as 'VISIONary' allows me to install things like the Droidwall/Adfree Aps & there's little chance of me 'bricking' the phone (I just switch off/on & the root is removed - hopefully) - it'll do me for a while. Although there IS an 'Attempt PermRoot' option in 'VISIONary' - Do you think THIS may do the same as this 'gfree' thing ??

One thing I'd like to know though
- IF I 'temproot' & install the Adfree/Droidwall etc then 'Unroot' the phone (say I have to switch off/on for some reason, which I rarely do BTW) - would the Adfree/Droidwall (or any other programs like that) still run/work ?? or will I have to re-'temproot' the phone again ??

(I've actually uninstalled 'Adfree' since 'Droidwall' seems to be doing the job of blocking the Apps to downloading Ads, but I THINK the HOSTS file is still the one that Adfree installed & not the 'default' HOST file)

 

[Synchromatic]

The permroot feature of VISIONary does not give the same results as gfree. If you boot into your bootloader, you'll find that it'll say S-On. A full root will generally make the phone S-Off, unlocking the nand. You can read more about it here.

As for your temproot/Adfree - Yes, you will need to re-run Adfree each time you reboot.

 

[Terminator02]

For the closing apps part and it still running in the background, I use Autokiller Memory Optimizer which does good, just speeds up the killing app process that the Android system does by itself.

And for the battery life, while it goes for anything, let the battery run out completely before charging it again. A few times I've let it charged over night and it was saying I had little juice left.

you know the official market is live

 

[CannonFoddr]

Yep - I know the market is live, that's where I've been getting my Apps from. (I had a bad experiences getting stuff from 'elsewhere' with my older phone). When I had the Nokia, I used some '3rd party sites' (you know the type) to get some stuff for free - then I found out I had virus/malware (??) installed that I couldn't get rid of without a full reset of the phone (& it happened TWICE from different sites) so now I'm determined to stick with the official market for my stuff - less risk (I hope)

As for that 'Autokiller' - it's yet another App that need root it seems (it also 'drains battery more' - not something I want while I'm 'calibrating' the phone ATM

)

[ I'll also rather not muck about too much with 'root apps' too much at the moment (New phone / New OS to figure out / small Fear of buggering it up etc

) - maybe a few months down the line I might once I've set it up how I'd like it & like to have a NAND backup for safety - but not quite now]

 

[CannonFoddr]

And for the battery life, while it goes for anything, let the battery run out completely before charging it again.

No, no no no, and again no...do not let your battery drain all the way.
tl;dr: DO NOT LET YOUR BATTERY DIE COMPLETELY. If anything, charge it when it tells you to charge it (~10-15%)QUOTE(Originality @ Mar 27 2011, 08:44 PM)

Generally that's what I do, charge when it's at 15-20%, although I learned after I rooted my G1 that it's also important to calibrate file that measures battery life. That's why a full discharge is still recommended shortly after using the phone for the first time. Some sites say you should do it 6 times, but I think it only needs around 3 or 4 times to properly calibrate it.

Seems like a bit of dispute about the battery charging....& I'm not sure what to do
Currently I've not let it do any of these yet (full discharge OR start charging when @15-20%) - what I've normally been doing is, while 'experimenting' kept it plugged into mains or whenever I get in the car - plug it into the car charger for a top-up.

I've not really let it go lower than 80% yet (& it's now 4days since I got the phone) - so should I ??
& if so which SHOULD I do - let it drain COMPLETELY or let if go down until the 'power saving' kicks in THEN charge it ??

I'm wondering if me doing 'top-ups' is stopping it from 'calibrating' properly - is there a way to find out the 'battery calibration
report'?

Couple other things (for now that is) - I've install Wizardroid to allow me to have wifi/BT toggles etc in one 'panel' on the home screen - & one of the widgets I included was the RAM memory one.
Tapping it shows 'running services' & it allows me to 'touch to stop'.

Is it safe to do so ?? (I've already 'turned off' twitter and facebook services as I don't use them) - but isn't this like a 'Task killer', which is suggested NOT to have/use??

Screen brightness - is it better to have it on Auto (which seems a bit bright to me) or a Manual setting. Having it on manual & if I go outside & it's hard to see, while Auto 'brightens' it up a bit to make it clearer

Oh & has anyone got 'HTC Sense Dashboard' working in their web browser ??
All I'm getting is a big grey box with text stating that my 'phone is doing it's intial sync & may take hours' & a few option down the right hand side (call forwarding etc) - but nothing else

I've googled & tried a few things suggested (like cancel account / redo account etc), although not done a 'Full reset' of the phone. I'm worried that I may've 'stopped'' something I shouldn't of - or maybe the 'tempRoot' is affecting it somehow.

The HTS Sense Sync on the phone 'seems' to be synching - but why nothing in the webbrowser ??? (& I've tried Firefox/IE8 and Chrome - same thing 'big grey box'). Some thread I've seen say 'it's being worked on' but those are from last year - surely they still can't be 'working' on it ??

 

[Terminator02]

you should do as your phone says, recharge whenever it says recharge (which is normally once it gets to 15%

charging too much could wear out the battery

i consider the autobrightness a luxury, as it is usually brighter than i would actually need, so i keep it at a manual setting that's a good middle ground and if I really can't see outside i'll manually adjust it

don't have an htc phone, can't comment on that sorry, however in the market firefox 4 has been released and it syncs with desktop firefox 4 (history and bookmarks)

Edit: also the fact that you're rooting doesn't toy with any important stuff, it just gives you access to it (which you could screw up yourself manually)

i seriously doubt being rooted would cause that

 

[CannonFoddr]

Thanks for those replies -
As for the battery charging - never had any problems with my Nokia 5800 smartphone with the 'constant top-ups' in the 2-years I had it (& that also had a Li-ion battery IIRC) but I may just see how things go with the 15% bit (for a while at least)

The HTC Dashboard - well it is 'suppose' to do much more than just sync [web] bookmarks/history.
It also allows things like - forwarding SMS/Calls, backup 'footprints' (Photos with Co-ords - I believe), Contacts/SMS's & has 'extra download content' - which I guess means the usual wallpapers/sound/apps etc - as well as extra security measures in case it is stolen or misplaced (hence the 'map' is missing ATM). I think the problem MIGHT be the fact it's not ifully implimented yet in the UK - seems like a few posts I've found have mentioned it's started in the USA & was 'under development' ~Dec last year

As for 'rooting' - Glad to know that info.
Since all I've done so far is 'temproot' it & installed a firewall from the App store (just to block those annoying Ads) - I guess that should'nt 'muck' things up to much, as I can't see them allowing programs on the app store that can f**k up the phones (VISIONary was on the App store but removed - so I guess there a reason for that though)

I'm not planning to fully root just yet (which I believe is this 's-off' business) which will also allows you to install custom ROM's etc for performance 'tweaks' etc - as these COULD bugger up the phone. But having a NAND backup in case things do go wrong MAY be a good idea to have - although I've not done much to the phone so a Hard reset should be just as good ATM

decision,decisions - I just can't decide

 

[shamiko_]

I'm not planning to fully root just yet (which I believe is this 's-off' business) which will also allows you to install custom ROM's etc for performance 'tweaks' etc - as these COULD bugger up the phone. But having a NAND backup in case things do go wrong MAY be a good idea to have - although I've not done much to the phone so a Hard reset should be just as good ATM

decision,decisions - I just can't decide

i suggest getting Clockworkrecovery for those backups

 

[ProtoKun7]

Rooting techniques can vary by phone; I've rooted my X10 a few times (rooting again after a software update) using one-click tools. First one I used was Universal Androot (which you can execute entirely on the phone), though after updates made that ineffective I've used a PC-side application called SuperOneClick.