Droid razr what a rip off

[FoxKat]

I am a first-time smartphone user and, quite unlike me, I haven't read the materials that come with it. I've relied on family for hints, tips, etc. But, alas I have some peace and quiet and I would be most grateful if you could tell me a couple of quick tips to extend battery life as I, too, will be using my phone as my alarm clock. Thanks a lot!

Much of the problems with so-called battery problems starts with people using the phone right from the box without ever having done a full saturation charge. Part of the blame rests squarely on the Verizon Phone Center Store representatives who activate the phone out of the box and then hand it to you fully powered on. Of course, you're going to use it if they gave it to you and said "you're good to go!". You even said yourself that you didn't read the materials so I can most likely safely assume you didn't immediately turn the phone off, plug the phone in and allow it to charge with the power off until it showed 100% in the large animated battery on the screen before using it.

First thing I would recommend is to do a full charge to 100% with power off, then use normally until you get the low battery warning at 15%, then repeat the 100% charging sequence with power off. This allows the metering system to recognize what the maximum capacity of the battery is, and what the low battery level is, so that from then on, it will display a far more accurate representation of where in the battery capacity you are at any given time.

If I am wrong, please excuse my assumption.

 

[cbreze]

Much of the problems with so-called battery problems starts with people using the phone right from the box without ever having done a full saturation charge. Part of the blame rests squarely on the Verizon Phone Center Store representatives who activate the phone out of the box and then hand it to you fully powered on. Of course, you're going to use it if they gave it to you and said "you're good to go!". You even said yourself that you didn't read the materials so I can most likely safely assume you didn't immediately turn the phone off, plug the phone in and allow it to charge with the power off until it showed 100% in the large animated battery on the screen before using it.

First thing I would recommend is to do a full charge to 100% with power off, then use normally until you get the low battery warning at 15%, then repeat the 100% charging sequence with power off. This allows the metering system to recognize what the maximum capacity of the battery is, and what the low battery level is, so that from then on, it will display a far more accurate representation of where in the battery capacity you are at any given time.

If I am wrong, please excuse my assumption.

FoxKat, I enjoy your posts and find them very useful, but I have a theory about using your phone right out of the box. We all know how hard it is to refrain from cranking up and playing with our brand new devices. I never can wait, so I plug it in and let it charge to full while I'm getting it set up and playing with it till the cows come home, then leave it on and let it sit while charging to full and beyond. Doing it this way I have never had a battery issue and never even had to replace an Li-ion as yet. My theory is that while the phone is on and plugged in it charges at a bit slower rate while it accommodates the usage. This gives it a slower charge which may actually be a more sustained charge(my theory)and still fills it to full capacity. I don't see any real difference doing it this way as opposed to charging it fully while turned off. Just my .02 from my personal experiences since the LI-ion's have been out and in use.

 

[Andielyn]

Much of the problems with so-called battery problems starts with people using the phone right from the box without ever having done a full saturation charge. Part of the blame rests squarely on the Verizon Phone Center Store representatives who activate the phone out of the box and then hand it to you fully powered on. Of course, you're going to use it if they gave it to you and said "you're good to go!".
If I am wrong, please excuse my assumption.

I have yet to do a full calibration as you recommend, but I did charge to 100% with the phone off when I first got it (I received mine by mail not in a Verizon brick-and-mortar store.) Tweaking along the way has improved my battery life, especially in my case turning off the 4G since I live in a 3G area. I think you are on to something, though, that much of the battery issues are perceived based on the battery life meter rather than being actual. I am curious to see what difference it makes when I finally do a full battery calibration. Will post my results.

 

[Zandar]

Tweaking along the way has improved my battery life, especially in my case turning off the 4G since I live in a 3G area.

This x1000. 4G is by far and away the biggest battery drainer. If you're not using 4G functionality, switch it to 3G. When should you be on 4G? Only during the following:
HQ/HD video streaming
Web browsing, G+, FB, etc. (debatable, as 3G works well for this, too)
Downloading/Uploading files
Online gaming (depending on the game)
Video chatting
VOIP (depending; won't be an improvement over a strong 3G signal)

I can't think of anything else. Here are some common tasks that will see basically ZERO improvement on 4G, so you might as well stick to 3G:
Audio streaming
Chat/IM
Navigation/Maps
Gaming (non-online or simple online, like Words with Friends)
Anything not using the data connexion much
Online document editing
eReading

Unless you roll the Maxx, don't run on 4G 24/7. There's virtually zero benefit to using it when you don't need the speed, and the last update made the switch from 3G to 4G really smooth and seamless so there's no harm in switching on the fly (if you're switching from 3G to 4G; the other way round is pretty slow). For example: I run my RAZR on 3G. If I'm about to surf the internet or watch Netflix or something, I switch it to 4G and go. It'll start on 3G and switch to 4G automatically in a few seconds and I won't even notice the handoff. When I'm done, I switch it back to 3G and put it in my pocket. It may take as long as 30 seconds to switch back to 3G only, but it doesn't matter since I'm done with its immediate use and it'll be good to get me my notifications in the next 15-30 seconds.

 

[pinoy_92]

Razr one of the worst phones I've owned.It leaves you feeling cheated and ripped off.Just a few to think about before you buy,screen gets to hot,battery life sux,list goes on an on.I will never buy a another Motorola phone again.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using DroidForums

most, if not all, electronic devices "gets hot." its due to the resistors inside the device. so to clear something up. have you ever owned any other electronic device?

idk why people are complaining about the battery life. i personally get more than 24 hours on a single charge (my longest is 36+ hours).

 

[Ansa82]

Nope, once you use that upgrade thats it.. at least thats what they told me

Sent from my DROID RAZR using DroidForums

 

[FoxKat]

FoxKat, I enjoy your posts and find them very useful, but I have a theory about using your phone right out of the box. We all know how hard it is to refrain from cranking up and playing with our brand new devices. I never can wait, so I plug it in and let it charge to full while I'm getting it set up and playing with it till the cows come home, then leave it on and let it sit while charging to full and beyond. Doing it this way I have never had a battery issue and never even had to replace an Li-ion as yet. My theory is that while the phone is on and plugged in it charges at a bit slower rate while it accommodates the usage. This gives it a slower charge which may actually be a more sustained charge(my theory)and still fills it to full capacity. I don't see any real difference doing it this way as opposed to charging it fully while turned off. Just my .02 from my personal experiences since the LI-ion's have been out and in use.

cbreze, I respect your opinion and also appreciate your complement. As said in another recent post, I prefer to speak not only when I am confident the answer is correct, but also when I have expert opinion and/or scientific evidence to back my claims. That said, I understand why it may not seem like such a big deal, or any deal at all regarding charging with the power off, however for these batteries, the charging process coupled with the metering of the progress are a highly sensitive and somewhat volatile process.

While the battery is being charged, the power it is drawing from the charger as well as the battery's voltage levels are being very closely monitored to watch for a specific "signature" (change in current draw and voltage increase), that these unique batteries exhibit as they reach their full capacity. These slight changes indicate the battery is in the last phase of charging (the last 10% or so), and tell the charger to reduce the charge rate to top off the battery safely, and then once the 100% capacity plateau is reached as specified by the battery manufacturer and the phone manufacturer, the charger shuts down charging altogether.

The problem with charging while the phone is powered on is that the phone may activate one or more processes while the charging is taking place, such as an email or facebook sync, or an incoming call, and the resultant changes in the power the phone draws due to these processes can "fool" the charging and monitoring circuitry into believing the phone has either reached the last 10% of the charge cycle, or it has reached capacity. This can result in the meter setting the charge capactiy flag to 100% when the battery may have significantly less charge. It can also cause the battery to be repeatedly stressed by being pushed at higher charging rates when the charger should either be in the low current phase or off completely.

Also, the comment about charging to "full and beyond" was said I understand for effect, since both you and I know that a battery only has as large a capacity as it was manufactured to have, and can never be electronically pushed or "boosted" to increase capacity from the moment it leaves the factory. It is not a balloon, it's a battery with finite capacity and finite lifespan. How we treat it will determine how much of its original capacity we get with each charging cycle, and for how long it will last and produce usable power.

The following explanation from BatteryUniversity.com confirms what I have said and assures you that you can only depend on a 100% charge if done with the phone powered down. This doesn't mean you have to do this every time, but it shoud be done on an infrequent basis - typically every 1-3 months or ever 40 or so partial charges, followed by using it to the "low battery" signal at 15%, and then a repeat of the powered-off charge. This sets the high charge and low drain flags for the charging and monitoring circuitry and allows the battery meter to more closely report the State of Charge (SOC) as you use it.


Calibration

The fuel gauge has the inherent drawback of needing periodic calibration, also known as capacity re-learning. This is done to correct the tracking error that develops between the chemical and digital battery on repeated charge and discharge cycles. Calibration could be omitted if the battery received a periodic full discharge at constant current followed by a full charge. The battery would reset with each full cycle and the tracking error would be kept at less than one percent per cycle. In real life, however, a battery may be discharged for a few minutes with a load signature that is difficult to capture, then partially recharged and stored with varying levels of self-discharge depending temperature and age.

Manual calibration is possible by running the battery down until “Low Battery” appears. This can be done in the equipment or with a battery analyzer. A full discharge sets the discharge flag and the subsequent recharge the charge flag. Establishing these two markers allows SoC to be calculated by tracking the distance between the flags. For best results, calibrate a device in continuous use every three months or after 40 partial cycles. If the device applies a periodic deep discharge on its own accord, no additional calibration will be required. Figure 1 shows the full-discharge and full-charge flags.

Figure 1: Full-discharge and full-charge flags set calibration Calibration occurs by applying a full charge, discharge and charge. This can be done in the equipment or with a battery analyzer as part of battery maintenance. Courtesy Cadex

What happens if the battery is not calibrated regularly? Can such a battery be used with confidence? Most smart battery chargers obey the dictates of the chemical battery rather than the electronic circuit and there are no safety concerns if out of calibration. The battery will charge fully and function normally but the digital readout may be inaccurate and become a nuisance.

Some portable devices sit in a charge cradle in the on position. The current drawn through the device is called the parasitic load and can distort the charge cycle. Battery manufacturers advise against parasitic load because it induces mini-cycles. The battery is continuously being discharged to 4.20V/cell and then charged by the device. The stress level on the battery is especially high because the cycles occur at the 4.20V/cell threshold.

A portable device must be turned off during charge. This allows the battery to reach the set threshold voltage unhindered, and enables terminating charge on low current. A parasitic load confuses the charger by depressing the battery voltage and preventing the current in the saturation stage to drop low. A battery may be fully charged, but the prevailing conditions prompt a continued charge. This causes undue battery stress and compromises safety.

 

[Chaka]

Thank you. I've learned a lot -- but still a microscopic dot on all there is to learn -- but I have no idea about synching e-mail. Does that have to do with when my phone retrieves e-mail from my e-mail addresses? (I don't use the phone for any type of business -- so not business e-mail.) If I wanted to do that manually, how would I do it?

Another question -- please somebody tell me how to turn off a notification every single time I get an e-mail?

Wait, I'm having a flashback to setting my notification or synching to every four hours! I bet that's where I can set it up to do so manually?

Besides that -- I'm so tired of notifications for every little thing. At least audible ones.

 

[Chaka]

FoxKat,

Your message was exactly right on every single point! It made me laugh.

I have been following your suggestion about 15% - 100% while off, etc.

Thank you for responding.

 

[Chaka]

That's great information and advice! I'll explore the phone (I assume settings) to see how simple it is to change the 3G/4G.

Thanks!