New to Smart phones

[fixy2273]

Hi, I just purchased my first smart phone on Sunday. I had been considering getting one for a while and was back and forth between the iPhone, Casio G'zone commando and the Motorola Droid Bionic. I went with the Droid Bionic because I just didn't like the way Apple tries to maintain control over the products they sell and while I liked the Commando, the touchscreen and I just didn't get along very well. So far I'm happy with my purchase, but I've been playing with my phone too much. I keep running the battery down by the end of the day, but that might change when the new wears off and I leave it on my desk instead of playing Angry Birds when I should be working.

I'm here to learn some tricks so that I can get more use out of my Droid and hopefully find some good apps taht will be of use.

 

[Hawaiian Princess]

welcome to the forum. yes battery life on all devices are not as great as hoped but there work arounds. ur personal settings should be adjusted, such as screen display, turn off WiFi when not in use, etc
head over to the Bionic section for more info. enjoy ur stay

 

[JSM9872]

Welcome fixy!

And princess is very right (for once... j/k lol) about the settings she mentioned. Another thing you could also do is turn off your GPS by going into settings > location and security. If you ever need it just turn it back on and you're good to go. And the new phone + angry birds definitely will do a number on your battery but admit it, you need to knock down those darn buildings!

 

[fixy2273]

Thanks for the welcome! I've been playing with the settings to see what I can do. I've got Juice Defender (free version) and thinking about upgrading to ultimate, but I kind of want to drain the battery a few times and get into a more "normal" usage situation before I start making a lot of changes. That way I can tell what the actual results are.

I'm not ashamed to admit it, I love destruction and shooting birds at things and knocking them over is a great distraction from the real world:laugh:.

 

[Hawaiian Princess]

Welcome fixy!

And princess is very right (for once... j/k lol) about the settings she mentioned. Another thing you could also do is turn off your GPS by going into settings > location and security. If you ever need it just turn it back on and you're good to go. And the new phone + angry birds definitely will do a number on your battery but admit it, you need to knock down those darn buildings!

oh we have a jokster in the house. but, it really wasnt all that funny lol

 

[jpblock82]

Thanks for the welcome! I've been playing with the settings to see what I can do. I've got Juice Defender (free version) and thinking about upgrading to ultimate, but I kind of want to drain the battery a few times and get into a more "normal" usage situation before I start making a lot of changes. That way I can tell what the actual results are.

I'm not ashamed to admit it, I love destruction and shooting birds at things and knocking them over is a great distraction from the real world:laugh:.

Keep in mind that those battery monitor apps use more of the battery to monitor your battery... get it?? Most of your battery is used up by the display. If you love your phone and have a hard time staying off it (like myself) get a second battery.. or even a third!! After a while, you get a good grip on how to manage a single charge throughout the day. Enjoy your new toy!!!

Sent from my DROID3 using DroidForums

 

[angelinaS31]

Yes i agree with the statement mostly smart phones battery doesn't last for long time as there are more amazing features in it and due to that we use our phone lot and we lose our battery power more.

 

[fixy2273]

I have a question if anyone can answer. I posted in the Bionic forum the other day and haven't gotten an answer yet... Is it possible to shut off the 3G/4G data on the phone when you don't want it to come on? I want to be able to wake my phone up and start up the wifi when I have access to it without it automatically using up 3G/4G data during the time it takes for my phone to connect to the wifi. I'm sure there's a way to do this, but I haven't been able to figure it out yet. Thanks!

 

[JSM9872]

I do know you can disable your data and enable wifi. I do not know if there is an easier way to be honest since I never do it.

To turn data off:
Settings > Wireless and networks > Mobile networks and then uncheck the box next to "Data enabled." You could always get a toggle from the market to do so but I believe it does not actually enable/disable it but rather is a short cut to the settings menu where you can.

Then of course you would need to enable data when you are not in a wifi area.

 

[CJM]

I have a question if anyone can answer. I posted in the Bionic forum the other day and haven't gotten an answer yet... Is it possible to shut off the 3G/4G data on the phone when you don't want it to come on? I want to be able to wake my phone up and start up the wifi when I have access to it without it automatically using up 3G/4G data during the time it takes for my phone to connect to the wifi. I'm sure there's a way to do this, but I haven't been able to figure it out yet. Thanks!

You may be able to put it in airplane mode and select WiFi.

Tapped from an Unbrickable DROID

 

[JSM9872]

You may be able to put it in airplane mode and select WiFi.

Tapped from an Unbrickable DROID

I was going to mention this as well. My only concern would be then fixy would not be able to send/receive messages or phone calls. If that is not an issue then it very much does work. I do it when I am using my phone for browsing etc but do not want to be bothered by those things

 

[jpblock82]

Ive been playing with the battery modes, using maximum battery saver. and data delivery > background data off. Also trying my hardest not to spend excessive time on my phone. I've been getting great battery life... currently at 2days 2hours on battery only and have 40% remaining.

Sent from my DROID3 using DroidForums

 

[fixy2273]

Thanks for all the feedback from everyone. I've been using settings to go in and turn data on and off. That's been serving the purpose I've needed. I too have been playing with settings to try to get more battery life, but I'm still playing with the phone a little too much. :happy: So far, I really like my phone and I'm glad I went with the Drod Bionic!

 

[JSM9872]

No problem fixy, that's why we are all here. Glad you are enjoying your Bionic! I am thinking about getting one myself soon.