Syncing and App killer

[82DMC12]

Hey all,

Just got a Droid... Switched from Alltel to VZW (had been on them for 10+ years) and a Blackberry Pearl 8130. So far, I'm glad I made the switch and haven't looked back!

I pretty much figured the whole phone out by now, but I have two questions.

1. I didn't use Gmail until I got the phone and still don't use it because I have three email addresses already. I only used Gmail to import my contacts and edit their information so it was formatted how I wanted it. If you don't use Gmail, do you really need to have syncing on? Maybe I can turn it on once a month just to back up my contacts? How do I make sure Gmail is backing up my contacts?

Maybe another question is what benefits does Gmail have over an AOL account.

2. What is the function of app killer? On my blackberry, you had to make sure to close apps running in the background or they would eat your battery and slow down the phone. With the droid, I can't tell if anything is running in the background. Is app killer necessary? If so, why isn't it native?

Thanks to anyone who answers these!

Andy

 

[aminaked]

1)if you turn off sync then gmail, contacts, and calendar won't sync. Turn it on and they will sync up. I leave it on because it uses very little battery and CPU.

2)There is a built in task killer. Do not use any automated ones from market and no antivirus either

 

[82DMC12]

1)if you turn off sync then gmail, contacts, and calendar won't sync. Turn it on and they will sync up. I leave it on because it uses very little battery and CPU.

2)There is a built in task killer. Do not use any automated ones from market and no antivirus either

OK I will just leave the sync alone then.

Where is the built-in task killer? I have seen almost every menu in the phone and I haven't run across it.

Thanks,
Andy

 

[AnneDroid]

1)if you turn off sync then gmail, contacts, and calendar won't sync. Turn it on and they will sync up. I leave it on because it uses very little battery and CPU.

2)There is a built in task killer. Do not use any automated ones from market and no antivirus either

OK I will just leave the sync alone then.

Where is the built-in task killer? I have seen almost every menu in the phone and I haven't run across it.

Thanks,
Andy

No need for one because the OS handles the off / on of applications quite well on its own. If you use a task killer to kill them, the OS just starts them up anyway. Do a search for task killer and you'll learn more than you ever wanted to know on the subject.

 

[aminaked]

No need for one because the OS handles the off / on of applications quite well on its own. If you use a task killer to kill them, the OS just starts them up anyway.

Very well said. The built in task killer is part of the OS. It clears up memory as needed. The right way to have a smooth-running droid is to not install stuff that runs on startup in the first place. Some widgets, antivirus, automated task killers, etc.--do you really need this stuff because it's slowing down your phone?

Note that I do use Astro's process viewer. It doesn't run in the background. I run it when I want to and kill tasks if I want to, but even that shouldn't be necessary. There is a process viewer built into the phone but I use Astro for other stuff and Astro allows you to put a link to the process viewer on the home screen so it is quicker to get to than the built in one.

 

[AnneDroid]

No need for one because the OS handles the off / on of applications quite well on its own. If you use a task killer to kill them, the OS just starts them up anyway.

Very well said. The built in task killer is part of the OS. It clears up memory as needed. The right way to have a smooth-running droid is to not install stuff that runs on startup in the first place. Some widgets, antivirus, automated task killers, etc.--do you really need this stuff because it's slowing down your phone?

Note that I do use Astro's process viewer. It doesn't run in the background. I run it when I want to and kill tasks if I want to, but even that shouldn't be necessary. There is a process viewer built into the phone but I use Astro for other stuff and Astro allows you to put a link to the process viewer on the home screen so it is quicker to get to than the built in one.

Oh, I forgot about antivirus, thanks aminaked! No need for antivirus either; in fact, those programs have been known to wreak havoc on the Droid, so save yourself the grief, and just avoid them.