Related
I have a Holux GPSlim 236 bluetooth GPS receiver that I want to use with my GS2 when I go mountain biking instead of the internal GPS as that would drain the battery too quickly.
I've successfully paired the receiver with the GS2 but none of the apps (Tracker, GPS Test, Maps, etc) actually "see" the external gps receiver and just display no lock and don't show any satellites. Switching on the internal gps receiver makes everything work as expected.
Is there anything special I need to do with the external receiver and pairing it to the GS2? Is there a setting buried in Android somewhere that directs all GPS apps to use an external receiver? On the old WM6 platform you could choose different com ports for the receiver but I see no options in android for that.
Never mind. It appears you need an app (yet again!) to do this. I installed blue4droid and it works now. Why isn't this functionality part of the core Android OS?
sunseaker said:
Never mind. It appears you need an app (yet again!) to do this. I installed blue4droid and it works now. Why isn't this functionality part of the core Android OS?
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Very few people ask for this feature (first time I've seen a request). Your need is very specific, are you sure you will save much battery with a BT-link constantly running?
Older platforms like Symbian S60 and WMP6 supports this quite obviously since this was the only way to get GPS on many older smartphones, but on Android almost all phones have GPS from the beginning.
This seems like good example to me where a dedicated app is better than making the standard Android OS more complicated.
Please remember that more or less every app in the market fulfills purpose for a certain number of people, that doesn't mean that all these apps should be included in the OS...
I hear what you're saying but I'd be surprised if BT used as much battery as the GPS. I took the GS2 out for a test yesterday on a short 1.5 hour mountain bike ride with the internal GPS on and it drained 50% of my battery. A lot of my rides are usually a lot longer in the 4-5 hour range so the battery will never last.
I assume BT will use a lot less power but I have yet to test it which I'll be doing in the next few days.
As for it not being a common feature request, I guess that you are right when taking into account all the Android devices around but it's actually quite commonly asked for in the cycling and running world where you want to track your path and other parameters during your training. the phone batteries just cannot cope with powering the internal GPS for more than a few hours.
I don't mind using some apps to enhance the OS but I just feel with Android it seems expected that you need to bolt apps on to achieve what normally is basic functionality. Also a lot of the apps require permissions to parts of the phone that have nothing to do with the functions the app is providing. I'll concede that perhaps in this case an app would is suitable than having the functionality in the core OS.
sunseaker said:
I hear what you're saying but I'd be surprised if BT used as much battery as the GPS. I took the GS2 out for a test yesterday on a short 1.5 hour mountain bike ride with the internal GPS on and it drained 50% of my battery. A lot of my rides are usually a lot longer in the 4-5 hour range so the battery will never last.
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Click to collapse
50% in 1.5h sounds a lot.
I don't think this is because of the GPS, what app do you use to log the position? Does it keep the display on all the time?
I haven't checked battery when I've been logging that careful because it hasn't been a problem, but I can see that I have a 3.5 hours log in my track-list and I remember that I checked the map a lot as well during that hike. I'm pretty sure I wasn't close to draining the battery.
Modern GPS-chip doesn't use that much battery, people are overexaggerating the drain from GPS-chip, probaly because of problems with older chip designs. But a lot of software that uses GPS, e g car navigation system are often huge battery hogs though.
I've read that this is the chip inside SGS2:
http://www.csr.com/products/25/sirfstariv-gsd4t
It seems to use 8mW with 1hz update. So the battery in SGS2 can run only the GPS chip for (4V*1650mAh)/8 = 825hours...
So I believe the battery problem you have is caused by something else, so adding an external GPS might not solve anything at all.
Hmm, that throws a different light on it. I'm using Run.GPS for my tracks. I'll have to monitor this more closely and try a different app for comparison. What did you use for tracking your hike?
The app isn't keeping the screen on and I physically turn it off with the power button anyway. The app is also set not to illuminate the screen back light although I don't think it makes any difference with the AMOLED screen.
I'll try a comparison with the external GPS and see how much difference there is to try establish if the app is at fault. I expect tracking using the external GPS to use significantly less battery so if battery drain is still high then it points most likely to being the app at fault - we'll see.
Is there any app that can list the various apps / processes that are running and show how much cpu is being used? I want to see how much cpu power the tracking software is consuming.
sunseaker said:
Hmm, that throws a different light on it. I'm using Run.GPS for my tracks. I'll have to monitor this more closely and try a different app for comparison. What did you use for tracking your hike?
The app isn't keeping the screen on and I physically turn it off with the power button anyway. The app is also set not to illuminate the screen back light although I don't think it makes any difference with the AMOLED screen.
I'll try a comparison with the external GPS and see how much difference there is to try establish if the app is at fault. I expect tracking using the external GPS to use significantly less battery so if battery drain is still high then it points most likely to being the app at fault - we'll see.
Is there any app that can list the various apps / processes that are running and show how much cpu is being used? I want to see how much cpu power the tracking software is consuming.
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Click to collapse
I'm using my "tracks", it is an pretty good (but simple) app, but it does not do any GPS filtering, så especially data like max speed tend to be incorrect.
There are definately app's to check processes, but I don't know which is the best, I believe System Tuner Pro is good:
https://market.android.com/details?id=ccc71.pmw.pro&feature=search_result
I tried Tracker but preferred a more cycling specific app.
Thanks I'll look at that System Tuner app.
I am really starting to loose my patience with the prime, I have had it for a week now and its just been a very a difficult ride so far. Coming from the original iPad, I never had any problem with it. For some reason, I lost 20% of my battery just surfing the web last night, now I did not view any videos, I was just reading several online newpapers. 20% in an hour !!! what the hell is going on here.
Can sombody recommend me a decent battery monitoring app pleaase? otherwise, this thing is going back and then I will have to beg Apple to take me back.
How many things do you have syncing? Cutting down on that saved me a lot of drain. Also the app you use depends on what you're looking for.
Where's my Droid power seems quite useless on the prime
Better battery stats is good for finding apps with wakelocks
Current widget is good for tracking the current your tablet was using but I'm not sure if it works on he prime
Good luck!
Sent from my Inspire 4G using xda premium
lucky6877 said:
I am really starting to loose my patience with the prime, I have had it for a week now and its just been a very a difficult ride so far. Coming from the original iPad, I never had any problem with it. For some reason, I lost 20% of my battery just surfing the web last night, now I did not view any videos, I was just reading several online newpapers. 20% in an hour !!! what the hell is going on here.
Can sombody recommend me a decent battery monitoring app pleaase? otherwise, this thing is going back and then I will have to beg Apple to take me back.
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Click to collapse
What brightness was your screen set to? Did you have SuperIPS turned on? 20% seems excessive but having the brightness cranked up can noticeably impact battery life, and using SuperIPS nearly triples the drain.
FWIW I keep my screen brightness to about 30% most of the time and I surf the web for about an hour or two a day and I have been getting 3-4 days of battery life or more. I leave the tablet turned on all the time as well, and last night after 3 days I plugged it in because the battery had finally reached 50%.
lucky6877 said:
I am really starting to loose my patience with the prime, I have had it for a week now and its just been a very a difficult ride so far. Coming from the original iPad, I never had any problem with it. For some reason, I lost 20% of my battery just surfing the web last night, now I did not view any videos, I was just reading several online newpapers. 20% in an hour !!! what the hell is going on here.
Can sombody recommend me a decent battery monitoring app pleaase? otherwise, this thing is going back and then I will have to beg Apple to take me back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Battery Drain Analyzer is good if you want to see an ongoing indication of how much battery is being drained per hour. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.WazaBe.android.BatteryDrain&feature=search_result
However, in order to characterize your battery use as good or bad, we'd need to know the brightness you were at (as others have mentioned), whether you're running Flash on the sites you were visiting, what performance mode you have the Prime running in, etc. Too many variables.
I'll add that it's difficult to compare an iOS device and an Android device in terms of battery use, because the Android device is likely doing much more in the background. There's a tradeoff between functionality and battery life (and between functionality and simplicity, etc.), and of course in such an equation Apple ALWAYS opts for reduced functionality. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's definitely Apple's approach and has to be factored into any comparison.
I do burn about 15%/hour when browsing, on 30% brightness or so and in Balanced performance mode. I've found the Prime to be excellent in battery use everywhere BUT browsing--video about 10%/hour, email/ebook reading/etc. bout 7.5%/hour, etc.
Thank you all for your comments. My brightness level is set to 20% and gps, bluetooth all set to off. I am now using auto airplane mode app and it has significantly improved the battery life. I am also now using a fantastic app called android assistant and i spotted services that were running like google+ and google voice search which were consuming a significant portion from my battery.
Links for apps i mentioned:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.advancedprocessmanager&hl=en
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...vbS5ibG9nc3BvdC5kb25rdW4zLmF1dG9haXJwbGFuZSJd
I clicked the thanks button for every response.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
The best battery monitoring tool I've found is Battery Monitor Widgit.
And I would highly recommend Tasker over any app that is dedicated to turning a single function on or off. If, that is, you are willing to learn to set it up. You can do things like have it set screen brightness to max when you start YouTube and set it back down to your preferred setting when you exit YouTube, turn WiFi or GPS on or off based on certain criteria, etc, etc, etc.
A simple free alternative to Tasker that I use is AutomateIt. The most rules are set on my phone to turn antennas on/off and manipulate volumes while I'm at work, driving, or at the gym. If you're looking to do more complex thing, Tasker is probably the better alternative.
Col.Kernel said:
The best battery monitoring tool I've found is Battery Monitor Widgit.
And I would highly recommend Tasker over any app that is dedicated to turning a single function on or off. If, that is, you are willing to learn to set it up. You can do things like have it set screen brightness to max when you start YouTube and set it back down to your preferred setting when you exit YouTube, turn WiFi or GPS on or off based on certain criteria, etc, etc, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 for tasker, make life very easy once you set it up....
Col.Kernel said:
The best battery monitoring tool I've found is Battery Monitor Widgit.
And I would highly recommend Tasker over any app that is dedicated to turning a single function on or off. If, that is, you are willing to learn to set it up. You can do things like have it set screen brightness to max when you start YouTube and set it back down to your preferred setting when you exit YouTube, turn WiFi or GPS on or off based on certain criteria, etc, etc, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the tip about Android Assistant. It seems very useful!
However I would get rid of Auto Airplane mode, you don't need it.
Instead go into "Settings > Wifi > Advanced (top right menu)" and change the "Keep WiFi on when asleep" setting to "only when plugged-in (recommended)" or "never."
What this does is that any time the screen is off, but you are not currently downloading a file or app, the WiFi will be suspended until you turn the screen back on.
You can turn GPS off from the settings if you never plan on using it, and it doesn't make sense having an extra app running in the background that just duplicates functionality already found in the OS.
I've decided... almost. I want to buy hox+ international version, but my concern is running endomondo on it. I use it often on 9-10h bicycle trips.
So: screen mostly off (95% of time), power saving on, gps on, data transmision on (endomondo requires it), few minutes of maps checks, maybe some music?
So yes, it is all about battery life.
Are here Endomondo Sports Tracker on HOX+ users? :highfive:
korc said:
I've decided... almost. I want to buy hox+ international version, but my concern is running endomondo on it. I use it often on 9-10h bicycle trips.
So: screen mostly off (95% of time), power saving on, gps on, data transmision on (endomondo requires it), few minutes of maps checks, maybe some music?
So yes, it is all about battery life.
Are here Endomondo Sports Tracker on HOX+ users? :highfive:
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Click to collapse
I use runtastic for the same purposes and more or less in the same way as you just described. It gets through a cycling day no problem. Mine is rooted and I'm using Ordroid 4.0 which provides excellent battery life but even stock is fine. I also have a Nexus 4 and I can guarantee you that battery, audio, and camera aren't even comparable to the One X+
PinoPano said:
I use runtastic for the same purposes and more or less in the same way as you just described. It gets through a cycling day no problem. Mine is rooted and I'm using Ordroid 4.0 which provides excellent battery life but even stock is fine. I also have a Nexus 4 and I can guarantee you that battery, audio, and camera aren't even comparable to the One X+
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you
korc said:
I've decided... almost. I want to buy hox+ international version, but my concern is running endomondo on it. I use it often on 9-10h bicycle trips.
So: screen mostly off (95% of time), power saving on, gps on, data transmision on (endomondo requires it), few minutes of maps checks, maybe some music?
So yes, it is all about battery life.
Are here Endomondo Sports Tracker on HOX+ users? :highfive:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Endomondo Pro all the time as my work out app. The HOX+ can handle a full day tracking without problem. I recently used mine on an 11 hour cycle, used 3G along the way, a couple of calls and sms and still had 30% left when I got home. I think the battery life on this phone is pretty good.
Odp: [Q] Endomondo on HOX+
Another good news, thank you.
on a further note Endomondo doesn't need data to be on to log workouts. I rarely turn data on and sometimes I even put the phone in airplane mode if I really need to save battery
Can anyone of you, fit 2 owners, submit first impressions?
I am mostly interested in how notifications are working, are they seamless of the phone brand (same set of features no matter of phone being Samsung or not)...
Second thing is battery ofc, for instance, can it last 4 days (GPS free), with notifications turned on, normal usage?
I Like the device, own first generation, but use it with open fit app, and I am missing mostly notifications part as it was intended when using with great fit manager...
THANKS...
UPDATE: There's great thread on this device already, that if I knew existed, I'd hardly started this one, but the location of it is questionable, as I am not sure if gf2 was ever advertised as s7e accessory...
Hi.
See review from user Pilz, here at XDA:
[URL="http://forum.xda-developers.com/s7-edge/accessories/review-gear-fit-2-t3396090/page5#post67341876[/URL]"
I have Samsung S6 Edge, smooth connection without problem, also with wireless Energy Sistem headphones. Battery life, 4 days only without using it By me it is between 2-3 days.
74Marek said:
Hi.
See review from user Pilz, here at XDA:
[URL="http://forum.xda-developers.com/s7-edge/accessories/review-gear-fit-2-t3396090/page5#post67341876[/URL]"
I have Samsung S6 Edge, smooth connection without problem, also with wireless Energy Sistem headphones. Battery life, 4 days only without using it By me it is between 2-3 days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2-3 days is good result for 200 mA battery
agent_monthy said:
2-3 days is good result for 200 mA battery
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Click to collapse
Not good, but satisfying By the way, charging is very comfortable with original charger. So, in technical, hardware side, I am satisfyied wit Gear Fit 2. Annoying is only buggy software.
Good, hopefully they implemented reply by template for both call and SMS notifications, find these options really useful...
But, 2 day battery is a deal breaker to me... We'll see...
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
djurkash said:
But, 2 day battery is a deal breaker to me... We'll see...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After second charging i've got 18% (82% remains) for 15 hours of usage without training session.
pavelbor said:
After second charging i've got 18% (82% remains) for 15 hours of usage without training session.
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Click to collapse
Ok, report here when you get some constant results..
djurkash said:
Ok, report here when you get some constant results..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BTW, first charging (not sure, was it fully charged?) lasts 2 full days. Used hardly - few trail "trainings" (~1hr each) with GPS, few workout session (~1hr each), played with settings, listened music, tryed some watchfaces.
2 days max, not with brighteness on 10
after 6, almost 7 days of 'testing' up till today
djurkash said:
Can anyone of you, fit 2 owners, submit first impressions?
I am mostly interested in how notifications are working, are they seamless of the phone brand (same set of features no matter of phone being Samsung or not)...
Second thing is battery ofc, for instance, can it last 4 days (GPS free), with notifications turned on, normal usage?
I Like the device, own first generation, but use it with open fit app, and I am missing mostly notifications part as it was intended when using with great fit manager...
THANKS...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's my quick and dirty review so far. My prior devices: Fitbit, Polar Loop, Garmin Vivosmart, Garmin VSHR, Microsoft Band 2
Hardware: Very nice design. Well put together (doesn't feel cheap), screen is gorgeous. Band is comfortable and I don't even realize I'm wearing it. Waterproofing is nice. Has magnetic charging and charges at 1.32%/min. One con is that they don't include a loop on the band to lock it in place - I've had it pop off while brushing my wrist against things. Heart rate is accurate enough for RHR calculations. Had to buy a loop (18mm size) for $5.
Software: Beta-like. Buggy. Calories aren't calculated correctly. There are some decent apps (caffeine and water) and the one's there do have good UI/GFX. Notifications are easy to read and work bidirectional (an issue I had with the MS Band 2, where reading it on the phone didn't sync the read status on the band, annoying). Stair tracking is finicky and prone to inaccuracies.
Battery Life: I just logged a test of 91% usage over 68hrs. No GPS & wifi off. Display brightness at 5. Bluetooth on w/ notifications. 1hr worth of workout w/heart rate monitoring. Sleep tracked. That puts it at about an estimate 76hr total time if I don't use power-save mode. That's worlds better than the 50hrs I got with my Band2.
Verdict: It's a great piece of hardware. But buy it only if you feel they'll get the software bugs ironed out and not just abandonware it. I haven't used the original GearFit, so I don't know if they kept working on that.
What I Hope They Add in Software:
+ User voice or feedback submit option.
+ Invert Rotate-On, for wearing it inside the wrist.
+ Weightlifting/Interval workout option on band.
+ Ability to configure power-save mode to automatically turn on. Right now it asks permission at around 10%. Maybe even allow the user to select what it does (ie: grayscale, dim screen, etc.)
+ Automatic goal scaling
+ Inactivity meter (a few bands have this, it's a nice feature).
+ Ability to temporarily go full brightness on screen with extra tap or click. I have mine set to 5, would love to be able to just double-tap it to boost it for when in daylight. I don't believe it has a light sensor.
I'd recommend buying it with a protection plan. I got mine for $175+$30 at BB for 2years no questions replacement. Only reason I did it is because these bands are often made to the cheapest pricing and prone to failure. In fact, I traded my MS Band 2 straight across for this (also paid $175+$30 for that) because I had gone through 4 of those in 6 months.
JUst got mine this morning...Super Comfortable, Display is Awesome...Notifications work great with my V10... I am hoping more apps get developed this time around.
I picked it up a week ago (release day, the 10th), but just returned it. I never return things, and I hated returning this.
My experiences:
GREAT:
-Easily the most comfortable fitting device I've ever had on my wrist, and with no clip, it doesn't scrape desks and laptop palm wrests, or is even noticeable as a lump on the wrist (complete opposite of my experience with my wife's Microsoft Band 2).
-Screen is incredible, indoors, and not bad outside
-Swipe navigation is smooth and responsive
-The display wake gesture was pretty solid and responsive
-The charger is awesome. Pulls device into place via magnet perfectly and works the same regardless of direction, the display shows time and charge, right side up both ways. Mount is stable and low-centered to sit on desk firmly, without being oversized or heavy. Charges extremely fast
-GPS was dead on each day of my 42 mile daily bike commute, in comparison to my Wahoo ELEMNT cycling computer's GPS
MEH-ISH:
-The notifications were good, but limited details which required I go to the phone often to know what it was about. I understand it's a band and not a full blown smartwatch, so not really complaining
-There wasn't much you could do with it as far as apps, but it's new and I'm sure that will change soon.
-The auto-sleep detection didn't work well for me. If I watched TV before bed, it would count it as sleep, and if I got up in the middle of the night to pee and let the dogs out, it would end the sleep session, sometimes ignoring me going back to bed, other times counting them as separate sleeps. If I went into S Health to manually edit it, it was extremely buggy, wouldn't save, would lose the data, ect. I gave up trying. Since there was no manual sleep start/stop like you can with exercise, you have to go with the auto-detect.
BATTERY:
I ran mostly default settings as far as alerts/notifications 24/7 heart rate, ect. My 42 mile daily commute (~2 hrs) I would manually start the cycling mode with GPS and heart rate (ebike, video of my commute) lol and from that, after 24 hours, it would be down to around half battery. Each morning I would have a cup of coffee at my desk and charge it (<20 minutes). I'm the kind of person that needs habits or I forget. So, even if the device lasted 5 days, I would prefer to stick it on the charger at the same time every day to top it off as a routine. Don't get me wrong, I'd love it if it lasted a week, or a month+, if I need to travel, but as long as it easily lasts a day, I can be good with that, considering the fast charging. The Microsoft band 2 takes 1hr+ from my experience.
NOPE:
-The stopper, for me, was the locked down data for exercise. Heart rate data couldn't be viewed in the 1 second format anywhere but in a very basic graph on the S Health app and on the device. It doesn't even carry to Google Fit. Even though there's Strava sharing, export options, ect, it ONLY allows GPS and time stamp data out. Even in developer mode of the phone and app, I could only see the 24 hour heart rate samples, and random samples during the activity, nothing even close to the 1 second data, though better than the Microsoft Band's 1 minute heart rate data. Since my S7 doesn't have root, I gave up trying to get at the data.
DISCOVERY:
-Having bought it from Best Buy, I exchanged it for the Vivoactive hr. HOWEVER, after exchanging it, I noticed a Samsung rep in the store so I went to him to say how much I loved the Gear Fit 2, but I HAD to have access to the data, so returned it. He said something like: "Very soon there's a Tizen update coming that will open that data up via an API for the major fitness platforms, including Strava, who is already set up to receive that data once we update".
-Well, crap, wish I had known that before. The Vivoactive hr display is HORRIBLE, I have the brightness cranked and a custom, bold, white watch face to help me try and see it in dim areas. In the sun it's fine, because it reflects the light to see the numbers, but in the dark it's extremely hard for me to see. Also, the notifications are more like annoyifications because they keep re-notifying even after being dismissed, randomly.
i saw a photo in hg notification. good enought for me
My thoughts so far
From a hardware perspective, I am a big fan. I find it to be very comfortable, the screen is gorgeous, and the whole thing is very responsive. I would like more battery - I am only getting a day out of mine so far, but that does involve about an hour of GPS from my bike commute along with an abnormal amount of use, as it is a new toy.
From a software perspective, it still needs work. I have not had it autodetect my workouts yet, and GPS occasionally fails to pick up a signal. Notifications in general are spotty. I will get most text messages on my wrist, but I can't get any alarm clock program to work. My main interface issue is that it is rather common for a swipe to be picked up as a press, especially if I start the swipe on the screen as opposed to off of the edge. I'm not enamored with any of the available watch faces, and I would like an always on mode.
Personally, I have no issues with S Health, but my fitness tracking was very fragmented beforehand. My previous tracker was a Basis Peak, which was locked into its own bubble anyway. So far, I am still doing double tracking of workouts with Endomondo, but once I am satisfied that the GPS will be more consistent (or that automatic tracking will work), I will drop that.
All in all, I am happy, but would like to see a few updates.
Can someone compare it vs. Fit1 (I mean owners of both devices), I.e. notifications, factory apps...
I'm still getting 2.5-3 days of battery life after cycling through it 2x now. I have 8% left after 70 hours of being on with GPS enabled; you can read my OP for more details on that, but I'm happy with it so far.
Pilz said:
I'm still getting 2.5-3 days of battery life after cycling through it 2x now. I have 8% left after 70 hours of being on with GPS enabled; you can read my OP for more details on that, but I'm happy with it so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really great and thorough test, I've added to the op of this thread, hope you don't mind...
djurkash said:
Really great and thorough test, I've added to the op of this thread, hope you don't mind...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's fine with me; I also reviewed the original Gear Fit (I'm surprised the OP is still on the second page) if your curious to see how much it has changed. I managed to eek out 4 days of battery with the original if I recall correctly. I turned on power saving mode earlier today (about 5 hours ago) and it has really helped my battery last this last stretch before it dies. I just hit 72 hours (3 days) of solid usage and I still have 7% left thanks to power saving mode for the past few hours. I think anyone can manage 2-3 days of use if they follow the way I used the device, or any alternative that allows you to use the Gear Fit 2 without limiting it.
Original Gear Fit Review
Pilz said:
That's fine with me; I also reviewed the original Gear Fit (I'm surprised the OP is still on the second page) if your curious to see how much it has changed. I managed to eek out 4 days of battery with the original if I recall correctly. I turned on power saving mode earlier today (about 5 hours ago) and it has really helped my battery last this last stretch before it dies. I just hit 72 hours (3 days) of solid usage and I still have 7% left thanks to power saving mode for the past few hours. I think anyone can manage 2-3 days of use if they follow the way I used the device, or any alternative that allows you to use the Gear Fit 2 without limiting it.
Original Gear Fit Review
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Yes, remember your review of gf1, now, as you've mentioned it..
I am using my third gf1 for 2 years now, tried some wear devices, sw3 was the closest to the level I wanted (although I am fan of Sony devices, damn, that thing was so ugly), fr230 was good from noon wear devices, but always coming back to gf1, and the simplicity and looks it had...
I will wait for few months to see how the development rolls out, and also whether will it be accessible in my country via official channels, but I am already pretty sure gf2 to be on my wrist eventually...
djurkash said:
Yes, remember your review of gf1, now, as you've mentioned it..
I am using my third gf1 for 2 years now, tried some wear devices, sw3 was the closest to the level I wanted (although I am fan of Sony devices, damn, that thing was so ugly), fr230 was good from noon wear devices, but always coming back to gf1, and the simplicity and looks it had...
I will wait for few months to see how the development rolls out, and also whether will it be accessible in my country via official channels, but I am already pretty sure gf2 to be on my wrist eventually...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is a huge improvement of the first generation GF even though I sold mine a while back. I read through my initial review of the GF, and wow has it changed! I tried a few Android Wear Watches. I'm enjoying the GF2 so far without any real issues which is a good sign. Let me know if you have any questions.
I want to know how everyone else uses their phone because people that call and text all day with minimal display settings might get decent battery life out of the battery in the Note 8, but I am finding that the way I use the phone..... Multiple email accounts, some android games here and there, various IT Tools to make sure people at work aren't connecting un-authorized devices to the network, etc. Basically I am using my phone all day.
And I am not able to keep the phone plugged into a charger all day. Then I will get responses like use the wireless charger. Well wireless charging is wonderful if you don't need a charged phone with you at all times. Wireless charging is slow and the phone still needs to be on the wireless charging pad. Not on me or in my hand all day. All wireless charging does is keep people from damaging the USB port by yanking the charging cable.
So in my case this battery thing is becoming a serious problem.
How do you use your phone and is the battery fine for what you do?
I am on web sites, playing games, listening to Pandora, messaging, and a few phone calls, some email, and downloading apps. Usually get over 24 hours a charge and over 5 hrs of screen on time.
I dont play any games, mainly forums and websites and news apps, BBC, RT, Press etc I dont watch youtube on it either much. I get 7 hours screen on time, wifi, bluetooth, AOD off.Also some bloat disabled. USA TMO version. black wallpapers also.
Snowleopard1900 said:
I want to know how everyone else uses their phone because people that call and text all day with minimal display settings might get decent battery life out of the battery in the Note 8, but I am finding that the way I use the phone..... Multiple email accounts, some android games here and there, various IT Tools to make sure people at work aren't connecting un-authorized devices to the network, etc. Basically I am using my phone all day.
And I am not able to keep the phone plugged into a charger all day. Then I will get responses like use the wireless charger. Well wireless charging is wonderful if you don't need a charged phone with you at all times. Wireless charging is slow and the phone still needs to be on the wireless charging pad. Not on me or in my hand all day. All wireless charging does is keep people from damaging the USB port by yanking the charging cable.
So in my case this battery thing is becoming a serious problem.
How do you use your phone and is the battery fine for what you do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm constantly using my phone throughout the day for both work and personal. Have my exchange email setup to push notifications (I get a lot of emails) and gmail synced. All my social media accounts (FB, IG, Snap, Twitter) are synced as well. I can usually get through the whole day before charging the phone to 100% before bed around 11pm then taking off the charger. Depending on if you use the features you may want to turn off features that require a sensor. Since I'm not sure what exactly your setting are, here's how mines setup:
- At work, wifi-off and bluetooth on. At home bluetooth off, wifi-on
- location is high accuracy all the time
- AOD is on from 7am-11pm
- I have "block accidental touches" on which turns off AOD when in pocket, etc.
- I have edge panels on but edge lighting off
- turn off "nearby device scanning"
- In advanced features, I have the following settings off since I don't use (and could help batter since they require a sensor to activate): smart stay, direct call, smart alert, easy mute,
There's probably others I'm missing but I recommend going through each and every setting in the menu including sub-menus and looking over everything. You'd be surprised how many different settings there are and features that you may never use that could be using up some juice. Hope this helps!
djlee0314 said:
I'm constantly using my phone throughout the day for both work and personal. Have my exchange email setup to push notifications (I get a lot of emails) and gmail synced. All my social media accounts (FB, IG, Snap, Twitter) are synced as well. I can usually get through the whole day before charging the phone to 100% before bed around 11pm then taking off the charger. Depending on if you use the features you may want to turn off features that require a sensor. Since I'm not sure what exactly your setting are, here's how mines setup:
- At work, wifi-off and bluetooth on. At home bluetooth off, wifi-on
- location is high accuracy all the time
- AOD is on from 7am-11pm
- I have "block accidental touches" on which turns off AOD when in pocket, etc.
- I have edge panels on but edge lighting off
- turn off "nearby device scanning"
- In advanced features, I have the following settings off since I don't use (and could help batter since they require a sensor to activate): smart stay, direct call, smart alert, easy mute,
There's probably others I'm missing but I recommend going through each and every setting in the menu including sub-menus and looking over everything. You'd be surprised how many different settings there are and features that you may never use that could be using up some juice. Hope this helps!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting observation, aod ON in conjunction with accidental touch ON with my leather folio wallet case that I use ( edge clock ) works a treat as it shuts down the aod when I close the case.
I noticed this as I was telling my wife she should turn her AOD off as she has a wallet case also, she duly told me to bugger off.
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I've had no luck in improving my battery life until I enabled Data Saver (Settings > Connections > Data Usage). I went in and enabled a few apps I wanted to run in the background but overall didn't need much enabled. I went from 16hr on battery, 3.5hr SOT to about 28hr, 5hr SOT
Battery life has been pretty good but you have to control how some apps work when you're not near a charger.
The biggest battery drains are obviously the screen but often overlooked is data sync.
If you're using your phone to take pictures syncing with Dropbox, One Drive, Google Photos really can drain the battery quickly.
If I'm out and about without a charger I shut off automatic sync and might use the Mid power saving settings and haven't had problems 10+ hours.
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Thanks for the suggestions Some of them, I will try, but others, I am not willing to give up. Things like full resolution display; Yes I can lower the screen resolution to save power, but shutting features off like leave me with, well, something that is not a Note 8. I would have stuck with my Note 3 if the display wasn't important. I use bluetooth all the time, wifi, not so much and never use NFC so I can shut 2 of the 3 antenna's off. AOD is on, and accidental touches is on.
Go into the battery settings and see which apps are using the most battery. Most apps sync and depending on how often and how much data can affect battery life. Putting some apps to sleep can really help.
T-Mobile sometimes suffers from weak cell signals, when that happens it can really be a battery hog.
It's a learning process on finding the right balance for your usage and battery life.
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I started using Naptime and 2 days of battery on a single charge on the 1st day since then it has been pretty steady. As of now at midnight my battery is at 54 percent and I have been using the phone all day.
My battery life
I have always had 2-3 hours of SoT until I did 2 things. I deleted the FB app and started using the mobile site and I installed accubattery. This was my usage today....Keep in Mind, I have accubattery tell me my phone is fully charged when it hits 80% to save battery cycles. I did plug the phone into my laptop to transfer the pictures over to it hence the blip at the end but it was just long enough to copy the photos, upload them to tinypic and post, etc.
Definitely missing the battery life from my mate 9. Gonna take awhile to get used to that. Only had the phone for a few days, so hoping it settles in more.
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