Motorola Droid

[ATB]

Could someone tell me how software updates worked? Are they pushed automatically or do you have to go searching for them?  Oh and will the Droid be able to handle all updates to come or will there be a point where they stop supporting it in the near future?

[LoneStarSpur]

Could someone tell me how software updates worked? Are they pushed automatically or do you have to go searching for them?  Oh and will the Droid be able to handle all updates to come or will there be a point where they stop supporting it in the near future?

Updates are pushed out with the user's consent.

The Moto Droid is still a top-seller and I can't imagine them stopping updates on it any time soon.

[Eco-Logic]

There is an update schedule for Motorola out there, and it states the Droid will receive Froyo by the 3rd quarter.

I can't wait for Froyo on my Evo!

Any interest in an Android App/Game recommendation thread?  There are some great apps out there.

[th'FOOL]

having gifs play in the browsers is awesome now.

What does that have to do with Flash?

[MonkeyFinger]

So, I guess I'd either need to root my HTC Incredible for FroYo, that or... wait. Any word on when HTC might port that? All I can find is "Q2 2010", that or mention of August. I'll guess we'll see.

[LoneStarSpur]

Any interest in an Android App/Game recommendation thread?  There are some great apps out there.

I would for sure.

[Destructor]

So, I guess I'd either need to root my HTC Incredible for FroYo, that or... wait. Any word on when HTC might port that? All I can find is "Q2 2010", that or mention of August. I'll guess we'll see.

The same timespan for all of the other Android phones that are 2.2 upgradable - soon, or when it's done, or maybe.

[Eco-Logic]

Any interest in an Android App/Game recommendation thread?  There are some great apps out there.

I would for sure.

Here you go:
http://www.gamingtrend.com/forums/index.php?topic=40316.0

[ATB]

This is a test of the physical keyboard on the store demo version.  Not so bad actually.ccCccCCCC

NOT sure about the shift feature...but that will come in time...

[ATB]

 :ninja2:Rhisaa is a rearrange.   Of rtewvirruaal kwyqboarsq


Wow I typed that "this is a test of the virtual keyboard'... didn't go so well...

[Destructor]

You'll also get used to auto-correct. I know I've had it punch out some very strange things sometimes. Slow down slightly and make sure you're pushing the space button. My biggest flaw right off the start.

[ATB]

Within 20 minutes of activating the phone I've been getting messages from random phone numbers and zmail.

Halp?

[Destructor]

Within 20 minutes of activating the phone I've been getting messages from random phone numbers and zmail.

Halp?

Did you get a new phone number when you got the phone? If so, it sounds like that number was used for spam sending in the past.

[ATB]

Nope. Same number.

I did download two aps though. Virus?

[ATB]

How does one save locations on the map for navigation?

[LoneStarSpur]

How does one save locations on the map for navigation?

On the Incredible you have to 'star' them. Long press on the map location, press on the box that pops up with the address and then press the star in the upper right on the screen that comes up. I think it's pretty much the same on the Moto Droid.

[kratz]

This is probably something you know, but it occurred to me that you might not, so just in case...

You know if you rotate the droid sideways, the virtual keyboard rotates sideways to be like the physical keyboard, and it much easier to type on, right?

[ATB]

This is probably something you know, but it occurred to me that you might not, so just in case...

You know if you rotate the droid sideways, the virtual keyboard rotates sideways to be like the physical keyboard, and it much easier to type on, right?

I discovered that last night

Is it possible that i'm getting text spam from downloading an ap?  I'm at 20+ messages in 24 hrs.

[kratz]

I think i *may* have gotten one spam message ever... so that's weird... maybe ask the verizon folks what is up?

Speaking of turning the droid on its side... get the bubble level app!

[ATB]

When you search for something on the web, you can touch the phone number and auto dial it or add it to a contact.

Is there any way to do that with addresses?

Also, when setting calendar appointments, for the where field, is there a way to select an address to make it part of the appointment...then ideally you'd be able to navigate to that address. is that possible?

[Morgul]

First, I was dying for a iphone, but borrowing a buddies, I couldnt even make a call from my driveway.  I am stuck on verizon.

Then, I ditched blackberry for the droid.   Outside the first week, I have never used the physical keyboard at all.  I never want to use a physical keyboard again.  Touch rulez.

I am very interested in a app/game thread...   So far games I have tried on the droid pretty much suck.

I love google navigation, has saved my bacon from going to the Smithsonian to finding my daughters socker game.   Google Nav is my girl!

There, that about sums it up for me.  That new droid X looks awesome, but I cannot upgrade till next summer.  ugh

[Morgul]

I think i *may* have gotten one spam message ever... so that's weird... maybe ask the verizon folks what is up?

Speaking of turning the droid on its side... get the bubble level app!

Yea, I have never got a spam text I do not think..  I have the same phone number I had two blackberrys ago too..  So dunno about that. 

[Morgul]

Only thing I am missing is a good facebook app...  The one on my blackberries was awesome..

The one on the droid sucks.   When are they going to catch up in that area?

[ATB]

When I turn on the ap killer, there always seems to be aps running that i didn't start
 MP3 store, corporate calendar, voice dialer, voice search, gallery etc...

Dilio?

[SkyLander]

When I turn on the ap killer, there always seems to be aps running that i didn't start
 MP3 store, corporate calendar, voice dialer, voice search, gallery etc...

Dilio?

Standard keep alive things that android does, voice dialer and search are always on. You can create filters I believe if you are using Taskpanel that should keep things killed.

[ATB]

Power meter widget you can put on the home page which adds a power bar to it home page> Menu> Add> Widgets>Power control. What do the two arrows pointing into each other represent? They look like two refresh arrows.  I turn it off and on and it doesn't seem to do anything...

[Destructor]

When I turn on the ap killer, there always seems to be aps running that i didn't start
 MP3 store, corporate calendar, voice dialer, voice search, gallery etc...

Dilio?

Standard keep alive things that android does, voice dialer and search are always on. You can create filters I believe if you are using Taskpanel that should keep things killed.

I'm highly against a task killer of some sort. Android will dynamically remove things from memory as you need it, and generally if it's not running, it's pulling next to no power, so why waste the CPU cycles to keep killing things Android wants to run?

[kratz]

If that were actually true, then I would agree with you, Destructor, but it's not... routinely I find things like the GPS and the camera running, and it will kill your battery super fast.  Sadly the task killer is very necessary.  Droid IS smart enough to restart things you need (and the task killer is smart enough to remember the things you said not to kill the last time you killed stuff).

[pr0ner]

 

[kratz]

What is that in reference to?

[pr0ner]

What is that in reference to?

SL's constant string of questions.

[ATB]

What is that in reference to?

SL's constant string of questions.

Your presence isn't needed here.

[walTer]

To be fair, the apps don't come with a manual....so there isn't one to read.

[pr0ner]

To be fair, the apps don't come with a manual....so there isn't one to read.

A lot of those questions don't seem to be about apps, though.  And this comes from someone who's had a Droid since launch.

[Destructor]

If that were actually true, then I would agree with you, Destructor, but it's not... routinely I find things like the GPS and the camera running, and it will kill your battery super fast.  Sadly the task killer is very necessary.  Droid IS smart enough to restart things you need (and the task killer is smart enough to remember the things you said not to kill the last time you killed stuff).

Huh. And here I've been monitoring my battery usage over the last few days with System Monitor (paid version highly recommended BTW) on my Evo (which is practically the exact same specs as the Droid), and I have never seen things like GPS and the camera app turn themselves on unless I've told it to do so. The biggest 'issue' I've seen as far as the battery goes is that the Slacker Radio app likes to partially turn itself on (using a whopping 3% CPU) at around 2AM in the morning and continues until I've turned the Evo on once thereafter.

[ATB]

To be fair, the apps don't come with a manual....so there isn't one to read.

A lot of those questions don't seem to be about apps, though.  

And?  My questions are far more applicable to this thread than anything you've contributed in your last 3 posts.

[MonkeyFinger]

To be fair, the apps don't come with a manual....so there isn't one to read.

I was suprised at the lack of anything resembling a manual for my Incredible, but found a 206 page one on the HTC website for it. No clue about other makers, but all of the HTC phones seem to have one you can download.

[kratz]

If that were actually true, then I would agree with you, Destructor, but it's not... routinely I find things like the GPS and the camera running, and it will kill your battery super fast.  Sadly the task killer is very necessary.  Droid IS smart enough to restart things you need (and the task killer is smart enough to remember the things you said not to kill the last time you killed stuff).

Huh. And here I've been monitoring my battery usage over the last few days with System Monitor (paid version highly recommended BTW) on my Evo (which is practically the exact same specs as the Droid), and I have never seen things like GPS and the camera app turn themselves on unless I've told it to do so. The biggest 'issue' I've seen as far as the battery goes is that the Slacker Radio app likes to partially turn itself on (using a whopping 3% CPU) at around 2AM in the morning and continues until I've turned the Evo on once thereafter.

No, it doesn't turn itself on, I turn it on and use it, but then when I'm done, instead of closing that app, it keeps running in the background, eating up battery...  so I like to be able to kill stuff.

[Destructor]

Ah, I see what you're getting at now.

But still - if a program isn't running, it should idle at nearly 0% use. Turning on GPS and Wi-Fi will obviously continuously use power while they're running, but anything that isn't actively running (that is, isn't currently the screen focus, isn't a system app (like Sense if you're running an Evo), or a widget on your desktop) shouldn't be using anything but RAM (so it doesn't have to load said program into memory if you happen to fire it up again soon). And it doesn't take more battery life to run with full RAM used verses empty RAM.

According to SystemPanel (absolutely fantastic app, also viewable here via AppBrain), I currently have 22 apps/processes loaded into memory at this exact moment. Last played games, my UI (I run a 3rd party launcher instead of Sense), the Camera app, all kinds of stuff. And closely monitoring it, none of them are using any CPU processes while they're not actively running, short of the exceptions I listed in the paragraph above.

Trust me that my phone idles at under 3% CPU power used when the screen is off. And when I'm using something else, most/all of my CPU power is dedicated to the app that's running. And CPU usage for said app goes away once I've switched away from said program.

But it is your phone in the end. I can't tell you what to do with it. Instead, I'll provide you with this link filled link that lists some detailed articles as to how Android works, and why you may or may not want a task killer program. Yes, I realize it's sitting in an Evo forum - but the links within are general to how Android works.

[MonkeyFinger]

I was wondering the same thing until SystemPanel showed most of them as "Inactive (cached) applications", at which point I was much less concerned about having them... killed. Now, something misbehaving or seemingly not coded 'properly' with battery life in mind, they can get on the kill list.