Posted by Shoshana/AZ on 6/22/10 3:05pm
Msg #341927

Droid Update

Maybe the battery isn't so bad... My latest charge last 36 hours. It went down to 15%.

Reply by Ilene C. Seidel on 6/22/10 3:20pm
Msg #341932

I haven't had a problem with the battery and use my Droid instead of a landline. It doesn't take the entire night to charge it. I turn it off in the evening and charge it about an hour or so in the morning it lasts all day.

Reply by Deborah Lewellen on 6/22/10 3:23pm
Msg #341935

usually the issues don't start till after a few months, update on my son's droid, just yesterday he recieved his new and better droid, the more expensive one, can't remember the model so hopefully he won't have issues with this one, but he had to put up a good fight with Verizon to finally get a new one, after battling for 6 months with a lousy phone.

Reply by Shoshana/AZ on 6/22/10 3:47pm
Msg #341946

Deborah,
It's my understanding that the phone has a 1 year warranty. I noticed that with all the Verizon phones I had that the batteries don't hold a charge as well after a while. I don't know why that is. I am hoping that the customer service will be better with Costco.

Reply by BrendaTx on 6/22/10 3:37pm
Msg #341941

Re: Droid Update - I like my MyTouch

My battery is fine UNLESS I turn on USB debugging...which is necessary for tethering. Leave it off the rest of the time and I am golden!

Reply by Blueink_TN on 6/22/10 3:54pm
Msg #341949

I have noticed using a bluetooth will also

drain the battery quicker.

Reply by Kauaigirl on 6/22/10 4:07pm
Msg #341955

Droid Task Manager

I got my Moto Droid a couple months ago. I'm still getting the hang of it after several years with the BB Storm, which I loved for email but the onscreen keyboard was horrible to use! Anyway, I use the Task Manager to kill programs that I don't use. I do this several times a day which seems to really help with the battery life. Also, my screen times out after 30 seconds, which really helps as well. Honestly, I really miss the ease of the BB email function. It seems like I'm constantly deleting email messages that I've read over and over again because they are still in my desktop email accounts. Any advice on how to stop the "read" emails from popping up on the Droid?

Reply by Shoshana/AZ on 6/22/10 4:30pm
Msg #341961

Re: Droid Task Manager

How do I find this task manager?

Reply by Kauaigirl on 6/22/10 5:15pm
Msg #341965

Re: Droid Task Manager

Go to Market Place, click on apps and search for Task Killer. There will be several options for "Task Killer." The guy at Verizon recommended "Task Manager" from Rhythm Software so that's what I did! I can't even begin to tell how much of a difference it made on battery life! I hope this helps!

Reply by BrendaTx on 6/22/10 6:58pm
Msg #341987

I use, "TasKiller" by Thibaut Nicolas.

Yep...Market Place is where you'll find all kinds of apps.

Reply by Shoshana/AZ on 6/22/10 7:05pm
Msg #341993

Re: Droid Task Manager

I used Task manager by Rhythm Software and I tried to kill the apps. They just don't seem to go away.

Reply by ReneeK_MI on 6/23/10 4:09am
Msg #342065

Re: Droid Task Manager - eats battery life

I did a lot of research and what I learned was the guys in the stores (in my case, Sprint) don't know jack.

Again, that android forum I posted previously has been amazingly helpful. I did three things per recommendations that helped big-time: got RID of the Task Manager, got a toggle to turn the GPS on/off (only turn it on when I want it) and turn off the WiFi (on when needed only). I was having some e-mail issues - that got cured when I dumped the Task Killer.

These are not Windows-based devices, and our brains are just so Windows-ingrained; per the techies that are WAY over my head, there's no reason or need to be killing apps. They must be right, because I don't have a Killer and I don't have a problem. Takes about 2-3 hours to charge for the day, and I never use even half my battery.

I did learn (sort of a 'Windows' thing?) that I need to actually turn the phone OFF every now and again. About once a week, I turn it off for about 10 min, then back on.

One MAJOR problem I had out-of-the-box was ring lag - the caller would hear 4 rings before the phone actually rang, and THAT was a serious problem. That was how I found the forum - looking for a cure for that. Sprint's store-guys & tech dept were NO help. I found a cure and had to tell Sprint Tech HOW TO DO IT. They did, it worked, I'm happy.

Reply by Shoshana/AZ on 6/23/10 9:40am
Msg #342099

Re: Droid Task Manager - eats battery life

Thanks for the help Renee.

Reply by MikeC/NY on 6/22/10 5:45pm
Msg #341972

Re: I have noticed using a bluetooth will also

On any phone, leaving Bluetooth on while not actually connected to a Bluetooth device will drain the battery faster because the phone is constantly searching for a device to connect with. The effect on battery life may just be more dramatic on the Droid, which appears to be battery charge impaired to begin with, but it's always a good idea to turn the service off if you;re not using it.

Reply by BrendaTx on 6/22/10 7:01pm
Msg #341989

Interesting, Mike.

I have had my "Bluetooth" setting on all day, talked on the phone a good bit and still have 75% power. I leave it on since I use it off and on all day.

Reply by BrendaTx on 6/22/10 6:56pm
Msg #341986

While bluetooth = drain battery, I have a charger

in my vehicle at all times. I drive, I bluetooth, I plug in phone.

I am not one to leave my phone battery's strength to chance. Ever.

I charge every night. I charge in car while I am driving and bluetoothing.

Reply by Shoshana/AZ on 6/22/10 7:03pm
Msg #341990

Re: While bluetooth = drain battery, I have a charger

I think I heard somewhere a while back, that it may not be good for the phone battery to keep it in the car charger all the time. I know that Verizon told me that I should not charge the phone if it is at or near 100%. At least one bar should be missing.

Reply by MrEd_Ca on 6/22/10 6:33pm
Msg #341981

My Droid Experience...

I've owned a Motorola Droid for about 6 months now & really love it even with the battery drain issue, which can be a real bother. I was told by the Verizon guy that it is not a good idea to keep the phone plugged in to the charger after it has reached full charge, which can take as long as a couple of hours if it gets down below 15% (at 5%, the phone will turn itself off). According to the Verizon guy, leaving it plugged in after it is fully charged will degrade the battery to the point of becoming useless after a short time. That bit of information was a real surprise to me --- I used to leave my old phone plugged in to a charger as much as I could.

So it is kind of a balance keeping it charged up, but not overcharging. & I find myself plugging it in in the car to keep it as fully charged as possible before going into a signing. It is really a drag to have the phone die when calling a LO from a signing, after being on hold for what seems like forever & then finally getting ahold of your party. Having that happen once is once too much. And it helps to turn off the apps that aren't being used. The WiFi app is a real battery drainer, especially if you don't realize it is on which can happen easily and, if it doesn't connect, it is constantly searching while draining the battery. (There is a widget called Power Control that easily controls the WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, email sync, & screen brightness functions).

Getting used to the email function(s) took me awhile, but I have really come to like the way it works. I have found, also, that the email application I have works better, & the phone also, if I turn the phone off for a while at some point, which is usually in the evening ---you just need to remember to turn the thing back on !

( & The Task Killer app, mentioned by Kauai Girl, sounds like a valuable addition --- I'll be trying that next.)

Reply by Shoshana/AZ on 6/22/10 6:59pm
Msg #341988

Re: My Droid Experience...

I was told about a year ago by a Verizon person that I should remove it from the charger as soon as any of the phones are completely charged. Overcharging can really wear out the battery. I always turn my phone off at night so I can charge it before bed.
Try charging it in the early Am before you officially start your day. Then you might have it ready for the whole day. I try not to use the car charger if I can help it.
I have to ask Kauai Girl more about the app she suggested. I tried it and the offending apps don't seem to go away.
I'll look for the Power Control Widget. Darkening the backlight can help too.

Reply by Calnotary on 6/22/10 8:08pm
Msg #342023

Re: My Droid Experience...

Lithium ion batteries have a built in chip to avoid overcharging, so this is a bad info from verizon guys.
Overcharging a lithium ion battery will kill it very fast, that's why ALL cell phone batteries have that chip built in. Even the knock off batteries have it.

Reply by Kauaigirl on 6/22/10 8:24pm
Msg #342031

Re: My Droid Experience...

Aloha! I wish I could be more helpful with this but I'm still learning myself! Try going to androidforums.com. It looks like a good site filled with tips and tricks for managing the adroid phone! I'm gonna see if I can get some help with email as that seems to be my biggest issue with the droid.