Help EVO 4G - A few questions

[dough boy]

So this is my first new device in almost 4 years (Treo 755p). So far I am loving it but I have 2 questions that hopefully a more seasoned user can help with.

1. I figured out how to put the phone on "silent" mode by pressing and holding the power key. But what does this "silence"? I then went to a game and I could still hear the sound. What is the point of a "silent" mode if sounds can still come out? Is there a better way to turn off ALL sound with the push of a button (i.e. in case you are at church, a performance, etc)?

2. I am not a photographer so it is quite possible that I have no clue what I am talking about. I have a 5mp point and shoot camera. I was excited to get the EVO with the 8mp camera. I know that the mp is not the quality of the photo, just the size. My question is why does the 8mp camera only save high quality photos around 2MB? This for me is the biggest disappointment with the device. The camera (photos and video) is just not that good. What is the point of an HDMI out when the video is grainy? Is there a setting I am missing? Is this a software issue that they will improve or someone will root? Can an app be made that doesn't compress as much, or are we stuck do to hardware?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Oridus]

So this is my first new device in almost 4 years (Treo 755p). So far I am loving it but I have 2 questions that hopefully a more seasoned user can help with.

1. I figured out how to put the phone on "silent" mode by pressing and holding the power key. But what does this "silence"? I then went to a game and I could still hear the sound. What is the point of a "silent" mode if sounds can still come out? Is there a better way to turn off ALL sound with the push of a button (i.e. in case you are at church, a performance, etc)?

2. I am not a photographer so it is quite possible that I have no clue what I am talking about. I have a 5mp point and shoot camera. I was excited to get the EVO with the 8mp camera. I know that the mp is not the quality of the photo, just the size. My question is why does the 8mp camera only save high quality photos around 2MB? This for me is the biggest disappointment with the device. The camera (photos and video) is just not that good. What is the point of an HDMI out when the video is grainy? Is there a setting I am missing? Is this a software issue that they will improve or someone will root? Can an app be made that doesn't compress as much, or are we stuck do to hardware?

Thanks for the help!

1) If i'm not mistaken, android uses two sound settings. One for Ringer/system and one for "media". Games would be classified under the media sound profile. I personally don't have a fix for that either as of yet, maybe someone else can help with that one?

2) It's a cell camera, therefor the lens/sensor are far smaller than on a point and shoot. This being said, the amount of light that is allowed to enter the lens is far less than a regular camera. This means that in lower lighting situations, the camera is going to have worse quality than high lighting situations.

If you want to see an example of high lighting quality, check this thread out - it has some pics i took outside, and very good quality (for a cell) if you ask me. -> http://androidforums.com/htc-evo-4g/92926-picture-quality.html#post876892

 

[busyychild]

bump, looking for a mute/silence button easily accessed from within my pocked for situations like going into a meeting, church etc. My old treo 650 had a hard button on the top that would do this would be great if I could emulate this on my evo.

 

[cr74mz]

bump, looking for a mute/silence button easily accessed from within my pocked for situations like going into a meeting, church etc. My old treo 650 had a hard button on the top that would do this would be great if I could emulate this on my evo.

As far as something you can activate entirely in your pocket, I'm not aware of anything. However, there are several ways to adjust (and mute) the sound levels.

First, there are two sound levels to adjust; media and ringer. Android uses the Ringer volume for things such as email notifications, text message alerts, and of course, the ringtone. Silent mode from the power button only effects the ringer mode. Media volume controls any form of media playback such as youtube videos, camera videos, or games.

There are multiple ways to adjust the sound levels. As you've mentioned, holding the power button for a few seconds gives you the option to enter silent mode, which only effects the ringer volume. For the same effect, on any home screen, press the volume down button on the right side of the handset. This action will incrementally adjust the sound level of the ringer volume. While viewing media, the volume down and volume up functions will control the media volume level. Outside of media they will control the ringer level.

You can also adjust these volumes under the settings menu. (Menu>Settings>Sound and Display>Media Volume/Ringer volume)

Hope that helps