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Looking for some advice/insight...

mako71

mako71

Lurker
After having some incarnation of a Blackberry for years, I currently have the Sprint Hero and am considering going back to a Blackberry. The reasons I'm considering moving away from my Hero are:

  1. Lag (tired of accidentally dialing people because of the phone interface lag)
  2. Constant need to force apps close to conserve memory (Advanced Task Killer)
  3. Poor battery life
Now I understand an Android phone is not a Blackberry but I'm wondering if the upcoming Android 2.1 release will remedy these issues? I do like the Android interface and HTC Sense but the issues listed above can be very frustrating.

Thank you in advance for your input.
 
You should never have to use a task killer, except when an app freezes up. The OS does a great job of managing memory as it is.

Rooting (simple process), and flashing a custom ROM like Fresh 1.1 (very simple process), will improve your phone's responsiveness greatly. Especially if you put the Gumbo Kernel on as well. The lag will literally go away, and there will be virtually no lag on any process. Running SetCPU with that kernel will also improve your battery life. If you can't get 18 hours out of a full charge with moderate-heavy use right now, then something is running in the background that shouldn't be, and you should download Spare Parts to see what it is. With SetCPU and the custom ROM, I am quite certain I could get 30+ hours of moderate use. I know I can get 18 hours on moderate-heavy use, and still have over half my battery remaining, and I charge every night anyway.

Long story short. ROOT AND ROM. That will nearly completely remove all of the issues you are currently experiencing.
 
The reasons I'm considering moving away from my Hero are:

  1. Lag (tired of accidentally dialing people because of the phone interface lag)
  2. Constant need to force apps close to conserve memory (Advanced Task Killer)
  3. Poor battery life
Click to expand...
First and foremost, there is no "constant" need to close apps. Android does not manage memory like Windows does, and if you are aggressively using task killers to interfere with Android's memory management process you can quite easily cause problems #1 and #3. Try leaving Android alone for a while and see if that helps resolve the lag and battery problems. Unless you're using apps that are poorly designed, you don't need to be forcing apps to close constantly.
 
Also a reboot every now and then will help. Remember it's a mini pc not just a cell phone. I notice big improvements after a reboot and have more free RAM. Definately root and flash a custom ROM before you go back to a Blackberry, I too came from a BB and couldn't be happier.
 
Thank you all for the great feedback. After reading this I think I will wait for the 2.1 update and maybe try rooting and installing a ROM. That or swap phones with my buddy who has the Moment and wants to try out the Hero.


I have a feeling that if I went back to a Blackberry I would miss the customization options of Android.
 
My experience is that "task killers" actually drain more battery life. Tatonka and Double are right the OS does an exceptional job of closing/managing apps. There are a few tips to improve both Batt life and Lag. After a 12-14 hour day I'm at 50-60% after lots of browsing, intense texting, and moderate voice calls. Couple things I did to improve lag/batt life: got rid of TK, disabled vibrate when typing, and set hourly e-mail checks. I should note that I am also running the flip clock/weather widget with automatic updates.

Good luck, this is a good forum with lots of info...
 
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