Ok, so I finally got my first smart phone, and I'm afraid I'm in over my head! First off, let me say, I love the phone, but I have no idea what things it is capable of. I downloaded a ton of apps in my first few days and now it's lagging....even when moving between the home screens. A friend said I needed to end the apps that i'm not currently using, but somewhere here on the forum, I saw someone say that was a bad idea. I don't really have the time to research things like I would like, and I'm sure the users of this forum can help. So my questions are:
1. Is there a good place to start learning about the capabilities of the bionic? Beyond just the specs of the phone.
2. What apps should i have or not have on my phone?
3. Since my phone is lagging, should I reset it and start fresh?
4. Any suggestions on a good case? I'm very rough on a phone due to my job, but I'm thinking about getting the extended battery.
Thanks for any Help!
Ignoring kingnut's obvious lack of any real help, the next two posts are pretty good.
As for the capabilities of the phone itself, part of that is going to be pretty much dependent upon where you live and what type of connection you will be using - It has some really good features, in terms of RAM and such, but as you've already noticed, it can get bogged down pretty easily. Your connection speed (3G vs 4G), Wifi versus cell tower, and even phone reception will play a big part in whether you're able to use the phone to its best capabilities or not.
As for the phone setup itself, a lot of use who've been on Android based phones for a while now don't like some of the stock applications that are on the phone, but since this is your first phone, you might find some of the apps that we don't like to use as more befitting your likes. One acronym that is used on the forums a lot is YMMV - your mileage may vary - IOW, it's really up to your personal preference as to what you like and don't like.
Regarding apps on your phone and those that you should and should not have - again, the same applies - it's up to you and what you like and don't like. For example, I have a bubble level on my phone because I am using it on an almost daily basis to check whether things are level or not. Another app I use is one that has a TI-83 calculator on my phone, directly, even better than real calc (which I used before). But, it all comes down to what you want and / or need on your phone to use. Some apps are nice to have, like, say, the US Constitution app, but if you don't need it, it takes up space (granted, you have a lot of space to use so it can't hurt to have it installed). Other apps, though, also not only take up space (storage) but also
memory (RAM), because they run services that are continuously running in the background, using an amount of RAM. Those are the ones that you have to watch out for - those are the ones that will slow your phone down. Those are the ones that you have to be careful in installing and using versus not installing if you do not really plan on using them. With several tens of thousands of apps in the market, there is no way for
me, Thom, or any other user here to tall
you what you should and should not have installed. it's all about choice - and you'll be the one to figure out what you really
need and what you
want and then can get rid of the ones you have installed that fall into neither category.
Since the phone is lagging, you can try and see if the reset will make a difference - but if you install all the same apps again you'll have the same problem again. You really need to figure out what you need and want and get rid of the rest.
As for the case and extended battery - Get the extended battery - if you got the phone via CostCo and have the external battery charger, get
2 external batteries - they're well worth it. Even one is much better than the stock battery. Thus, I bought the shell / holster combo from VZW to accommodate the extended battery - it's easy to get on the phone, but more importantly, easy to get off as well. it works with a little pushing and shoving in the car dock and the charging station as well, without removing the shell. Again, though, YMMV _ it depends upon how you want hte phone covered / protected, etc. Another option is Seidio, and another would be Otterbox cases.
Finally, while kingnut's comment was rather rude, part of his comment is applicable - do a lot of reading here in the forums, ask a lot of questions - it's what we're here for, to help. Most of us will also give you straightforward answers without making reference to searching and whatnot, but we really do like it when people spend more time reading and finding answers on their own rather than asking the same questions over and over. In your case, though, it's easy to understand that you've got this new powerful device and just having the phone in your hand can be information overload in and of itself. There are a lot of posts in this forum, regarding problems and issues with the phone itself, and there are also a lot of posts on tips and tricks and such.
