Random newbie Q's

[radsboy]

Newbie questions based on first experiences using the phone only as a wifi device, and from random readings of some forums:

Condition Battery?

Screens moving randomly: is there a way to disable the trackball

function (it seems like I don't really need it?)

Multi-track recorder? USB Microphone app?

Keeping it lit up for longer than the one minute default, GPS on - hard on batt?

Does locate work with no phone plan? But not in airplane mode?

More to follow,

David

 

[doogald]

Newbie questions based on first experiences using the phone only as a wifi device, and from random readings of some forums:

I'll answer what I can.

Condition Battery?

The Eris uses a Li-ion battery, just like notebook computers, and should probably be treated about the same. Try to keep it as charged as possible, but don't be afraid to use the battery. Once a month or so, let the battery drain down until you get a warning to recharge - not to calibrate the battery, but to adjust the internal battery sensors to the health of the battery pack. You may also want to buy a spare while spares are still available to buy.

Screens moving randomly: is there a way to disable the trackball function (it seems like I don't really need it?)

I'm not sure that anybody ever solved this, even with a rooted phone. Physically remove the trackball?

You can install a third party launcher like ADW, LauncherPro, Go Launcher EX, which does not respond to the trackball, but the issue may be that in text entry areas the cursor will keep trying to scroll to the left. Perhaps typing backwards will solve that? (Yes, not a fantastic solution. Or, ".noitulos citsatnaf a ton ,seY")

Keeping it lit up for longer than the one minute default, GPS on - hard on batt?

There is a setting to change the screen lit time (15 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 10 minutes, never turn off), and when you are in the Navigation app, it stays on all of the time. Hard on the battery, you bet - not only because it is processor intensive, but because the phone gets very warm, which is also bad for the battery.

Does locate work with no phone plan? But not in airplane mode?

Yes, GPS does, though you do need to start the maps app with WiFi running to download maps for where you are. It will still show you, it just may not have local details.

Airplane mode turns off mobile and WiFi, as far as I know, though you can re-toggle WiFi in Airplane Mode. GPS definitely works in Airplane (I just tried it.)

 

[radsboy]

Thanks Doogald. Very helpful.

Anyone know about a multi-track audio app? Possibly with the use of a USB microphone/preamp combination? I know something like this exists for iphone. Maybe this is a better question for the general apps part of the forum? May post over there if that is not considered redundant.

Also I'd like a sense of how many users have their Eris rooted as opposed to not. Comments?

Another question:

When I look at my phone on the computer with a USB cable, I see folders. In which folder would I put music i want to listen to with the Music app, and which file formats are supported?

Thanks again,

David

 

[doogald]

Also I'd like a sense of how many users have their Eris rooted as opposed to not. Comments?

I rooted it shortly after the official 2.1 release came out, in May 2010, after it became clear to me that the official software had some functionality that was not all that productive to me. The two worst were that dialing starts taking dozens of seconds to respond to commands to make a call, and (particularly galling to me) calendar events will fire off reminders every five minutes if you do not clear them. This became a problem for me when I was driving but, worse, there is a "snooze" control on the lockscreen that apparently was being sensed each time I tried to stop the reminders. This bothered me to no end.

I think there are a great many people on this forum who rooted the phone. That said, I think compared with the general population, it is probably a small percentage.

The funny thing is that I often went back to a close-to-stock ROM (xtrSENSE of xtrROM) because the phone is quite fast with these ROMs installed and everything just works. That said, I really think that I spent at least 2/3 of my time after I rooted running either a Froyo or Gingerbread ROM, and that's knowing that the first Froyo ROMs were not available until about 4 months after I rooted the phone.

When I look at my phone on the computer with a USB cable, I see folders. In which folder would I put music i want to listen to with the Music app, and which file formats are supported?

You really can put them into any old folder that you want to, though I think it's best to keep files organized by artist/album, etc. I always put my music in a media folder. So, I had a top-level media folder, and in that I had a folder for music, where all of my music went; a folder ringtones, for customized ringtones; and notifications, for customized notification ringtones. I also had a photos folder there for wallpapers and other photos. However, I don't think that you need to be that organized (with the exception of ringtones and notifications - they need to be in folders with that name somewhere on the micro-SD card.)

Supported audio/video file types are non-DRM MIDI, M4A, QCP, AMR, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WAV, WMA, MP3, EVRC-B, MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV. (From HTC Mobile Phones - DROID ERIS Verizon - Overview )