Something I noticed that really helped screen & widget redraw lag

[Lock-N-Load]

Okay, for the last 2 weeks I have been conducting a test that I can say, really helped reduce and thus improve the known screen & widget redraw lag in the OG Droid.

I cant explain exactly why but... it seems from day 1 always used the dock I purchased. The dock has the spare battery charger and when you put the droid in the dock, it pops the home screen app I have set which is Alarm Clock. Whenever you take it off the dock, it seemed to lag a bit to like get back to the default home screen & then of course, I suffered from screen lag and widget redraw lag like many out there.

Well, I started to charge the phone only by a USB cable into a wall socket and low-and-behold I have dramatically less issues of screen lag and widget screen redraw issues. Since I started charging by this method 2 weeks ago, and stopped using the dock, it has been very noticeable. Maybe the dock has a hard time giving back control over the phone when you take it off the dock? Maybe there is some sort of odd power fluctuation in the dock mechanism that messes with the proper voltage? I just cannot say.

Take it for what it is worth, and I can't explain it totally, but it is enough that I figured it was worth posting and maybe others can try it if they have a dock and had always charged it that way. if the difference was not noticeable, I would not have commented on it.

 

[Clementine_3]

I will give it a try! I'm about ready to throw my Droid through a window it's so friggin' slow. I can't wait for more/better info on the 3, and of course, it's release. If this helps I will be a happy camper!! I'll just have to figure a way to prop it up so I can still hear my tunes

 

[Lock-N-Load]

I have a little generic phone stand that stands it up right and now, rather than the dock, I use it instead.

Like I said, I tested this for 2 weeks before posting and if I had not noticed a change, I would not have posted up.

Also, of course, I made no other changes in that time - no new kernel, no new rom, no new settings.. all I did was stop using the dock and start using the wall charger exclusively.

To add to this.. the docks have been known to cause certain issues relative to voltage. For example, those that use the dock have you ever noticed those weird times while it was in the dock and you tried to interact with it it would act erratic? the screen would jump around, buttons presses would not register or register across the screen, etc. Well, this + the change I noticed when I stopped using the dock made me think in some way possibly voltage issues could be part of the issue.

Again, I am not sure, just reporting what I did and clearly noticed.

 

[Clementine_3]

Do you use a car dock? I'm wondering if the magnets are coming into play somehow?

 

[Lock-N-Load]

no, this is just the home dock.

 

[johnlgalt]

The dock is yet another app that runs. After a while of bit running, it gets pushed out of memory to make room for other apps. Since yours was running every day, it was probably staying in memory a lot longer than it needed to. Now that you haven't used it in a while, it's gone from memory - meaning more free space for your other apps. Hence, less redraws.

Not going to be a solution for one, just longer my solution of already replacing the battery with a freshly charged one twice a day won't work for everyone either. What matters most is that it works for you....

 

[Lock-N-Load]

hmm.. Not sure what "app" is run when you dock into the home cradle? I have never seen a "dock" app running or anything similar.

Either way, I am now, after weeks and weeks, 100% convinced this was causing me huge issues. I have virtually no lag and redraw issues anymore having totally 100% stopped using the cradle and just using a wall charger. This change has made a huge difference, and I don't say that lightly.

Personally, I think it is related to known erratic voltage issues some of these docks can put off.

 

[johnlgalt]

go into your apps and run the app that says clock...look familiar?

Also, the clock / dock app has a built in 'screen saver' that it starts which delivers you a slideshow of your pics on the phone. If you've got a lot of pics, that will slow it down tremendously.

between my first supposition (last post, above, about the app itself), and my second fact (immediately above, about he screen saver, which I suspect is tied to the gallery app) which I tested myself, you're definitely right - the dock / clock app eats memory crazy.

My solution is to just reboot after removing from the dock while putting my shoes on

Coincidentally, when testing ROMs as I was late last year and early this year, with my multiple batteries, I once surmised that maybe the reason I was not having as many out of memory issues was that I was having to swap the battery so often that I was actually nipping the problem in the bud, so to speak....