• blackberry,  hp,  pre,  sprint,  storm,  verizon,  web os

    webOS Battery Performance

    July 24, 2010 /

    I’ve been a fan of Palm’s PDAs and smartphones for some 11 years now. I have a love/hate relationship with my Sprint edition Palm Pre. webOS is an amazing little OS that works well. The one feature that I love the most is Synergy. The ability for webOS to sync all of my cloud (aka Internet) accounts and present that information in a single unified spot is niffy indeed.

    But I hate the battery performance of my phone. I can barely get 24 hours on a single charge with minimal calls and surfing. I have my Pre with me all the time, but I use is sparingly to make sure that I can make it through my day on a full charge. Conversely, my Verizon BlackBerry Storm2, which gets used about the same as my Pre, can easily go 2.5 days without me having to worry about recharging the device.

    On the Pre, I keep features that I don’t need that drain the battery turned off. This includes the GPS and Wi-Fi radios. I even keep the screen brightness down around 25-30%.

    Earlier this week, I read an interesting data point on PreCentral that reads:

    “Turn Wi-Fi on and leave it on. Seriously. Unless you’re someplace where there’s positively not a Wi-Fi network to which you can connect, leave Wi-Fi on. The Wi-Fi radio in all webOS phones (with the exception of the Wi-Fi-less Sprint Pixi) is notably more power efficient than the cellular radio, so whenever possible use Wi-Fi instead. Plus, if you’re on a metered data plan, you can save your bytes for later.”

    That statement runs counter to what I’ve always practiced with my Treo smartphones. For more than a year, I’ve left Wi-Fi off on my Pre, and only configured one of many email and social media account to sync at an interval of less than 1 hour. There is something to consider about the PreCentral article and that is that if you have apps that poll the Internet for information, the Wi-Fi radio really might be more efficient than the cellular radio.

    I want to test this notion out, so all this week, I’m going to leave Bluetooth on as I always do (for handsfree driving), and turning Wi-Fi on. I also have GPS enabled so that when I take a photo, it is “geotagged” for use in iPhoto. (That is a really cool feature, if you have iPhoto ’09 and a GPS enabled smartphone or camera.)

    I’ll post my results over the coming days. If I find that the battery life is good, then I may start turning on more frequent email and social media updates so I can get information more timely.

    Read More
  • android,  droid,  eris,  google,  verizon

    Verizon HTC Droid Eris OTA Update Still Rolling Out

    July 24, 2010 /

    I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve finally received my upgrade noticed for the MR4 Android update for my Verizon HTC Droid Eries. Android Central reported that the update began to trickle out to customers starting last week.

    MR4 is a maintenance release that addresses the “silent call” issues with the Eris and other minor fixes. The update weighs in at just under 13MB and will take about 30 minutes to install on your device from the time you start the download to the time you finish installing the update.

    You can check for the update by going to Settings > About Phone > System updates.

    Read More
  • blackberry,  blackberry os,  rim,  verizon

    BlackBerry Storm2 9550 Gets OS 5.0.0.713 Upgrade

    June 22, 2010 /

    BlackBerry Storm2 customers on Verizon Wireless are being treated to a maintenance upgrade to their smartphone’s operating system.

    Starting over the weekend, Verizon Wireless has been making the BlackBerry OS 5.0.0.713 update available to their customers as an over-the-air (OTA) update. You can also download the update from your PC using the BlackBerry Desktop Manager software.

    The “713” update provides the following enhancements:

    • Improved text messaging
    • Improved international text messaging
    • Better calendar functionality
    • Streamlined music-player control
    • Enhanced video-player library
    • Improved IP modem tethering
    • Improved compatibility with Mac® computers
    • GlobalAccess Connect support
    • Enhanced Japanese language functionality

    The upgrade also provides the following two improvements:

    • Call-duration clock displays the correct call time without affecting the
      current time.
    • Default countries are easier to set and access using the Smart Dialing
      country settings.

    For more details on the BlackBerry Storm2 9550 OS 5.0.0.713 update, visit the Verizon Wireless support website or download the upgrade details (PDF)

    Read More
  • android,  droid,  eris,  google,  verizon

    HTC Droid Eris Android 2.1 Update Rolling Out

    May 17, 2010 /

    The HTC Droid Eris update has finally started rolling out to Verizon customers this past Sunday. A message from a Verizon Twitter account indicated that the update would become available yesterday.

    The Android 2.1 update is an Over the Air (OTA) update that you apply to your Eris without having to connect it to your computer. When the update becomes available for your Eris, an Update Available icon will appear at the top left of your screen. Once you download the update installer, you will be prompted to restart your phone and the update will be installed.

    For more details about the Google Android 2.1 update for the HTC Droid Eris, check out the Verizon Wireless support website.

    Read More
  • android,  droid,  eris,  google,  verizon

    HTC Droid Eris Android 2.1 by May 16th

    May 13, 2010 /

    I just saw the following Tweet by @VZWTechSupport:

    “Droid Eris users should expect 2.1 updates by Sunday 5/16.”

    That’s good news because I’ve had my Eris on all day and I keep getting the message “Your system is currently up to date” when I run the manual check.

    Well, at least I have something to look forward to playing with on Sunday afternoon.

    Read More
  • android,  chrome os,  google,  verizon

    Verizon and Google Working on a Tablet

    May 11, 2010 /

    Barron’s Tech Trader Daily is reporting that Verizon Wireless and Google are collaborating on a new tablet-based computer.

    “Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam told the Wall Street Journal that the company is working with Google on a tablet computer.

    “We’re looking at all the things Google has in its archives that we could put on a tablet to make it a great experience,” he said.”

    You can read the full article, with links, on the Tech Trader Daily blog.

    [Via Barron’s Tech Trader Daily…]

    Read More
  • android,  eris,  google,  verizon

    HTC Droid Eris Android 2.1 Begins Rolling Out Today

    May 11, 2010 /

    According to AndroidCentral.com, Verizon Wireless customers who have an HTC Droid Eris are starting to get their Android 2.1 mojo on.

    “Today was supposed to be the day of the magic for you Droid Eris owners, and it appears Verizon has kept its word, and the rollout has started. This update is scheduled over the course of two weeks, so keep checking your device for updates, and hit up the forums to see who’s got it, and what’s in the update”

    Details about what is included in the 2.1 Android update for the Eris can be found on the Verizon Wireless website.

    [Via AndroidCentral.com…]

    Read More
  • android,  droid,  eris,  google,  verizon

    Rumor: HTC Droid Eris 2.1 Update Coming “Soon”

    May 11, 2010 /

    Depending on which rumor you have read, the Google Android 2.1 update for the HTC Droid Eris could be coming to Verizon Wireless customers as early as tomorrow, May 11, or as late as the end of the month. Regardless, if a report back in February from Android And Me is true, all of today’s Google Android smartphones will be getting the Android 2.1 treatment.

    I’ll give you our option: Bring on the yummy Android 2.1 goodness!

    Regardless of when the update finally becomes available, we can read about the details of the HTC Droid Eris upgrade on the Verizon website.

    Read More
  • apple,  blackberry,  ipad,  iphone,  macbook pro,  palm,  pre,  rim,  sprint,  verizon

    Admitting I Have a Problem

    May 6, 2010 /

    Another long work day has come to an end and I’m “degearing” for the night. Just a few minutes ago, I realized why my blog has the word “Fanatics” in it.

    Right now, on my person, I’m carrying my Sprint Palm Pre, a 2G Apple iPhone, a 5th gen iPod, my iPad, and my new company issued Verizon BlackBerry Storm2 9550. Oh, and let’s not forget the 17-inch MacBook Pro that I needed at work today.

    So, I have to ask myself, why the hell and I carrying all this gear anyway? “They” say that admitting you have a problem is the first step. I’ll have to pencil that into my calendar at some point?

    I’ll have to take a break from all of this technology by drinking this can of Diet Coke.

    Read More
  • android,  blackberry,  blackberry os,  google,  rim,  treo,  verizon

    Returning to BlackBerry Nation

    May 4, 2010 /

    Today I was issued a company phone. I had the choice of selecting either a Motorola Droid or a BlackBerry Storm2. I chose the Storm2.

    I had the chance to work with both phones late last year as I worked with a team of people to select the phone, or in this case, the phones, that would replace our aging fleet of Treo 755p smartphones for mobile email and calendaring access. At the end of the day, our team decided to support both BlackBerry OS and Google Android because we use Notify Technology’s NotifyLink middleware server. NotifyLink is a robust platform that quickly allows small and mid-size businesses to connect just about any current smartphone with just about any standards based email and calendaring platform.

    You can read my BlackBerry Storm2 and Motorola Droid reviews here on Smartphone Fanatics.
    Read More