Questions

[Shorte85]

Hello, I'm new to the Android community, and I am certainly new to the "smartphone" selections as well. I just purchased last night online my very first Droid Incredible phone. Very excited because I am going to be going from a Samsung Intensity Flamingo Red to a Droid Incredible, what can get any better than that... Right?

Well, the phone I purchased is a used one, however it is certified to work as new. I hope I didn't make the wrong choice as far as getting the used instead of the "brand new" if you know what I mean. I was assured that it is as if I am getting a brand new phone. Hopefully I was told correctly. Has anyone here bought a used but new Droid Incredible on the Verizon site?

I guess I have a few questions I'd like to ask some people, and I hope you don't mind me asking such questions.

Do all apps found on the phone when receiving it use up the data plan? The reason I'm asking is because I stuck with the $15 data plan of 150MB, which I believe is enough for me because I have a PC with internet and tend to use that a lot and probably will only use the phone when need to for the data plan (if possible).

Is there a way to download apps to the phone without having to use the phone to connect to the internet, rather than possibly hooking phone to PC and placing the apps on phone by PC (I hope what I'm asking makes sense...).

I know there is a couple of sites on being able to design your own skins or covers, however I was wondering if there is such a site that is recommended on getting a nice tight grippy type of case for the phone that you can also design yourself or pick out a design if possible? I just want to keep the actual casing on the phone to stay and look decent if possible.

Now I read somewhere about different kinds of keyboards, and I started to get overwhelmed and I do not even have the phone yet. What available keyboard variations are there? Which ones do you believe are smoother and easier to use?

I think I've thought of enough questions for now, I am just excited and want to start learning about my phone before I get it so that I am ready when it arrives on Monday. So excited!

 

[FramCire]

Check with others but I believe when you are on wifi, it doesnt count towards data.

I have a certified used...... they are fine. Some Verizon employees say they prefer them since they go through more testing than news ones do.

Try out a bunch of keyboards. I like stock, love swype (not open right now), and love Smart Keyboard Pro. Use trials to try out a few.

Look around..... tons of info here, use the search feature!!!

 

[FramCire]

All apps dont use internet. When you download, it will ask you what permissions it needs.... pay attention to those.

Look for an app that shuts off data when you are not using/need it.

check my verizon often to keep track of data use.

 

[Shorte85]

Does the phone come with a keyboard, I hope... ha! But yeah, how is the keyboard that comes with the phone?

Also, is the app that shuts off data free or do you have to pay for that?

Any particular site you recommend getting the apps for phones that is 100% secure other than verizon?

 

[FramCire]

Does the phone come with a keyboard, I hope... ha! But yeah, how is the keyboard that comes with the phone?

Also, is the app that shuts off data free or do you have to pay for that?

Any particular site you recommend getting the apps for phones that is 100% secure other than verizon?

Phone comes with "Touch Input" and it is decent.

Try Juice Defender, I think it is free.

Market is NOT Verizon and it is secure. TOns of free ones, read the comments on the apps. On the computer, go to appbrain.com, register and have fun. Once you pick a bunch of apps download appbrain app from market to sync.

 

[Shorte85]

Okay, thanks. I am so psyched in getting my phone now.

Is there anything I should know before getting the phone, like do's and don'ts sort of thing if that makes sense?

 

[fortesquieu]

Okay, thanks. I am so psyched in getting my phone now.

Is there anything I should know before getting the phone, like do's and don'ts sort of thing if that makes sense?

DON'T drop your phone. DO have fun with it.

 

[Shorte85]

Ha ha, thanks fortesquieu, lol!

Another question, which I seem to be on a roll.

However, I was just thinking. Because I am getting a used phone or certified phone or whatever, is it a good idea to get the insurance thing that you have to pay monthly or what should I do because I also see the extend warranty?

What is the difference between warranty and the insurance? What does the warranty cover that insurance doesn't and vice versa?

Sorry for so many questions... lol

 

[zemerick]

Ha ha, thanks fortesquieu, lol!

Another question, which I seem to be on a roll.

However, I was just thinking. Because I am getting a used phone or certified phone or whatever, is it a good idea to get the insurance thing that you have to pay monthly or what should I do because I also see the extend warranty?

What is the difference between warranty and the insurance? What does the warranty cover that insurance doesn't and vice versa?

Sorry for so many questions... lol

First, re: 150meg tiered data... I would be amazed if you can stay under that on an Inc. Most things don't use much, but it adds up...fast. Your phone can check all your email accounts regularly, FB, Twitter, stock, weather...each check, even if theres nothing new, uses up data. Plus, the big one, internet access. You may not thing you'll ever use it because you have your computer for that...what about sitting at the theater, waiting for the movie? Hey, you can check phandroid.com real quick, or swtor.com , or whatever you like to visit. Out with your friends, and one of them tells you the Earth has more than 1 moon, you can load up the internet, and show them that Cruithne and other such objects don't count, because they actually orbit the sun ( ok, I kinda doubt you'll get asked that one...just an example, hehe ), etc.

Warranties are for defects, such as dead pixels on the screen, speaker not working, etc. Insurance is for "woops" situations. Different types of insurance have different coverage. Theft and accident are the 2 most common. Water damage is iffy, some have it some don't ( usually a phone damaged by water is mostly worthless, so they can't recoop some of the cost, where if you dropped and cracked the screen...they just need to replace the screen to re-sale it. Hence, they are less likely to cover water damage with basic plans. )

Anyways, I did not get the extended warranty because I will only have the phone for 2 years, and virtually all warranty problems will occur in the standard time ( I think 1 year ). I DO have insurance. This phone is expensive, and I really don't feel like paying outright for a new one if anything ever happened.

Some tips: Read up on the Inc! There are some common issues and mistakes people make, especially being your first smart-phone. You can start with checking through various posts I've made as I try to help out a lot, and only post here about the Inc. Also, feel free to PM me if you ever need something specific!

Some terms to search and things to keep an eye out for:
100% awake ( Relates to problematic apps getting stuck in the background, and preventing your phone from sleeping. This will eat your battery big time. )

Task Manager/Killers ( Since you're new to smart phones, I am going to VERY strongly discourage the use of any of these. If you don't have a certain amount of knowledge of the Android system and what you are doing...these can and will cause significant issues. )

Rooting ( Regardless of whether or not you choose to, it's a good idea to at least be aware of it. I personally am not rooted, and as a new user I recommend you do not as well. Risks include completely bricking your phone, though highly unlikely. Theres an entire sub-forum dedicated to this, as well as many entire websites and groups. )

Bump and Off Charging ( Bump charging is a trick people have learned to get a bit more charge...after the light turns green, unplug the phone and plug it back in. It will charge for a bit, then turn green. Repeat until the amber charging light does not come on. I do NOT recommend this one, as it could possibly be causing harm. However, you should read more on it and decide for yourself. Off-Charging is simply turning your phone off either for the last bit of the charge, or even when you first start. The idea is the phone is no longer using some of the charging, allowing the battery to get to the true 100% I personally find there is usually no need, but I do use this method when I know I will need a bit more charge for the day. Also: Expect to charge your phone every single night. That's the nature of a laptop with a battery half the size of a deck of cards. )

Battery care ( While Li-Ion are extremely lenient on how you use them...with such a powerful phone and slightly under-sized battery, it can become important. Look into "Always on data" and other things you might not be using that you can turn off/down to save power. Also, look into charging habits that can cause problems, such as using the phone while charging - Batteries don't like this, doubly so if they get hot. Car chargers really are not meant for electronics. Try to only use a car charger as an emergency, not for your evening top off. )

Oh, as for shutting off the data: The phone comes stock with several ways of doing that. There are several power control widgets to do various things like "Airplane Mode" ( Disables ALL radio based equipment. Phone, Data, Bluetooth, Wireless, the works. ), theres separate buttons for each of those, as well as one for screen brightness.

Oh, I guess I could put up my App picks:

Alchemy: Fun and simple game where you combine things to make something else. IE: First+Water makes steam. Currently 350 things, and you only start with 4

Angry Birds: The birds are angry because the pigs stole and plan to cook their eggs. Use a slingshot to launch the various birds to destroy the pigs buildings and kill them.

Barcode Scanner: Scans a barcode using your camera, and searches the internet for it. Good for checking prices, curiosity, and even for taking those strange boxes with dots you'll see around here, and turning them into a website ( usually a link to an app. making life getting those apps easier. )

Impossible Level Game: Don't try it if you are easily frustrated..this game takes some thought and work. If you get stuck on any levels, I know how to solve them all )

Kindle: Read books from amazon.

PDANet: Lets your computer use your phones internet ( Great for out and about to use with your laptop when theres no wifi. ) Don't use this with that horrible tiered data plan though, you'll eat up the data fast! ( I usually break 30 gigs per month, but I do use it as my actual internet. )

Robo Defense: Cool tower defense game.

That should at least get you started

 

[Shorte85]

Wow... That was a lot to read! Ha...

I'm sure I will be coming back here to ask more questions once I do get my hands on my phone. lol

I really probably won't use the phone to check my mail and what not, so is it possible to not set that up or to turn off the mail stuff and what not and even if I do set up the mail for one, there is a way to turn it off right so it doesn't keep checking for new mail?

 

[zemerick]

Wow... That was a lot to read! Ha...

I'm sure I will be coming back here to ask more questions once I do get my hands on my phone. lol

I really probably won't use the phone to check my mail and what not, so is it possible to not set that up or to turn off the mail stuff and what not and even if I do set up the mail for one, there is a way to turn it off right so it doesn't keep checking for new mail?

Yup, this is Android not crApple There's more settings than you can probably find, hehe. You can not set up the email accounts, set them up to only update manually, or any time period you want. I have mine updating every hour. It's a nice feature to have at times ( just be careful...if you don't have something set up to prevent it...it could let you know you have new mail at 3:30 am, hehe. )

Oh, I forgot battery calibration. During the first week or so, your battery indicator will almost surely be wrong. Don't be surprised if you only get like 5 hours of use out of it for a couple charges, the indicator needs to calibrate itself ( Nothing actually changes with the battery, just the indicator in the phone btw ). To get it to calibrate the best, and fastest: Charge the phone all the way up, then drain it all the down, even to where it shuts itself off. That's your cue to charge it up again. After about 3 charge/discharge cycles you should see a marked improvement on the battery life. From there, try not to let the battery get so low that the phone dies most of the time. It is however a good idea to do it about once a month, just to re-calibrate. ( Only 1 cycle is needed to re-calibrate, only time you should do it multiple times is a brand new battery )

One last note: Feel free to let me know how the phone is working out for ya, or post here again and let others know: "stuff" happens, and sometimes you get a bad phone...but you may not even know it, thinking that's just the way the phone is. This phone is truly Incredible, and should be extremely fast and responsive and just plain blow you away at every corner. Even battery life isn't all THAT bad

Cheers!

 

[FramCire]

Wow... That was a lot to read! Ha...

I'm sure I will be coming back here to ask more questions once I do get my hands on my phone. lol

I really probably won't use the phone to check my mail and what not, so is it possible to not set that up or to turn off the mail stuff and what not and even if I do set up the mail for one, there is a way to turn it off right so it doesn't keep checking for new mail?

Yes, you can go to settings in the mail program and have it set not to check automatically. If you use twitter or facebook, you can also set them up not to check.. thus saving data.

Other cool app suggestions:

apporganizer: you can categorize apps and place a shortcut to a category on your desktop. Also easy to find and uninstall if needed.

Appbrain: as mentioned before, using their website allows you to check out apps without using your phone.

Astrid tasks: this is a widget for a to do list. I like it

air control: fun game

astro file manager: you need a file manager and there are a couple good ones. I use Astro

ebo birthday: sync with contacts and facebook.... will remind you of upcoming birthdays in a small widget.... also does anniversaries

edwin speech to text: free and fun... uses some data but I love it.

handcent SMS: I use this instead of stock SMS. i hear chomp is good too

juice defender: saves battery when not being used

K9 email - if you arent using email, you dont need this. I have 3 emails on my phone and this rocks

movies: great app (uses data) to check out movie listings, trailers and such can also control netflix queue

our groceries (im checking out a second program, but this one can sync with other phones and is a sweet way to share lists.

mPuzzle: sudoku and OTHER number puzzles.... my favorite game and free

parcels: track packages on ups, fedex,and others

photoshop express: edit photos on your phone

ringdroid: turn an mp3 into a ringtone by cutting out the section you want to use

ringtone: find free ringtones

tasker: (PAID APP) you will need a few hours and effort to get the most out of this app, because it does just that much

Trap! : simple game

widget locker (PAID APP): customize your lock screen. I have a 1 touch for ringer

Launcher Pro Plus: (plus is PAID APP... regular is not) customize your homescreens in ways I cannot explain. So nice and I have over 100 downloaded apps and can get to most of them without using the app drawer in a matter of a few seconds

I have a ton more apps I like, but these are the best.

 

[WormDoes]

Yup, this is Android not crApple There's more settings than you can probably find, hehe. You can not set up the email accounts, set them up to only update manually, or any time period you want. I have mine updating every hour. It's a nice feature to have at times ( just be careful...if you don't have something set up to prevent it...it could let you know you have new mail at 3:30 am, hehe. )

Noob question, but, I've never been able to figure out how to do this for any of my accounts. I usually keep "sync" off and I'll just turn it on when I want to check emails, FB, etc. How would I go about making it so my gmail syncs every hour and FB/Twitter every 2 or 3? Thanks in advance

BTW, congrats on getting an Inc, OP. It's the best VZW phone out right now, IMHO, you're going to LOVE it!

 

[Shorte85]

Thanks everyone for telling me so much information. I already feel overwhelmed and I am so glad I found this forum. Verizon forums are okay, however they are not quick to respond to questions people have when it comes to their phones and etc. So this forum is definitely a A++.

One OFF-TOPIC question, would it be okay if I were to share this forum on facebook? Wanted to ask before I just do it... I know some places love having people share their forums, and some people don't. If that makes sense...

 

[FramCire]

Noob question, but, I've never been able to figure out how to do this for any of my accounts. I usually keep "sync" off and I'll just turn it on when I want to check emails, FB, etc. How would I go about making it so my gmail syncs every hour and FB/Twitter every 2 or 3? Thanks in advance

BTW, congrats on getting an Inc, OP. It's the best VZW phone out right now, IMHO, you're going to LOVE it!

go into Mail (if that is what you use) and go into settings. It should be there somewhere. I use K9, so I dont know where it is in Mail.

For twitter and facebook, you need to go into the widget or app you use to access them. There it should give you the option in settings.

 

[WormDoes]

go into Mail (if that is what you use) and go into settings. It should be there somewhere. I use K9, so I dont know where it is in Mail.

For twitter and facebook, you need to go into the widget or app you use to access them. There it should give you the option in settings.

Thanks, I was able to change FB/Twitter to 2 hours but can't find the setting in gmail. Does anyone using gmail know where/how to access the setting to chose when the mail is updated? Thanks in advance

 

[FramCire]

Thanks, I was able to change FB/Twitter to 2 hours but can't find the setting in gmail. Does anyone using gmail know where/how to access the setting to chose when the mail is updated? Thanks in advance

Download K9. It is free.

I can tell you how to do it when you use K9. (I have 3 email addys all in K9 and it is so easy to use).

 

[Johnny Alien]

Gmail is a push system and I believe it is set up that way by default. That means that when an email comes in the google server pushes it to your phone eliminating the need for your phone to check the server periodically. This is not only convenient but also saves battery. If you want you can setup gmail to collect your other email accounts and push them to your phone. This way the Google server will check your other account every 5 minutes and when something come in, it will go into your gmail inbox and get pushed to your phone without it having to check the server.

 

[WormDoes]

Gmail is a push system and I believe it is set up that way by default. That means that when an email comes in the google server pushes it to your phone eliminating the need for your phone to check the server periodically. This is not only convenient but also saves battery. If you want you can setup gmail to collect your other email accounts and push them to your phone. This way the Google server will check your other account every 5 minutes and when something come in, it will go into your gmail inbox and get pushed to your phone without it having to check the server.

Thanks Johnny. It wasn't a neccessity for me to change when the emails come in, I just thought it was a cool feature and wanted to know how to use it. I used to use yahoo as my main email address on my BlackBerry but when I first got my Eris the yahoo notification was terrible and nonexistant. I found an old thread about how to forward your yahoo email to gmail for free and it's been working flawlessly for months. I'm slowing phasing out my yahoo and using gmail exclusively but it's nice to still get the yahoo emails in my my gmail inbox if someone sends me something on yahoo

 

[FramCire]

Thanks Johnny. It wasn't a neccessity for me to change when the emails come in, I just thought it was a cool feature and wanted to know how to use it. I used to use yahoo as my main email address on my BlackBerry but when I first got my Eris the yahoo notification was terrible and nonexistant. I found an old thread about how to forward your yahoo email to gmail for free and it's been working flawlessly for months. I'm slowing phasing out my yahoo and using gmail exclusively but it's nice to still get the yahoo emails in my my gmail inbox if someone sends me something on yahoo

I am sorry to be a broken record but this is why I use K9. They have an integrated inbox color coded by account. I also use Pure Messenger scrollable widget for K9 and it is awesome.

 

[NightAngel79]

There are several power control widgets to do various things like "Airplane Mode" ( Disables ALL radio based equipment. Phone, Data, Bluetooth, Wireless, the works. )

FYI; Airplane mode does NOT disable Wifi

 

[Shorte85]

I will be getting my phone today, and I was curious... Will it hurt my phone if it's plugged in and I played around with it or should I let it sit and charge? I am so excited and just want to dive right in when I get it. But I was wondering if while it's charging I should leave it alone, unless it's okay to play with while charging?

 

[zemerick]

FYI; Airplane mode does NOT disable Wifi

Woops, yea..my bad. Ditto with GPS. ( Though, GPS is basically never on anyways. )

I will be getting my phone today, and I was curious... Will it hurt my phone if it's plugged in and I played around with it or should I let it sit and charge? I am so excited and just want to dive right in when I get it. But I was wondering if while it's charging I should leave it alone, unless it's okay to play with while charging?

One-offs won't cause any (measurable) harm; much like discharging the battery fully is ok like once a month, it's only an issue when a habit. I personally was using my phone while it charged...I couldn't wait either

 

[NightAngel79]

Woops, yea..my bad. Ditto with GPS. ( Though, GPS is basically never on anyways. )

It doesn't effect the gps either?? Huh... didn't realize that

 

[Shorte85]

I am back! I have my new phone, which is awesome! My god the touch screen is so smooth! It is definitely going to take me some time to get use to it from a samsung intensity phone to a touch screen intense phone ha ha... lol

Good lord there is a lot you can do on this phone. LOL I am trying to be careful as to what uses data and etc. I think I figured out how to turn off data and to keep things from syncing and what not. But it did state that it there may still be some apps that will use the data up and what not.

Good lord, where the hell do I start? LOL