Help Smartphone noob needs variety of detailed questions answered

[beechler7dk]

I am a "high tech" guy generally, but not when it comes to phones (I'm more of an audio/videophile, and do some basic websites, etc...). I've only owned 2 phones since 1999, both basic Samsung flip phones with no features whatseover, except this current one from 2005 that does basic texting. On Friday, I'll be making the grand leap all the way up to the big daddy of them all, the EVO. So having never used a smartphone before, I'm wondering if some of y'alls might be able to help answer a few questions for me, ones that I haven't really been able to find an answer for, despite watching this forum for the last couple months. All help is greatly appreciated, and I look forward to joining this decade, finally, come Friday!

Pardon me if some of these are very basic, "duh", like questions/answers.....I just have no idea on some of this stuff since I've never used a smartphone before.

1) - In HTC Sense, how does one go about customizing the 7 home screens? Is it possible to have different wallpapers on each of the 7 screens, or do you just get to pick one that is used as the background for all 7 screens? Where do you go to set what is displayed (apps, widgets, etc...) on each of the 7 screens?

2) - After reading some various threads about task killers, I'm on the fence. Seems to be a passionate group either side. If I download one just to have on there "just in case", is that going to screw anything up just by having on the phone? If I do download one, which one is LEAST likely to cause other problems (shutting down things I want to keep running, like the keyboard, or voice search capability, etc....). So far, I've looked at TasKiller, Free Advanced Task Manager, and Advanced task Cleaner Pro. Which one is recommended to get the job done, without screwing up my phone?

3) - To save battery on the Evo, I've read that it would be wise to disable the 4G when you know you're not in a 4G area, that's cool. Same for Wi-Fi, right? OK, but I've also read that you need to disable GPS when you're not using it for navigation. Well, don't most apps use GPS to know where you are??? (like when an app is recommending local restaurants, movie theaters, gas stations, etc....). So, don't many/most apps need the GPS radio on at all times?

4) - Is it possible to use 2 different facebook accounts from the phone? I have one for my business, and one for my personal life. If I take a picture at an event, and want to upload it to facebook, or write status updates, etc...obviously I can do that.... but, will it give me a choice to choose which facebook account, or can you only use/pick one, for use on the phone?

5) - With regard to email: I understand that the Evo comes with 2 different email apps - Gmail for the google account the phone is registered to, and then a general mail app, for integration of hotmail, yahoo, etc.... Well, when I've seen stuff about emailing from the phone, it seems as if you can read email from all your various accounts, but if you go to SEND an email, it only sends it from whatever account you set up as "outgoing" in the email setup? Am I not able to select which account I chose to email FROM each time, or am I stuck with whichever one is setup as "outgoing" in the email setup? Also, is yahoo mail a POP3 or a (ummm.... forgot the other option that the setup menu had)... or do you just leave those blank during setup of those accounts?

6) - Is it possible to set different CUSTOM ringtones (ones made from the ringdroid app for instance) for different incoming callers in your contact list? In other words can you use multiple custom ringtones and assign them to contacts? If so, does that mean they are stored on the phones internal memory, or does it read them off the memory card? If the custom ringtones are stored to the internal memory, is there a limit on how many I could do? The reason I ask this is that, working in the entertainment industry, many of my friends are musicians, and it would be neat to have their respective recordings play when they call.

7) - For those who have used Qik - same question as my facebook one. Is it possible to set up 2 different accounts for use on the phone? I'd like to have one for biz, one for personal.

8) - Lots of various car charger options for micro USB phones. Is there any particular benefit to one bought at RS, compared to BB or Sprint stores? Is there a certain voltage or amperage or something that I should be looking for? If a higher number means faster charging, is that more destructive to the battery over the long term?

9) - Does the phone/android OS support playback of wma's and wmv's? Much of my media is in those formats. If not, does anyone have recommendations on software that will do BATCH CONVERSIONS so I don't have to spend weeks converting it all over to mp4's or whatever, one by one.

10) - Any idea if/when .977music will do an Android app? They have iphone, blackberry, Palm, etc.... but no droid option.

11) - I assume that the calendar syncs with your google account calendar, correct? Having just signed up for a google account in preparation for this phone, I'm not really familiar with it. Can you set it to where it automatically deletes past appointments so it doesn't hog space on your phone? I only care about the future not the past (except when it comes to tax documentation. lol). Can you set it to delete appointments after 3, 6, 12 months, or something?

Many thanks in advance for those who help me get answers to these questions. Can't wait til Friday!!!!

 

[kimrari]

Them there is a whole lotta words.

I got answers, you got money?

 

[KiLo11]

1)only one wallpaper for all screens.
when on the homescreen press the plus icon on the bottom bar and add widgets or apps

2)i dont use a task killer or manager and have never had any trouble its really up to u

3)well i have gps enabled in settings and when a app needs to use it thats when it is in use its not in use all the time

4)i dont use facebook so i would not know

5)i havent used the gmail app for multiple emails so i wouldnt know sry
u can just google yahoo email settings i forgot the server settings

6)yeh u can set custom tones for each contact they r kept on sd card

7)havent used qik

8)sry not sure on that but if it says its for evo it should be fine

9)not sure if the stock music player supports them but there is sure to be apps on market that do

10)nope not sure

11)i think u can but not sure sry i usually leave them

 

[zcarman]

Really quickly for the ones I know for sure...

1) Nope, one screen to rule them all...
2) Use somethink like Astro File Manager - it has a manager, but doesn't auto kill.
3) No, do not disable the GPS. You weather, search and some other functions use this item.
4) You can only run 1 Facebook account through either the HTC program or the Facebook for Android program. You can log in and out, but that's just a hassle. Just use the one you monitor the most and use the regular site on a browser like Dolphin HD for updating the other.
5) The Gmail app is self-setting. You enter your email and poof, all done. The stock email program for 3rd party email I replace with K-9 Mail. Much more user friendly and lets me quick select to send from any of the 6 POP/IMAP emails that I use. So, yes, to answer your question, you can choose which one to send from your email program.
6) Yes, you can...
7) You can set up 2 accounts on Qik, but you can only log in to one at a time.
8) No, all microUSB chargers are the same (though component quality may differ) I would purchase mine (as I have done for all my Micros) through Ebay where you can get them for under $2 and get 5 or 6 shipped for $5...
9) No, it will not support WMA/WMV format.
10) .977 doesn't have one, nor have I heard of plans for one. Currently, Slacker and Pandora rule Android. XM just hit and Rhapsody was almost ready to come out of beta... So there are more coming. You can hit some stations through TuneWiki (marketplace) but I've heard that they are blocking most of the stations. I have a feeling as the Droid updates slow, 977 will jump in, but until then, it's hard to design for an OS that changes hourly.
11) Yes, you can set the delete point and the scan point for future appts. They always are online which you can go through the browser to see farther out if you need to, but you can set the sync points.

Hope that helps!

 

[beechler7dk]

Thanks to both of you for the answers so far. It's very much appreciated.

4) You can only run 1 Facebook account through either the HTC program or the Facebook for Android program.

OK... but it has to be *either* one or the other? You can't run, say, 1 account using Facebook for Android, and then the 2nd account using Facebook for HTC Sense?

You can log in and out, but that's just a hassle. Just use the one you monitor the most and use the regular site on a browser like Dolphin HD for updating the other.

Is there a reason that the stock browser wouldn't work for this? Or would it "look" to the FB app for account login since it's the android browser? Is that why you recommend Dolphin?

5) The Gmail app is self-setting. You enter your email and poof, all done. The stock email program for 3rd party email I replace with K-9 Mail. Much more user friendly and lets me quick select to send from any of the 6 POP/IMAP emails that I use. So, yes, to answer your question, you can choose which one to send from your email program.

OK, that sounds good. However, I've seen a friends i-phone give him the option of emailing or texting a photo after a photo is taken in the "camera app". Does android also do this? And if so, when you select "email" from the photo, does it then let you pick which account to send from? Or do you need to log into K-9 mail and then browse for the photo to send as an email attachment?

7) You can set up 2 accounts on Qik, but you can only log in to one at a time.

So, when qik is launched from the Evo, it makes you log in each time? (not a problem, if that is the case, because that would make it very easy for me to be able to use 2 accounts). My concern is that the Evo Qik app just logs you in once for good (like the FB app), and then you're always stuck on that account without going thru some sort of hassle to get the app to work with a diff account.

11) Yes, you can set the delete point and the scan point for future appts. They always are online which you can go through the browser to see farther out if you need to, but you can set the sync points.

I'm not sure what you mean by a "scan point". So, setting these sync points can be done from any browser, whether it's on the phone or a computer I take it?

Hope that helps!

Yes, it did! Thanks!

 

[beechler7dk]

Bump

Can anyone help out with the remainder of the questions (or have differing opinions?)

Thanks again!