This is a work in progress. Please suggest topics that you think would be useful, and I will add them in with any relevant information I can find. Please also contact me if you find any typos, errors, or omissions – I want this to be a full and as accurate as possible, but it’s a lot of work and I can only stare at a screen for so long at a time typing it, so I’m sure I’ve got stuff wrong somewhere. Over time I’ll be adding more topics and more detailed information as they arise. Thanks for all your help!
There are lots of points about the Desire that are raised again and again on this forum. This is my attempt to offer quick help to those who want answers to common questions, by compiling a lot of the frequently asked questions and their answers into one place. On that note, thanks go to everyone who contributes on this forum for the information in this thread.
I've tried to format it in the most user friendly way possible, with frequently asked questions in the contents list, and the answers clearly defined in hide boxes. If you've read this guide and still cannot find the answer to your question, please start a new thread rather than asking in here. However please feel free to post here suggesting topics I can add to improve the guide.
Credit goes to nacatomi for compiling the information for the GPS sections!
1. Battery Life
1.1 How do Li-Ion batteries work?
1.2 Do I need to replace my battery, and if so how often?
1.3 Should I always fully charge and discharge my battery?
1.4 My phone doesn't charge to 100% if I leave it overnight. Is something wrong with it?
1.5 My Desire's battery life is terrible. How can I improve it?
1.6 Is there an easy way to monitor my battery?
2. Accessories
2.1 Should I buy a case/screen protector, and if so what type?
2.2 Can I get a spare battery, and if so which should I get?
2.3 Can I get a desktop charging cradle?
2.4 What Micro SD card should I buy?
3. Customisation
3.1 What is ‘Rooting’, and is it for me?
3.2 Am I stuck with HTC sense?
3.3 Can I change the icons for apps and folders?
3.4 Are there any apps to secure my phone if it’s lost or stolen?
4. Known Problems
4.1 My phone takes a long time to shut down. How do I fix it?
4.2 There is a physical defect on my phone. What options do I have?
4.3 My screen doesn’t turn back on properly after a call. Is this a hardware problem?
4.4 I added high resolution contact pictures, but they are now blurry. What happened?
5. GPS, WiFi, and Mobile Data connections
5.1 What are GPS and aGPS?
5.2 Is GPS free?
5.3 Are there any alternatives to Google Maps?
5.4 Does GPS use a lot of battery power?
5.5 I use GPS a lot in my car – Is it a good idea to get a car charger?
5.6 My phone gets hot when using GPS with a car charger – Is this normal?
The Desire uses a 1400 mAH Lithium Ion battery. What that means in real terms is that you have enough power available to supply 1.4 amps of current at the battery voltage (3.7 volts) for an hour, 0.7 amps for 2 hours, 0.35 amps for 4 hours etc. Hence your battery life will depend on how much current the phone draws for whatever you're doing on it, and how long you continue that activity for.
1.2 Do I need to replace my battery, and if so how often?
Lithium ion batteries have a lifespan of somewhere around 400 cycles before they start to become less effective. Basically what that means is that after a year or so, you might want to look at replacing the battery, as it will start to hold less charge.
1.3 Should I always fully charge and discharge my battery?
Lithium Ion cells do NOT suffer from the memory effect. You do not need to fully charge and discharge your battery all the time, you can charge it whenever you want by however much you want, although most people find it convenient just to plug it in overnight and let it charge up. It is, however, recommended to fully discharge then fully charge the battery about once every month. This is because the 'smart' circuit inside the battery that measures the voltage and reports how much charge you have left can drift over time, and doing this helps to reset it to give you a more accurate reading of the battery capacity.
If your phone battery gets so low the phone shuts itself down, DO NOT switch it back on again. Lithium Ion batteries don't like being fully discharged, and it will lower the life span of the unit. If the phone switches itself off due to a low battery, just wait till you can plug it in. The chances are even if you do turn it on it'll shut itself off again before fully starting up.
1.4 My phone doesn't charge to 100% if I leave it overnight. Is something wrong with it?
Nope. The phone does infact charge to 100%, but you cannot trickle charge a Li-Ion battery, so when the battery is at 100% the battery stops charging. The battery will then drain as the phone uses power until it gets to 90%, when the charger will kick in again and top it back up to 100%. The easiest way to overcome this is to switch off your 3G, WiFi, and other power intensive systems overnight (See 1.5 for details), which will leave your battery with a good 98-100% charge by the morning. Alternatively, if you switch the charger off and on again, it will charge it back to 100%.
1.5 My Desire's battery life is terrible. How can I improve it?
Lots of people can easily get two days of moderate use out of the phone, or one day of very heavy use. If you can't, then here are some tips for improving the battery life.
Check your partial wake usage. To do this, tap the phone button at the bottom of the home screen, and type in *#*#4636#*#* to bring up the phone's test menu. Then tap battery history, tap the top list box, and select 'Partial Wake Usage'. If there is an application in here with a bar far larger than any others, it is stopping your phone from sleeping and will drain the battery when you aren't even using the phone.
From here you can try fixing the problem by either uninstalling the app, or turning off any features that could be keeping the phone awake. Some common ones are frequent updates for things like email clients, flikr, and weather apps. Try changing the update intervals to gather data either manually or less frequently. The problem can be less obvious, for example an app that blinks the LED light on the phone as a notification will sometimes stop the phone from sleeping. If you aren't sure what the cause is, start a thread on the forum. Someone has inevitably been there before, and will be happy to help.
Take control. It's all very well expecting the phone to do everything for you, it will if you like. But with some very fast, simple steps you can vastly improve your battery life. First and foremost, choose to manually update apps that use the internet, such as email and news feeds. Periodically updating these services eats power, and by choosing to do it yourself you can do wonders for your battery life. It only takes an extra 5 seconds. If you really don't want to do it yourself, set it to less frequent intervals, for example every hour or so.
Possibly the best way of improving battery life is to take control of your connections through homepage widgets. Downloading an app such as SwitchPro or Extended Controls is the most elegant solution, but most cost about £1 from the app store. So if you can't afford it, you can use the default HTC toggles. Long press on the home screen, tap Widgets, and scroll down the list until you find Settings. Tap on it, and a list of toggles comes up. The most important ones are the WiFi and Mobile Network ones, so add them both. If you frequently use GPS or Bluetooth, add them too.
Doing this gives you some small icons on your home screen. When you tap them, they toggle the appropriate service on and off. Take note that turning Mobile Network off shuts down internet access, but still allows you to receive calls and texts perfectly. The best use of these toggles is switching off both WiFi and Mobile data when you don't want to use the internet. Then when you want to update a news feed or browse around google, you just tap either the WiFi or Data toggle, and within about 5 seconds you're hooked up and ready to go. When you're finished, just tap the toggles again.
Try JuiceDefender.Click Here Some people say it extends their battery life, some say it makes it worse. It seems to depend on your usage pattern. Either way, it's free, so download it and give it a try and see if it suits you!
1.6 Is there an easy way to monitor my battery?
Yes. Downloading Spare Parts for free allows you access to battery information without going through the cumbersome process of entering the test menu.
Section 2 – Accessories
2.1 Should I buy a case/screen protector, and if so what type?
Consensus really does vary on this one. Some people are strong advocates of cases, some say they aren’t really needed. I’ll go through some protection options below, but first the common sense stuff. Never put your expensive new phone in a pocket with anything else. Keys, coins, and other electricals such as iPods are particularly bad ideas, but most things have a surprising ability to damage phones when jiggled around in a pocket with them. Also, keep the phone out of reach of children and your significant other. You may think the latter is a joke, but you’d be amazed how often it happens. Now, to the physical options.
Pouches. My personal favourite, pouches provide good protection for your phone while in a pocket without adding much bulk, and allow you to use the phone without any added size as you take it out of the pouch to use it. If you get a nice leather pouch then it also suits your swanky new phone. An expensive but very popular option is the Krusell Luna Pouch, as pictured here. I’d suggest getting it from a reputable eBay seller, Amazon, or Play, to get a good price and assured service. Oh, and you want the ‘Large’ size I believe.
Plastic/Silicone cases. These offer always-on protection for your phone, and come in a huge range of designs. They are best used with a screen protector as described below. The ‘Casemate Tough’ should be coming out soon, and seems to be highly regarded if you are looking for one of these cases. If you want a quick and cheap option, eBay will spoil you for choice.
Screen Protectors. These are thin bits of plastic that adhere to your screen and protect it from getting scratched. If you’re throwing the phone in your pocket without a pouch they’re recommended, though opinion is divided. Any screen protector you find will have both good and bad reviews, but a reasonably safe bet are the official HTC protectors for the desire. You can get them from Play for around £5 for two.
With any screen protector you buy, ensure it has a hole cut out for the proximity sensor on the top left of the phone, just above the screen, or it could interfere with its operation.
2.2 Can I get a spare battery, and if so which should I get?
You certainly can, however take note that most people aren’t overly comfortable swapping them out very often. The battery cover on the Desire is very secure, but people have expressed concerns over opening it up too often due to the way it clips in. Your choice.
There are lots of ‘extended’ 1600mAH batteries around, but testing shows these are normally actually worse than the 1400mAH battery sold by HTC, so the official battery isn’t bad. If, however, you really do need more power, you can get 2500mAH extended batteries on eBay, but bear in mind these will come with a new back cover which will make your phone larger, which is necessary as the battery is physically bigger. So if size and style are important to you, give them a miss.
You can also get an external charger. The ‘Pebble’ is very popular and highly reviewed, and seems to charge the desire around 2-3 times before it needs recharging itself. Might be worth looking it up on Amazon if you want lots of extra power.
2.3 Can I get a desktop charging cradle?
There are plenty available if you browse around, but there are a couple of things you should watch out for. Firstly, some have a slot which allows you to charge a spare battery, which will be handy if you have one. Secondly, look for ones that are custom made for the desire and look like they offer plenty of support. You don’t really want the phone propped up on nothing more than the micro USB connector, as that could damage it over time.
2.4 What Micro SD card should I buy?
First and foremost, never buy a memory card from anyone but a trusted seller. Play, Amazon, and very highly rated sellers on eBay are a safe bet. And even buying from those sources, always try to buy branded cards such as Sandisk and Kingston, with a good long warranty period. There are a huge amount of fake memory cards for sale. If the price seems too good to be true, it is. It's as simple as that.
As for the cards themselves, it depends what you're looking for. If you're just looking for storage of a few images, then the card that came with the phone will be fine. If, however, you're looking forward to using 720p video recording when it comes to the desire, or will want to store large applications such as games on the SD card when Froyo arrives, you'll want a new one.
There are two important things to consider - Capacity, and speed. Capacity wise, the best choice at the moment is 16 gigabytes. Anything smaller than that and it isn't much of an upgrade from the card that came with the phone, and 32 gigabyte cards are too expensive to be worth it for most people at this point in time.
Speed wise, class 2 is fine for photos, small apps and that kind of thing, but for high resolution video and large apps (Again such as games), you'll want a class 6 card for the extra speed, which will make sure your video or application runs smoothly. It's probably best to go class 6 whatever your current needs are to make sure anything you choose to do in the future is supported. Things like memory cards are normally worth a bit of extra investment.
Section 3 – Customisation
3.1 What is ‘Rooting’, and is it for me?
This is a pretty complex topic, but basically it allows you to fiddle around with your phone a bit more and opens up a few extra options. If you don’t know what it is, it probably isn’t something you want to try as it involves messing around with the phones software, however if you’re still curious, then click here to go to the dedicated Desire rooting section.
3.2 Am I stuck with HTC Sense?
No. There are alternative homescreens available, and you don’t have to root your phone to get them. For the most popular one, search for ‘LauncherPro’ on the android market. It allows you to have the 7 homescreens, but has extra customization options and a slightly different interface. And don’t worry, you can revert to Sense if you wish by using an app called ‘Home Switcher’, that you can also download from the android market.
Bear in mind, if you’re going to move to LauncherPro, before you do it’s best to set Sense to a blank scene by pressing the menu key while on the homescreen, selecting Scenes, and choosing Blank Slate. This stops Sense from slowing the phone down.
3.3 Can I change the icons for apps and folders?
Yes, but you have to download an app or two to do it. This process is somewhat complicated and varies a bit depending on how you want to do things, so it’ll be easier if you start a thread asking for advice on the topic. That way if you have any trouble along the way you can ask for help.
3.4 Are there any apps to secure my phone if it’s lost or stolen?
Wavesecure is the definitive security solution for android. It isn’t free, but if your phone is stolen and someone changes the SIM card, the app automatically sends a text to your friend, locks the phone, and activates the phones GPS allowing you to track its location online. It also allows you to remotely wipe your data both on the phone and the SD card. It’s also worth downloading Uninstall Protector, which prevents anyone from uninstalling WaveSecure.
Section 4 – Known Problems
4.1 My phone takes a long time to shut down. How do I fix it?
The phone should only take seconds to turn off, but lots don’t. There are a plethora of possible causes for this, and no one fix works for everyone. Try the suggestions below, and if none of them work, start a thread in the forum asking for help and telling people what you’ve already tried. It can be a bit hit and miss.
Turn off backups to the SD card. Some people report it is the backup system that slows the shutdown – Try turning it off as follows: Click the home button then the menu button --> Tap settings --> Scroll down and tap ‘Privacy’ --> Tap ‘Back up my data & Settings’ --> Uncheck the box.
Use a task killer before shutdown. Some report that if they use a task killer to shut down applications before switching the phone off, it lowers shutdown time considerably. Download one from the marketplace (Eg SystemPanel) and kill unnecessary apps before shutting down. Bear in mind that with a task killer, you should always set exceptions for important services like HTC Sense, so it doesn’t stop them functioning.
Remove your Task Killer. Other people report that actually having a task killer slows the shutdown to a standstill. Try removing it and see if it helps.
Unmount the SD Card. Some people say doing this helps. To do this: Click the home button then the menu button --> Tap settings --> Scroll down and tap ‘SD and Phone Storage’ --> Tap ‘Unmount SD Card’
Clear the internet cache. Yet more people uphold this is the solution. To do so, open the internet browser (It doesn’t matter if you don’t turn on a data connection), click the menu button, tap ‘More’ then ‘Settings’, and scroll down till you see ‘Clear Cache’.
4.2 There is a physical defect on my phone. What options do I have?
At a glance around these forums, you might think that most Desires have some form of fault. However you have to remember that most people only come onto forums such as these when they want help with an issue, so inevitably lots of posts are about problems. Most Desires are very well constructed physically, so if yours isn’t, it’s worth taking action. Some common physical faults are:
Dust under the screen. This occurs when dust enters the device before the screen is sealed in the factory. You can try taking it back to the shop where you got it and seeing if they’ll replace it, but if not contact HTC, and they will take it in, clean the dust out, reseal the phone, then send it back to you. But doing it this way you could be without a phone for a week or two.
The buttons/trackpad are not aligned correctly. Bear in mind the hole for the trackpad is not in the centre of the phone by design. This refers to when the buttons or trackpad do not fit in the holes correctly. This can be evidenced by uneven gaps around the buttons, or backlight spilling out around the edges. It’s worth gently trying to move the buttons yourself, but if they won’t budge with a small amount of force, take it back to the shop where you got it and ask for an exchange under warranty. If they won’t accept an exchange, you’ll have to send it to HTC for repair.
There is a rattle near the top of my phone if I shake it near my ear. The simple solution is not to shake it. The rattle is the autofocus mechanism for the camera moving, and is perfectly normal.
4.3 My screen doesn’t turn back on properly after a call. Is this a hardware problem?
Possibly, but it isn’t likely. During a call, a small proximity sensor on the phone turns the screen off to stop you pressing buttons on the phone with your cheek or ear. Once you have finished with a call, move the phone away from your face until the screen comes back on. It will probably take about a second. Then you can hang up and continue using the phone. It can cause problems if you try to use the screen before it has fully reactivated.
If this still doesn’t work, it’s possible that something is blocking the proximity sensor. It is located in the black section above the screen, to the left of the HTC logo. As mentioned earlier, make sure your case isn’t covering it, and if you are using a screen protector make sure it has a hole in that region or it could interfere with the sensor.
If you still have problems after this it could be a hardware problem, or a software issue of some kind. Post on the forum, and explain the problem in as much detail as you can.
4.4 I added high resolution contact pictures, but they are now blurry. What happened?
You have your contacts set to synchronise with Google. If it had to transfer a high resolution contact picture whenever you synced, it would eat through your data allowance very quickly. Therefore, the images are automatically resized to lower the data requirements. The simplest way to solve the issue is to use Phone contacts, not Google contacts, which prevents them from syncing.
Section 5 – GPS, WiFi, and Mobile Data connections
5.1 What are GPS and aGPS?
GPS stands for Global Positioning System, and is used to accurately calculate your location (Often to within a few metres). It is also known as ‘Fine’ positioning on the handset. This accuracy and the ability for it to track you in real time makes it invaluable for satellite navigation.
aGPS stands for assisted Global Positioning System. It is identical to normal GPS, but the phone triangulates your approximate position using local transmission towers first, and uses this rough location to calculate where to look for the satellite signal, dramatically reducing the time it takes to acquire a connection.
GPS can be enabled or disabled by pressing the menu key, selecting location, and checking or unchecking ‘Use GPS Satellites’. Checking or unchecking ‘Use Wireless Networks’ in the same menu turns aGPS on or off. Alternatively, you can download a widget such as Switchpro that allows you to toggle GPS from your homescreen, or use the built-in HTC one by long pressing on the home screen, selecting widget, selecting settings, and adding the GPS toggle.
5.2 Is GPS free?
The GPS itself is a totally free service, and there are no data charges. It uses exactly the same system as a normal sat nav unit (Eg. TomTom). However, some applications that use GPS also use data, so you have to be careful. Google maps, for example, does not store maps locally on the phone, so whenever you move the screen, change the layer you are viewing, or zoom in and out, it will use your data connection to download the maps and images. This can quickly add up to a lot of data, and if you have a low data allowance it could get expensive if used a lot.
There are a couple of solutions to this. Firstly, when using the Navigation app installed on the phone, you can enter your route when at home and it will pre-fetch the map data over your wireless network (As long as you have one set up). However if you make a mistake and leave the calculated route, the phone will download a new route and if needed new map data to compensate.
Another option is to download a different mapping app – For advice on this, please see section 5.3
5.3 Are there any alternatives to Google Maps?
Plenty of them. Two popular applications that store maps on the SD card are CoPilot and Navigon. They have ‘Live’ services such as traffic reports, but other than that do not use any data, as the maps are stored on your SD card. This dramatically lowers your data usage, and is invaluable for those who use GPS a lot, or who are going abroad. However these apps have a substantial one-time fee (Anywhere from about £20-£70 depending on the software you choose), so for people who don’t use GPS a lot Google Maps is a better option.
There are free alternatives that download map data to the SD card, but as you’d expect they aren’t up to much. MapDroyd is free and allows you to download maps for most of the world, but the maps may be out of date in some areas, and there is no navigation, no search, and no stored Points of Interest. If you’re just looking for maps it’s good free software, but it is severely limited.
5.4 Does GPS use a lot of battery power?
When GPS is active, it uses a vast quantity of battery power due to the rate at which data must be sent and received for active tracking of your location. However, the GPS system only activates when an application wants to use it, so you can leave it switched on in the background and it will use no battery unless an application activates it. But if you want to be certain, it can easily be switched off as described in 5.2.
5.5 I use GPS a lot in my car – Is it a good idea to get a car charger?
In a word, yes. GPS will drain your battery pretty quickly when active, so if you use it a lot then a car charger is a good idea. Chargers, however, are a slightly more complicated topic than you’d expect.
Most car chargers for phones only supply 500ma of current (The same as charging your phone via USB). While this is fine for at home, with the screen on using GPS, the phone will still lose battery power while plugged in. Therefore you need to look for a 1 amp (1000mA) charger. The official HTC car charger can be had for under £10, and does the job nicely.
If you have a car charger and aren’t sure how much power it is supplying, then plug it in, then click the Menu button --> Settings --> About Phone --> Battery. If it says ‘Charging AC’ then your charger is supplying an amp of current and is sufficient. If it says ‘Charging USB’, your charger is not powerful enough for the Desire, and you should invest in the HTC one.
5.6 My phone gets hot when using GPS with a car charger – Is this normal?
Yep. Heat is produced by the transformer in the phone and the battery itself during charging, the screen during operation, and the CPU during use. GPS while charging will generate a serious amount of waste heat, especially charging at the 1 amp required for GPS. This will only be made worse if you have a windscreen mount and it is a sunny day.
One popular solution is to use an air vent mount instead of a windscreen mount, so the air conditioning will cool the phone. But if you go down this road, remember not to use the vent mount if you turn the heater on, or your phone will most likely overheat and shut down.
Last edited by Steven58; May 18th, 2012 at 09:10 PM.
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You can only have a certain number of characters per post, so I've taken the first few posts to make sure I can fit everything in at the start of the thread.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mushhushshu
Cool idea - should be a useful resource.
My suggestions would be a list of known bugs (like the bookmark sort order thing which comes up daily) and also a basic section on rooting.
Yea I need to expand on the rooting section, but first I need to read up on rooting and actually understand it myself. Known bugs is a good idea, I'll have to include that as well.
Location: Hemel Hempstead (North West London), England
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Phenomenological
You can only have a certain number of characters per post, so I've taken the first few posts to make sure I can fit everything in at the start of the thread.
I've already sent a request for that to lekky and he agreed, he suggested I put the reserved posts in first though to make sure nobody replied beforehand. I didn't realise there was a character limit on this forum so hadn't done so.
Edit: Just added a section on SD cards since people ask about them a lot.
Last edited by Phenomenological; July 17th, 2010 at 05:00 PM.
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How quickly does reading books and viewing movies drain the battery?
Under cases add Hard and Hard leather. (should be good for a few laughs if nothing else).
Guide to navigating Menu: settings.
Thanks for the input, I've added them to my list.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Replay
Very well written. Thanks.
I suggest adding it to Desire's WIKI.
Thanks, and it might be worth adding a link to the thread to the article, but as this is an ongoing, changing project it would be a pain updating it in two places.
Last edited by Phenomenological; July 18th, 2010 at 11:20 AM.
If your phone battery gets so low the phone shuts itself down, DO NOT switch it back on again. Lithium Ion batteries don't like being fully discharged, and it will lower the life span of the unit. If the phone switches itself off due to a low battery, just wait till you can plug it in. The chances are even if you do turn it on it'll shut itself off again before fully starting up.
It's good advice but not that easy to do sometimes, when the phone has turned off there is no way of telling whether it is off completely or just the screen is off. If you press power, even just briefly to check, and the phone is off, then it will try to power up. Is there any way of enabling a longer press to turn on the phone?
Great post. Good to see all the stuff in one place instead of having to hack through a jungle of comments.
Here's a tip on setting up WiFi at home. OK, it doesn't just apply to Android systems but I've seen lots of grief about it on the various forums and the solution is so simple
If your phone won't connect check whether your home wireless router has the MAC address filter switched on and, if so, add the MAC address of the phone to the Accepted list.
It's good advice but not that easy to do sometimes, when the phone has turned off there is no way of telling whether it is off completely or just the screen is off. If you press power, even just briefly to check, and the phone is off, then it will try to power up. Is there any way of enabling a longer press to turn on the phone?
No, there is not.
The phone should survive you attempting to turn it on once though (even several attempts), so I wouldn't worry. Just don't keep trying
__________________
If you are having battery issues, try reading my post about them: Batteries explained
Sorry to be a bit thick, but I love the questions but don't know where to find the answers. Have they been written yet? Are they on 'stickys', and if so how do I find them?
How about a few simple beginners tips, such as, setting up contacts, downloading apps, with a few common and very useful ones eg 3g watchdog etc.
Thanks-this compendium of questions and answers will prove very useful if I can find it.
I feel slightly embarassed now! If I knew how, I would put one of those red faces in this message. Thank you. I didn't click 'show' because my arrow didn't change to a hand as it usually does.
I am about to take out a contract on a Desire and understand from my son that it comes with almost no instructions as to use. A beginner's guide to basics would, I think, prove very useful.
As you can probably tell, I have never had a smartphone before and so everything will be a challenge. I will immediately be keen to download the 3g watchdog to keep an eye on my 500mb of data limit but won't have a clue how to do it. I will also want to do a back up for the phone, if that's possible, before I do anything, so that if I 'mess up' I can plug it into my computer and restore it to its original settings and start again. Is there anywhere at present where I can get this basic information?
Thanks for your help Phenomen...glad you happen to be online at this time!
The forum is a very helpful community, if you ever need any help just ask! I'd recommend 'Stats' over 3G Watchdog. It monitors 3G usage, but also incoming and outgoing texts and phonecalls, and Wifi use. I'll add a few helpful apps to the encyclopaedia when I get time, maybe tomorrow!
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Thanks again Phenom. Could you perhaps include something very basic on creating a back up of my phone when it arrives, on my computer, and also very basic downloading an app, and where to find 'Stats' as I will probably do that straight away? Not getting phone unti mid to late August, so no rush! I have created a contacts box on gmail, in preparation. Will transferring it over be easy? I want to get a large micro SD card to keep it all on.
Hi,
Very helpful thread, thanks.
I've just got a desire and I have rather fallen for its charms but one thing is bothering me....whenever I go to the market, it asks me to sign in to google. I don't have a google account but can't find how to separate the market from the google sign-in. Any suggestions would be welcomed.
Thanks.
I wish that there was a section that would explain in, Minute Detail, how to root the HTC Desire for real noobies. I know that there are many treats regarding rooting, but most are a little to vague for us newbies and often refer to phones other than the Desire. I know that some of the experts will frown on this, but please, try to remember.......you were once a newbee.
Last edited by Magaboo; August 12th, 2010 at 12:08 PM.
sorry about this not sure if i am doing this right.But just got a desire and love it but I have question I hope someone might be able to answer please.And here goes should you download an anti virus software for when your on the net.
Will connecting to a WiFi AP completely disable 3G/mobile data? Or do I need to manually disable mobile data whenever I connect to a WiFi network for maximum battery life?
Device(s): HTC Desire (GalnetMIUI ICS, S-OFF), HTC Sensation, Orange San Francisco (CM7), Nexus S (ICS 4.0.3),
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmiG
Will connecting to a WiFi AP completely disable 3G/mobile data? Or do I need to manually disable mobile data whenever I connect to a WiFi network for maximum battery life?
Connecting to wi-fi disables mobile data automatically. You only really need to disable connectivity if you're running low on battery life and can't charge for a while - turning off data, wi-fi, GPS etc and simply using 2G for voice calls and text messages can improve battery life.
__________________
HTC Sensation | [ROM] Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread
HTC Desire | [ROM]: Galnet MIUI ICS Build 1.11.9 | AlphaRev S-OFF
Orange San Francisco | [ROM]: Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread | CyanogenMod 7.0.3
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Originally Posted by 5.5 I use GPS a lot in my car – Is it a good idea to get a car charger?
If it says ‘Charging AC’ then your charger is supplying an amp of current and is sufficient.
Not always. I had a car charger that showed "Charging AC" but supplied insufficient current to keep GPS and Bluetooth going and the phone charged (it was the Maplin Micro 1A adaptor with the middle pins shorted).
Quote:
Originally Posted by 5.5 I use GPS a lot in my car – Is it a good idea to get a car charger?
you should invest in the HTC one.
100%. You could chuck aways a lot of cheap chargers before you find one that actually delivers the necessary current.
producing content on the Desire is VERY slow and difficult for me. I am considering a Bluetooth keyboard and would love to have some advice and reports on using them.
producing content on the Desire is VERY slow and difficult for me. I am considering a Bluetooth keyboard and would love to have some advice and reports on using them.
If I recall there are plenty of issues with bluetooth keyboards on the desire. Something to do with how HTC sets up the bluetooth software on the phone I think, which implies rooting may allow you to use one. But that's all from memory so it may be utter rubbish. I think there was a thread about them a month or so ago, a search of the forum might turn something up.
hxxp://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/showthread.php?t=2792427 (couldn't remember if links were allowed)
I don't take any credit at all for this...I had unbelievable drain...googled around, found this and my battery went from struggling to last 9 hours with moderate use to 24 hours with fairly heavy use.
It seems that the calendar app (not the widget) keeps running and refuses to let the phone sleep properly.
Goto the dialler.. type in:
*#*#4636#*#*
From the menu that appears, go to Battery History, then change the first drop down to be "Partial Wake Usage"
If the calendar app has the largest (and full) bar...you have the issue.
Force stop the calendar storage app in Manage Applications and then relaunch it manually (I don't have to do that as I have the widget running...I just view the widget)
The HTC Desire is one of the latest high end phone by HTC bringing a huge 3.7" inch high quality AMOLED screen for crystal clear viewing, powered by a 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and runs on, you guessed it, Android.
We first heard a... Read More
Desire FAQ
Known bugs is a good idea, I'll have to include that as well.
I think there was a thread about them a month or so ago, a search of the forum might turn something up.
