Help Droid X came yesterday - questions from a Newbie

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I just received my X yesterday and very impressed so far, but I am totally inexperienced with a device with these hi-tech capabilities (think 1st grader here). I'm very grateful for these forums and am hoping you'll be patient with my questions. Here's the first two:

I've seen people talking about being able to see what applications are running and how much memory or power each using. Is this capability already in the phone or is an app required for this? If it is a separate app, which one is it?

I have Exchange at work (Windows XP and Office 2003), but since this is a personal phone, I will not get the benefit of IT support. I would like to sync only my calender and contacts, but do not want email. Is the best way to do this through a third party app like gsyncit or should I go through the corporate setup that seems to be available on the phone? I did not elect to pay the $20.00 extra per month that Verizon mentioned for some special "Exchange" setup.

Thanks in advance!

 

[CanopicJar]

I am by no means an expert and I am sure that others will have differing suggestions for you.

You can access your battery usage and find out what applications are running by going into Settings

You can DL countless apps that will help you kill unwanted tasks and further manage your battery as you become more familiar with your phone.

To sync your calendar with your phone, I would suggest using google calendar, which ties in with your gmail account.

Travis

 

[bigbadwulff]

Basically forget what apps are running. The software takes care of that. And no, you don't need an App Killer.
But watch your Wi-Fi and GPS and maybe 3G(if in an area without 3G the phone may search for it and kill you battery).

Other than that the phone does about everything for you.

But:
Settings/ BatteryManager/ Battery use(what has been using your battery)

The biggest thing that uses your battery is the screen. Turn it off quickly when not in use. Tap the on/off button to "toggle" the screen on/off.

 

[karma2burn]

I just received my X yesterday and very impressed so far, but I am totally inexperienced with a device with these hi-tech capabilities (think 1st grader here). I'm very grateful for these forums and am hoping you'll be patient with my questions. Here's the first two:

I've seen people talking about being able to see what applications are running and how much memory or power each using. Is this capability already in the phone or is an app required for this? If it is a separate app, which one is it?

I have Exchange at work (Windows XP and Office 2003), but since this is a personal phone, I will not get the benefit of IT support. I would like to sync only my calender and contacts, but do not want email. Is the best way to do this through a third party app like gsyncit or should I go through the corporate setup that seems to be available on the phone? I did not elect to pay the $20.00 extra per month that Verizon mentioned for some special "Exchange" setup.

Thanks in advance!

I would recommend downloading System Panel. It's a free app (their is a paid version of it) and it will give you some nice statistics on what resources specific apps are using. Astro file manager is another good one that can tell you a lot of the same things.

 

[Steven58]

Welcome CLS. I'll move you to the support section with a long redirect here.

Glad you're h ere!

 

[mlauber]

I was in your shoes a few weeks ago. Here is what I have learned.


Before you do anything else, install Launcher Pro. It's available on the market, there is a free version. It will dramatically enhance your UI experience.

Second, the exchange setup on the Droid X at the moment is a little tricky if your exchange server does not require SSL. I would try setting it up through the normal corporate sync, as long as your company has exchange webmail. (if you access your corporate mail from home via a web browser you do) Simply run through the normal setup and when it asks for your server, put in the address you browse to on your web browser. When you do that you can select individually if you want calender, contact and/or mail sync.

Third, I use advanced task killer. I feel like it gives me better battery life, but it could just be in my head. The jury is still out on that one.

Fourth, Install extended controls, which is available via the market. It's a paid app but worth it. ($.99) More options than power control. It allows you to keep close tabs on all your power draining components ie. GPS WIFI Brightness Bluetooth

Just my suggestions, try 'em if you like ;-D