Ok so most of you cats know me around here. You know I'm a big time backer of the Android platform, and that I simply adore my DX. You also know I'm brand neutral, and that I give credit where I feel credit is due. So I'm hoping this time around not to get slammed for comparing Android to Blackberry.
The very first post I made here at Phandroid was in the Droid X section in the accessories area. The extended battery hadn't been launched yet, but there was a thread with many eager DX owners clamoring for its release to ease the pain of having to deal with the stock battery. I wrote out one of my infamous essays which for the most part praised the DX. 98% was me listing all the awesomeness I had found in my new device and the Android platform as a whole. But I made the foolish mistake of also throwing a little praise RIMs way. I said, "I just wish Google would buy out RIM as to steal their battery saving techniques and apply them to the Android platform".
Since this was my maiden voyage into this site, many suspected I was a Blackberry fanboy in DX clothing. And they launched into my praise of RIM accordingly with statements like, "well of course your Curve never ran low on juice, the damn thing doesn't do ANYTHING". I suppose looking back I should have expected it seeing as I was a noobie around here. I've seen similar posts made by trolls, so a little hazing was to be expected. But of course even though I admit the DX is light years ahead of my old BB Curve, that doesn't mean it didn't do ANYTHING. It did, in fact, do everything I ever wanted a phone to do up until I discovered Android truth be told.
I played games on it. Texted non stop. Wrote out tons of emails. Took pictures (very badly), and videos (even worse). And it even had a (............ wait for it....) BROWSER!!! No, it didn't compare in the slightest to the browser on my DX, or any other Android for that matter. But that didn't stop me from browsing the internet all day long until my hearts content. And whats more, I did all that stuff without ever having to plug it in throughout the day. I never had to discipline myself really, all I had to do was remember to plug it in at night, and everything was gravy. When I did plug it in at the end of the day after anywhere from 10 - 16 hours of constant and heavy use, it rarely had less than 25% of its charge left. Which meant that even if I came home drunk and forgot to plug it in or something, the next day I'd still have plenty of time to do a few things on it before I absolutely had to plug it in. And then it would only take maybe 45 minutes tops to fully charge it again. Basically what I'm saying is, worrying about my phone running out of juice was never an issue the whole 2 years I had my Curve.
Ok so 8 months after buying my DX (6 and 1/2 months after getting the extended battery for it) I'm not looking to go back to Blackberry or anything crazy like that. I'm hooked on all the possibilities Android brings, and have no interest in going back. But the point of this thread (ah, bet you were wondering when I'd get to it, right?) is that I talked my ex-fiancee into getting the Droid Pro when it came out last fall. It was partly due to the fact that I love Android so much I wanted to introduce her to all of the exciting things it brings as well, but the main selling point that I was able to nail her on was the 'Square' credit card payment app. Since she runs her own business I figured that would be an invaluable addition to her company. So she took my advice and switched over to Android. And although I think she's pretty much gotten used to it all now (been 4 months), the one complaint she still has is that she wishes it wouldn't run out of juice so fast.
That's when it occured to me that Google really does need to catch up in the conservation department if it truly hopes to win over the business crowd from Blackberry. Here's the situation, she doesn't use her phone nearly as much as I use mine, I'm on my phone like every spare minute I have in the day. She works on her computer all day long and only really uses her phone to text, make calls, set up appointments in her calendar and do a little Facebooking (a vital part of her photography business is viral marketing via Facebook). When she had her Bold she really only had to charge it every other day, but I always made sure she plugged it in at night right beside mine. Now she says she's had it run out on her several times after 12 to 13 hours if she was on Facebook too long or something.
What astounds me is that the Droid Pro has an 1800 mAh battery powering it, while her Bold had a 1500 mAh unit. And I've done set her phone up several times for her already, making sure she knows to keep the Wifi, Bluetooth, GPS and all that stuff turned off. I've made sure she knows not to use live wallpapers, keep the screen turned down to 30 or 40%, set the screen timeout to 30 seconds, all that good stuff. But it's still just not very efficient.
All the flack I drew when I made the comparison from my DX to my Curve don't apply to her case. Her Droid Pro and Blackberry Bold have practically the same screen size. They both have physical keyboards. And she does basically the exact same thing on her Pro that she did on her Bold. She doesn't get caught up in all the apps or the games or any of that stuff, it's all business for the most part. And the fact that it's eating through her battery so much faster than her BB did tells me that one of the things Google really needs to focus on is getting Android to be more efficient.
And I totally bought into the way Android works, keeping apps running in the background so that they're always ready at a drop of a hat, just as soon as you click on it. When the great 'Automatic Task Killer' debate raged on, I read the argument for how leaving the Android OS to do its thing instead of forcing apps to close all the time was much more efficient, so I've never used ATKs, nor do I ever plan to. But her situation has me rethinking my strong influence in having her switch platforms. And as much as I'd love to be able to recommend to all of my Blackberry friends a switch to the Android side of life, I now have to take into consideration what their primary use of their device is for. If it's strictly business, and they aren't the kind of people who are into customizing, gaming, or playing around with different apps, then maybe they're better off on their RIM devices.... for now.
As for me, I've fully adapted. I don't mind knowing I need to either take it easy on my phone if I'm not going to be near a power outlet, or carry a spare battery. I'm used to plugging my phone in everytime I get in the car now. I'm willing to do all these things so that I can enjoy all of the good stuff Android has in store for me. But I know not everybody is ready to make those sacrifices yet.
Android, you know I love you. I'm just keeping it real here. Just like with my kids, I'll love them no matter what, but if they have work to do to improve themselves, I won't hesitate to tell them about it. And if Android is serious about really breaking into the business world, they still have some catching up to do in battery conservation.
But then, I'm sure Google already knows this, and is doing their best to rectify the situation.
The very first post I made here at Phandroid was in the Droid X section in the accessories area. The extended battery hadn't been launched yet, but there was a thread with many eager DX owners clamoring for its release to ease the pain of having to deal with the stock battery. I wrote out one of my infamous essays which for the most part praised the DX. 98% was me listing all the awesomeness I had found in my new device and the Android platform as a whole. But I made the foolish mistake of also throwing a little praise RIMs way. I said, "I just wish Google would buy out RIM as to steal their battery saving techniques and apply them to the Android platform".
Since this was my maiden voyage into this site, many suspected I was a Blackberry fanboy in DX clothing. And they launched into my praise of RIM accordingly with statements like, "well of course your Curve never ran low on juice, the damn thing doesn't do ANYTHING". I suppose looking back I should have expected it seeing as I was a noobie around here. I've seen similar posts made by trolls, so a little hazing was to be expected. But of course even though I admit the DX is light years ahead of my old BB Curve, that doesn't mean it didn't do ANYTHING. It did, in fact, do everything I ever wanted a phone to do up until I discovered Android truth be told.
I played games on it. Texted non stop. Wrote out tons of emails. Took pictures (very badly), and videos (even worse). And it even had a (............ wait for it....) BROWSER!!! No, it didn't compare in the slightest to the browser on my DX, or any other Android for that matter. But that didn't stop me from browsing the internet all day long until my hearts content. And whats more, I did all that stuff without ever having to plug it in throughout the day. I never had to discipline myself really, all I had to do was remember to plug it in at night, and everything was gravy. When I did plug it in at the end of the day after anywhere from 10 - 16 hours of constant and heavy use, it rarely had less than 25% of its charge left. Which meant that even if I came home drunk and forgot to plug it in or something, the next day I'd still have plenty of time to do a few things on it before I absolutely had to plug it in. And then it would only take maybe 45 minutes tops to fully charge it again. Basically what I'm saying is, worrying about my phone running out of juice was never an issue the whole 2 years I had my Curve.
Ok so 8 months after buying my DX (6 and 1/2 months after getting the extended battery for it) I'm not looking to go back to Blackberry or anything crazy like that. I'm hooked on all the possibilities Android brings, and have no interest in going back. But the point of this thread (ah, bet you were wondering when I'd get to it, right?) is that I talked my ex-fiancee into getting the Droid Pro when it came out last fall. It was partly due to the fact that I love Android so much I wanted to introduce her to all of the exciting things it brings as well, but the main selling point that I was able to nail her on was the 'Square' credit card payment app. Since she runs her own business I figured that would be an invaluable addition to her company. So she took my advice and switched over to Android. And although I think she's pretty much gotten used to it all now (been 4 months), the one complaint she still has is that she wishes it wouldn't run out of juice so fast.
That's when it occured to me that Google really does need to catch up in the conservation department if it truly hopes to win over the business crowd from Blackberry. Here's the situation, she doesn't use her phone nearly as much as I use mine, I'm on my phone like every spare minute I have in the day. She works on her computer all day long and only really uses her phone to text, make calls, set up appointments in her calendar and do a little Facebooking (a vital part of her photography business is viral marketing via Facebook). When she had her Bold she really only had to charge it every other day, but I always made sure she plugged it in at night right beside mine. Now she says she's had it run out on her several times after 12 to 13 hours if she was on Facebook too long or something.
What astounds me is that the Droid Pro has an 1800 mAh battery powering it, while her Bold had a 1500 mAh unit. And I've done set her phone up several times for her already, making sure she knows to keep the Wifi, Bluetooth, GPS and all that stuff turned off. I've made sure she knows not to use live wallpapers, keep the screen turned down to 30 or 40%, set the screen timeout to 30 seconds, all that good stuff. But it's still just not very efficient.
All the flack I drew when I made the comparison from my DX to my Curve don't apply to her case. Her Droid Pro and Blackberry Bold have practically the same screen size. They both have physical keyboards. And she does basically the exact same thing on her Pro that she did on her Bold. She doesn't get caught up in all the apps or the games or any of that stuff, it's all business for the most part. And the fact that it's eating through her battery so much faster than her BB did tells me that one of the things Google really needs to focus on is getting Android to be more efficient.
And I totally bought into the way Android works, keeping apps running in the background so that they're always ready at a drop of a hat, just as soon as you click on it. When the great 'Automatic Task Killer' debate raged on, I read the argument for how leaving the Android OS to do its thing instead of forcing apps to close all the time was much more efficient, so I've never used ATKs, nor do I ever plan to. But her situation has me rethinking my strong influence in having her switch platforms. And as much as I'd love to be able to recommend to all of my Blackberry friends a switch to the Android side of life, I now have to take into consideration what their primary use of their device is for. If it's strictly business, and they aren't the kind of people who are into customizing, gaming, or playing around with different apps, then maybe they're better off on their RIM devices.... for now.
As for me, I've fully adapted. I don't mind knowing I need to either take it easy on my phone if I'm not going to be near a power outlet, or carry a spare battery. I'm used to plugging my phone in everytime I get in the car now. I'm willing to do all these things so that I can enjoy all of the good stuff Android has in store for me. But I know not everybody is ready to make those sacrifices yet.
Android, you know I love you. I'm just keeping it real here. Just like with my kids, I'll love them no matter what, but if they have work to do to improve themselves, I won't hesitate to tell them about it. And if Android is serious about really breaking into the business world, they still have some catching up to do in battery conservation.
But then, I'm sure Google already knows this, and is doing their best to rectify the situation.
