Help Issues with Eris as a PHONE

[elboggo]

end/send call button on screen in the same place is a easy fix. use the hard buttons.

i understand you may think it as bad design them being in the same spot, but the simple and built in workaround works perfectly.

OH! Good point!

Now this is why I read this forum.

Sometimes, you have take the 2x4 and hit the jackass (I mean me) up side the head to get attention....

 

[ekyle]

I still don't have the 2.x second pause between the button press and the call ending. If it is really that much of a hassle get a different phone.

 

[elboggo]

I still don't have the 2.x second pause between the button press and the call ending. If it is really that much of a hassle get a different phone.

Yes, I thought about this possible response.

There may be multiple generations of the eris hardware. The battery life application refuses to install on mine, so maybe I just have an older clunkier version.

The biggest problem with the 2.5 second call end time is when you are trying to drive and call at the same time.

Here's what happened to me: I was on my way to lunch, and called my friend to tell him that I was late.

I will spare you the details of how annoying the dialer was in trying to find his name because I have found a solution for that (folders filled with people links).

However, after the call ended I pressed end call and stuck my phone in my pocket. However, the phone call did not end. My friends continued to listen to me sing along to the radio and gave me a ration of well deserved grief when I met them.

Since I was driving, it would be dangerous for me to spend the 2.4 seconds actually looking at the phone. This is a safety issue. I was not in a school zone so this was a strictly legal and oft repeated activity.

When considering the importance of this issue, remember that car wrecks can result in lawsuits -- not to mention horrible, life destroying injuries.

The same problem also occurs while walking, not just driving. Normal telephones do not require you to physically look at the phone in order to operate it. I don't know about you, but I once stepped out in front of a bicycle and got run over because I was looking at a pretty girl while walking down the side-walk. Anything that takes your eyes off your surrounding world can be a bad thing.

I am about to try the technique of adjusting the cell-tower re-sync cycle time and see if the problem goes away.

 

[elboggo]

Your phone pages the towers once every (something like) 2.5 seconds. You can change it to 1.2 or .6, but you will use more Battery ( am at .6, and I think it's killing my battery pretty good, but 1.2 is a good compromise). Verizon set it up to 2.4 to reduce their network congestion. To change it (at your own risk), you can do the following (follow very closely):

Open up Dialer.
Dial ##778.
Choose 'Edit'.
Type in the password - 000000 (six zeros)
Choose 'Modem'
Choose 'Slot Cycle Index' (the first option).
Scroll up and change the number to 1 or 0 (both are good choices), and push OK.
Once it is changed to 1 or 0, Press 'Menu'. (not 'Back').
Press Confirm at the bottom.
Your phone will reboot.
Done.

This change will be MARKEDLY noticeable when you go to, for example, end a call. I use the red physical button to end the call, and it's almost instant now, compared to waiting 2.5+ seconds from the tower for a response.

Good luck.

I just tried this, and it seemed to give excellent results. I used setting 1, rather than 0. I assumed that the 1 == 1.2 second delay from the above discussion.

This is very helpful.

I tried calling my home phone several times and never had the problem with the end call sticking.

We'll see how it works on my battery life...

 

[rubens hakkamacher]

After a few days using the speed tweak, it still seems to be working better.

Battery life seems "down"; I never before saw anything but green on the indicator at the end of the day, yesterday it got to orange.

One thing - which I don't know is related - when I unlock my screen, the HTC time widget 1 in 3 times is off by exactly 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours... then it "fixes" itself.

"?"

/ now if they'd just move the "CALL" button...

 

[Caddyman]

fixes itself immediately? like within a second?

if so, it is designed that way, i guess to look "cool" (its dumb if you ask me)

change to an analog clock, when you unlock you will see the hands "sweep" to the correct time....

 

[Frisco]

change to an analog clock, when you unlock you will see the hands "sweep" to the correct time....

I just changed to that one a few days ago; I like it very much compared to that default one. Looks very cool.

 

[rubens hakkamacher]

Well, if it's a "feature" it didn't do it until a few days ago, and it sucks because I shouldn't have to wait to make sure I'm looking at the correct time.

/ it's not a feature

 

[Caddyman]

i asked a question you didnt answer...thanks.

does it do it instantaneously or does it lag?

if you are fast and watch you can see the flipclock switch to the right time when you go to its screen, but it takes less then a second. if yours takes longer you phone is lagging.

whether you call it a feature or just the "way it is" that is the way it is. every single eris with sense does the same thing, so yes, it is to be expected.

regardless of any clock widget, you always have the time in your notif bar, and it is always right (pending some crazy issue)

 

[rubens hakkamacher]

i asked a question you didnt answer...thanks.

What is the answer you want? That it happens instantly, and that it's the flip-animation turning over?

No.

if yours takes longer you phone is lagging.

Oh, really? It takes long enough that I can look away to another clock and back and it's still there. That's a "lag". That is why I made the post: it's self evident.

whether you call it a feature or just the "way it is" that is the way it is. every single eris with sense does the same thing, so yes, it is to be expected.

No, every single Eris doesn't do it, because AS I WROTE it didn't do this until a few days ago. My wife's Eris doesn't do it. So no, it's not to be expected.

you always have the time in your notif bar, and it is always right (pending some crazy issue)

Kinda defeats the usefulness of having a big clock display, doesn't it?

 

[Caddyman]

Oh, really? It takes long enough that I can look away to another clock and back and it's still there. That's a "lag". That is why I made the post: it's self evident.

actually some people, that had no lag and just saw that split second switch, did complain. i was simply trying to help you....no it wasn't self evident at all. the definition of "wait" varies greatly, especially among smart phone users.

No, every single Eris doesn't do it, because AS I WROTE it didn't do this until a few days ago. My wife's Eris doesn't do it. So no, it's not to be expected.

I didnt say every eris takes that long to change, i say every eris does this, as in you can see it switch, but it should be less then a second. you assumed i was saying that every eris lags multiple seconds for the time to change when that is not the case, should have been self evident.

Kinda defeats the usefulness of having a big clock display, doesn't it?

you are so awesome.

 

[dangwal1111]

Your phone pages the towers once every (something like) 2.5 seconds. You can change it to 1.2 or .6, but you will use more Battery ( am at .6, and I think it's killing my battery pretty good, but 1.2 is a good compromise). Verizon set it up to 2.4 to reduce their network congestion. To change it (at your own risk), you can do the following (follow very closely):

Open up Dialer.
Dial ##778.
Choose 'Edit'.
Type in the password - 000000 (six zeros)
Choose 'Modem'
Choose 'Slot Cycle Index' (the first option).
Scroll up and change the number to 1 or 0 (both are good choices), and push OK.
Once it is changed to 1 or 0, Press 'Menu'. (not 'Back').
Press Confirm at the bottom.
Your phone will reboot.
Done.

This change will be MARKEDLY noticeable when you go to, for example, end a call. I use the red physical button to end the call, and it's almost instant now, compared to waiting 2.5+ seconds from the tower for a response.

Good luck.

I think Verizon has tumbled to the fact that subscribers are changing their settings. I just tried the ##778 and received an error message (so sorry crap), and to try again if I thought I was receiving this message in error I tried a couple more times with the same results. I'm pretty much with the "Love the Droid", hate the "phone app" replies. Anyone have any idea what they might have changed the call in number to?

 

[Bswartz95]

I think Verizon has tumbled to the fact that subscribers are changing their settings. I just tried the ##778 and received an error message (so sorry crap), and to try again if I thought I was receiving this message in error I tried a couple more times with the same results. I'm pretty much with the "Love the Droid", hate the "phone app" replies. Anyone have any idea what they might have changed the call in number to?

I just gained access without any problems. Did you press the call button? It immediately asked if I wanted to "edit" or "view".

 

[dangwal1111]

I just gained access without any problems. Did you press the call button? It immediately asked if I wanted to "edit" or "view".

No offense (no flame intended), but if I hadn't pressed the call button, I wouldn't have received the error message. I did lie a little I didn't try just two or three times. I must have dialed it at least a dozen times. Started off with ##778 (half a dozen times at least), then tried ##788, **778, **788, #*778, etc.---All Verizon numbers, all error messages.

 

[Bswartz95]

No offense (no flame intended), but if I hadn't pressed the call button, I wouldn't have received the error message. I did lie a little I didn't try just two or three times. I must have dialed it at least a dozen times. Started off with ##778 (half a dozen times at least), then tried ##788, **778, **788, #*778, etc.---All Verizon numbers, all error messages.

Just checking because there are functions, such as "checkin", that does not require pressing the call button. This was causing several people issues.

 

[Ryobi]

Slot Cycle Index change was worthless. I noticed nothing different except my battery was inhaled.

 

[Ryobi]

I think Verizon has tumbled to the fact that subscribers are changing their settings. I just tried the ##778 and received an error message (so sorry crap), and to try again if I thought I was receiving this message in error I tried a couple more times with the same results. I'm pretty much with the "Love the Droid", hate the "phone app" replies. Anyone have any idea what they might have changed the call in number to?

Lemme see here. All these other peeps managed to type in #778 and were able to change the Slot Cycle Index, including myself, but you sir were not able or perhaps you may have stumbled upon some blunts during your adventures?

 

[elboggo]

Slot Cycle Index change was worthless. I noticed nothing different except my battery was inhaled.

My phone is using firmware version 1.5. Perhaps different rev levels require different solutions?

Look in settings/phone status/firmware version.

I wouldn't know how to solve the problem for you, but if we could get some other people to report their experience and their firmware version, maybe we could could know whether upgrading or downgrading would be help.

 

[danielevans83]

With 2.1 there is noticeably less lag with the Phone app. I love it again in fact. My only issue remaining is ACCIDENTALLY CALLING PEOPLE. I HATE IT! I noticed in the "People" app when you push a person's face it brings up a little bar that gives you the option to call, text, email, map their house whatever. AWESOME. It'd be perfect if they made that the action for pushing the name as well. PROBLEM WITH ACCIDENTAL CALLS SOLVED. At least give us the OPTION to do this...

 

[Generally Confused]

I'm a little late to this conversation. I must admit I am having serious difficulties with this phone, as is obvious by my user name.

Some of the suggestions have been helpful...I will learn to long press.... but that doesn't solve the issue of your phone automatically dialing when you scorll down your recent calls list. Sometimes I go awhile before being able to answer my calls since I am in mtgs all day. To see who called, I'd like to be able to scroll down the list w/o it automatically dialing.

I've also accidentally called people through smart dialer (the phone recognizing names instead of numbers). I've had so many accidental calls it's not even funny....it doesn't matter whether or not I have screen lock (which I do) this happens when I'm navigating the phone itself...

 

[scary alien]

I'm a little late to this conversation. I must admit I am having serious difficulties with this phone, as is obvious by my user name.

Some of the suggestions have been helpful...I will learn to long press.... but that doesn't solve the issue of your phone automatically dialing when you scorll down your recent calls list. Sometimes I go awhile before being able to answer my calls since I am in mtgs all day. To see who called, I'd like to be able to scroll down the list w/o it automatically dialing.

I've also accidentally called people through smart dialer (the phone recognizing names instead of numbers). I've had so many accidental calls it's not even funny....it doesn't matter whether or not I have screen lock (which I do) this happens when I'm navigating the phone itself...

I had the same issue you did--having the phone dial a number when I scrolled through my contact list (argh!). Then someone (its been so long I forget who), suggested that I use an app called "Call Confirm" on my Eris (free in the Market). Worked great!

Check it out. Hope this helps you, it did me.

 

[Podivin]

My wife uses the trackball to scroll (yeah, go figure - who knew it would do that?! ) rather than her finger. That way she doesn't get accidental dials by pressing a contact when she only intended to scroll the screen.