Slow HTC Hero - Thoughts?

[jeremysm1]

Hi Everyone! So I splurged and bought 2 x Sprint HTC Hero phones about 3 weeks ago -- one for me and one for my wife. I really love all the applications and the overall usability of the phone, but I have a few issues that are really driving me bananas. Any insight or help would be greatly appreciated. BTW--I've read a lot of the posts and the stickies for the most part, but I haven't been able to solve the questions below.

1. After about a day or so, my Hero gets SLOOOOOW. I can utilize and app (ie advanced task killer or the like) to kill the running applications but that doesn't seem to fully rectify the situation. I leave open Gmail, Regular Email, SMS, Wifi, Bluetooth and typically a browser is open. The only real way to get this thing flying again is a physical reboot! I know that I am currently updated to the latest/greatest firmware/software patches too.

Questions: Anyone else experience the same? What do you do? Is there an application (without having to root the phone) that can be used to reboot the Hero instead of having to remove the battery?

Does anyone else use Handcent SMS? It seriously takes 10 seconds or so to open each time--is that normal?

Is there a better keyboard modification? My wife is having the hardest time texting. I am seriously thinking about trying out the Palm Pre for her so she has regular keys (she needs an A2DP phone with Pandora--she's hooked).

I have an exceptional voice/data plan with Sprint so I can't switch carriers and go with the newest Google phone at this point in time. Thanks for any insight/help you can provide.
-Jeremy

 

[romeosidvicious]

Well the first thing I would recommend is to stop using a task manager. Reasons are given in the sticky at the top of this forum.

Secondly I would recommend using Dolphin rather than the built in browser. However realize that all the browsers cache content and that content can be cached in RAM. Turning off the browser every once in a while could help your performance.

I use Handcent and it is slower to open than the stock messaging app but since my phone was stolen I yesterday I can't give you an accurate measure of how long it takes to open.

I don't know what you mean by leaving open the list of apps you give. Are you leaving them running by hitting home and starting other things or are you using the back button and just not killing the processes? The answer here might make a difference.

Also what apps have you installed from the Market? There are plenty of threads that mention apps that caused folks phones to slow down. Check your awake time, get spare parts and see if you have an app that's acting badly, and see what you can find.

 

[jeremysm1]

Thanks for you post. I just decided to reset the HTC unit altogether and monitor the applications that I am adding to determine if there is a rogue app causing my pain. So far, I'm downloading (or using) the following:

Handcent SMS, Gmail app, native email app, SportsTap, Wifi Buddy, Mute, Mount USB and Steel. I'll probably add Pandora, Flixster, Wavesecure and some others over the next couple days.

What is your opinion between Steel and Dolphin? I just downloaded Steel yesterday and it is pretty slick. Is Dolphin seemingly a better browser? Thanks!
-Jeremy

 

[romeosidvicious]

What is your opinion between Steel and Dolphin? I just downloaded Steel yesterday and it is pretty slick. Is Dolphin seemingly a better browser? Thanks!
-Jeremy

None I haven't tried Steel. I might when my replacement unit gets here today. It's on a FedEx truck right now.

Please let us know what the results of your application testing turn up!

 

[jeremysm1]

What is pretty amazing about this phone is that I was able to completely reset the device and have it almost 100% back to where I left off easily within an hour (really within 15 minutes). The Google integration with contacts and mail setup is such a breeze and the fact that I can mount the phone and quickly copy the data off of it outstanding. Although, I believe it actually left my SD card completely alone--so no backup of that was necessary.

As of now, everything is flying again. I mean, 100% different experience to what I was dealing with just an hour ago.

Anyone know if there is a better "contacts" application out there? Seems strange that I need to press the magnifying glass to conduct a search and that it won't list my favorite or most searched people first (ie wife, friends, boss etc). Same goes with dialer--any better application for a dialer that includes an improved call list/history?

 

[chuhsi]

i'm also looking for a better contacts and dialer app.

 

[StNick]

jeremysm1, I too am fighting with the same problems... I'd love to come to some conclusion, even if I was to find that it is unfixable until the next official ROM!

Have you come to any conclusion with your application testing?

I am currently trying the suggestions in this thread:
Issue 3453 - android - Android gets slow after about a week, system_service takes more and more CPU (HTC Android) - Project Hosting on Google Code

The short version is that there is a problem with Google Location Services, and something like Latitude (which I traditionally leave on 24/7) will eventually slow the phone down over time. Too early to tell, but so far, its not looking like the same issue as I am having.