General Sluggish phone calling is almost frustrating

Boy I sure hope so! This is one of the few issues I DIDN'T have with the Droid, so hope that it is not something that plagues all Eris'. Won't get mine till Wednesday.

 

I can't say that I have noticed a lag in the phone side of things... maybe you have too many things running? Does it still lag right after you reboot?

 

I've noticed this as well, even without apps running in the background.

 

My biggest complaint on this phone is the lag when using the dialer feature. It seems to take FOREVER to end a call. The lag on the number pad is VERY annoying as well. It seems as if any action taken after initiating dialing a call is painfully slow.

 

I am on my third week with the Eris and yes there lag here and there but nothing like the blackberry I have had. I believe the update has a lot to do with it and future updates should fix these issues.

 

I think my phone sometimes lags a bit when receiving a call. I've had my phone ring only a couple times then stop, and I'll call the person back and they'll tell me the phone rang and rang and rang and they finally hung up. Seems that sometimes it takes an extra long time to initiate a ring.

 

You can even reboot your phone and the lag is still there. My Eris lags alot as well.

 

The worst for me is the lag in disconnecting a call. Many a person has got to hear my talking to those around me after I hit "end call" and it took another 5 seconds to actually disconnect. Irritating but I now know to make sure the call is fully disconnected before beginning to talk to someone else. Ugh - it shouldn't be this hard. Just make a phone that WORKS.

 

It seems a lot easier to just hit the red button on the bottom right of the phone. It ends the call quicker than tapping end call on the touchscreen.

 

Yup not on my phone it doesn't. That big red button puts it to sleep and if I wake it right back up, the call is still connected.

 

Do realize that this is effectively a computer. It's not a device designed with ONE purpose. The phone software is only a small component of what it does.

Since its underlying OS is doing lots of other things (even with no other apps running) and is using a program on a program (aka applications OVER an OS-and all the layers of the OS) instead of having VERY simple programming like a Qualcomm type phone, there are delays.

Waiting 1.5 seconds between when you hit end call and when it ends, or hitting call, and waiting, are things that have to do with network.

'End Call' you can hit right away. The phone has to run that command through the OS, talk to its own hardware, and communicate back up to the tower. When this communication comes back successful, THEN you get 'Call Ended.'

The LG EnV, for example, when you hit the red button, INSTANTLY cuts off your voice input and output from the other user, so it appears that a hangup has happened immediately. Really, things happen just as fast. It's the UI not waiting for the network. The UI acts instantly instead.

It's all perception. You're using a cell phone, rather than a landline phone and phone modem. There is lag!

Hope that helps put it in perspective!

 

Of course we realize that! But first and foremost it is a PHONE. It needs to do the basics well. Not kinda-sorta but WELL! We buy these devices to get the best of both worlds--not an ok computer and a crappy phone.

 

Agreed...even before phones became "super" phones the manufacturers still could rarely get a phone right in my limited experience (one phone per two year contract).

The lag in this phone while ending a phone call is annoying to me as well. Even with all apps killed there is a lag and once it didn't hang up even though I know I hit the "end call" button on the screen...was annoyed with the person I was talking to and was making comments to someone else in the room with me about them and I heard a "noise" coming from my phone. Turns out it never hung up and the person was still on the line but didn't catch what I said.

I may need to play around with my phone more but is there a time and date stamp for the call history?

 

No, this is effectively a phone that has computer technology built it. First and foremost, it is a phone. I would not buy this device if it was not a phone - I would use my much more capable laptop. I can handle some lag in the browser etc - I won't tolerate continued lag in HANGING UP a phone call. That is basic.

Funny, my Droid didn't have this issue. Neither did my BB or any of my other phones (smart or dumb). All were on VZW so I doubt it is the network. Droid is (obviously) Android so I wont blame the OS. That only leaves the phone. And we aren't talking 1.5 seconds - not for me. Sometimes it is up to five seconds. That is a long time to take to disconnect a call.

 

I have to say, this is my one and only complaint with my Eris. When I dial a number, whether through the People app, directly dialing a number, or from my favorites widget (my most used way to dial someone), the delay from when i push dial to when i even get a symbol in the corner (usually appears slightly before the phone call screen comes up), is MUCH longer than I personally find acceptable, so far it seems to be the longest operation the phone does for me. Ending a call isn't as bad for me, usually its very responsive, but initiating the call drives me mad. I often don't know whether it knows that I hit dial or not.

 

Actually, first and foremost, it is a computer. Once again, just the same way WiFi and GPS are built in, the hardware to connect to the Verizon network is all built in as well.

If you are buying it primarily because it is a phone, and not because it's a computer, I think this phone is not amazing, at this point. There is no good noise cancellation surrounding the mic during calls, the lag when dealing with the dialer and in-call software, and the not-spectacular battery life when using the phone make this a very MEDIOCRE phone.

With Android 2.0, and maybe with a case with some soft covering over the microphone opening at the corner of the phone, maybe my opinion about how good of a Phone this actually is will improve. But I bought this phone because it is a computer. The fact that it is also my phone is a convenience for me to not carry a second phone.

Again, yes, insofar as the advertisement of this being a 'Phone' and not a 'PDA' or computer, it is sold as a phone.

I did not expect the phone part to be amazing, and I would not recommend this to anyone as a good phone in terms of phone functionality. I hope that this will improve, but it DEFINITELY is a computer, with the hardware and software to make it function like a phone when it needs to.

When it's interface related, Android 2.0/2.1 will hopefully make it much faster (closer to the Droid!). Some of the lag IS network related. Some software is programmed to WAIT for the network to react to it (like when you hit end call here, which will hang if the network doesn't respond right away - such as the software on our Android 1.5 phones - hero users have the same complaint), and some software (like most 'dumb' phones) is set to just cut off your mic and speaker as soon as you push the red button (regardless of how long it takes the network to react). This is something that people generally like with their phones.

And again, why I tolerate this as effectively phone software and hardware working on a computer, and not complain about it on the basis that it is not a good phone.


I really love this phone. But I don't love it because it's a good phone. I love it because it's a computer, in my hand. I am optimistic that its actual phone calling functionality will improve (GREATLY, I hope) at least some amount with the Android OS update. Until then, yes, it is a phone, but the only reason it is 'first and foremost' a phone is because that is how it is sold. IMO it is a much better PDA than phone!

 

the microphone is in the center built into the charge port, the corner is a lanyard hole.

otherwise great post.

 

Wow, so it is! I think I knew this, but for the longest time thought that it was on the corner.

and thanks for the props.

 

Fine. You want it to be a computer first that is your progative. I want it to be a PHONE first and secondly a portable computer so that I don't have to lug my laptop EVERYWHERE with me.

Right now it does not do the basics right. Period. End of discussion.

 

Love the Eris - great unit - but the phone dialer app (cause that is what it is) SUCKS - the lag is ridiculous. I hit end call then tick tock, tick tock - call ends - at least I have the lag built in m head now. Before I'd keep hitting the end call button and then the call would end AND then recall.UGGHHH
Major flaw no doubt - wish someone would build new (proper) dialer app to replace.

 

I just hit the red button 2-3 times. It ends the call quicker and gets me out of the dialer screen.

 

Since I've been using smart phones there's always been a 2-3 second delay on ending a call. It took one time of me cursing my husband after (I thought) I ended a call to learn not to say anything I wouldn't want the caller to hear.

I'm not saying it is right (I shouldn't have to compromise phone quality), I guess I'm just saying if I was super particular about phone quality I would get a phone.

 

For work I use a VOIP phone software on my computer as my primary (only) office phone. I'm not talking about SKYPE or anything like that, but Cisco software specifically designed to work on the telephone system we have at work. Even on a high powered desktop computer loaded up with RAM and a terrabyte of hard drive there is a lag on my phone from either 'send' or 'end'.

I'm in the camp with those that think the Eris is a small computer with telephony software built in.