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5:41 pm
January 2, 2011
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Today I upgraded from a Samsung Gravity to an unlocked Gio. Yay!
I have the $10 a month SO internet plan but I couldn't get online so I configured my phone according to a post here. I can get online now (Thanks!) but I didn't root the phone so I'm not sure if I've messed it up or if I'm using far more battery life than I need to by configuring it.
In the past I've only gone online to check email or find an address so the person who old me the phone said I should cancel the internet and access internet at home through my WiFi and in public through coffee shops etc. if required. (I'm not sure how much access I would really have of I go this route. It would be great if I could take a picture and then email it or gewatch videos on YouTube, but I don't know if that can happen without a data plan.)
I also thought I needed to call SpeakOut so they can attach my new IMEI to the cell # but their FAQs say that the balance is not transferable - I just bought the $125 special - so I'm not sure if that will affect my access to services.
Getting my email is 100x easier now so I'm not complaining but I'm wondering if anyone can tell me if I should (or even can) complete the root process and call SpeakOut re: the phone change.
6:50 am
March 12, 2009
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I also thought I needed to call SpeakOut so they can attach my new IMEI to the cell # but their FAQs say that the balance is not transferable
Your account is attached to the sim, not the phone. You can put your sim in any other phone and carry on. I don't really know why they ask for the IMEI number.
As for rooting, if you can do things you want to do already, then I don't see the point.
11:25 am
January 2, 2011
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Turns out this isn't eh phone for me anyway. There's no accessible Wi-fi access in the downtown area where I work and the Gio rips through a battery charge like nobody's business. (I'm not confident it would even last for a 2-3 minute video.) The old Gravity humped along for days and days, on the Gio I get one day with a couple short calls and a couple texts. (And I only turn on the data packet if I'm actually Googling something.) Not really much point in having a smart phone if it's likely going to be dead when I need it!
2:28 pm
March 12, 2009
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One thing that eats battery is if your wifi is on all the time. It keeps searching and searching, using up a lot of juice. I use an app called Wifi Power Saver that automatically turns off wifi when you are out of range. No more forgetting.
9:19 pm
September 19, 2012
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Don't these things have a built in Connectivity Manager where you can choose wether WiFi scanning is on all the time or only user-initiated??
BTW is it really possible there is so little WiFi access downtown? Quite a few chains offer WiFi now, just off the top of my head: McDonald's, A&W, Tim Horton's, Starbucks, Second Cup, Mmmmuffins, BoosterJuice...
9:02 am
January 2, 2011
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Now that I've had some time to adjust to chargin the phone once or twice a day it's not a bad little phone.
You're correct of course, there's WiFi in the city, even in a McDonald's parking lot, but outside of the wireless areas I need to use the packet data setting or I have no internet access. It's slow, and the pre-set FB and Hotmail keys won't work in non-WiFi zones, but I can access those features though Google. (No YouTube without WiFi, though)
One thing I'm still not clear on is - do I need to maintain internet access? I know that WiFi would work without it but since I don't have a data plan I'm assuming the SpeakOut internet access is what the "packet data" uses? (I can always cancel it and see how inconvenient it is but I wondered if anyone knew from experience.)
8:04 pm
April 22, 2009
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I got this pack for my Gio, and very much appreciate it now when I use the UMB. http://www.ebay.ca/itm/2x-1500.....0806666821
I do not use my Gio as much anymore, mostly because I now have a better android phone. OS 4.0x does a better job with proxies than 2.3
8:30 pm
January 2, 2011
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Thanks Bridonica. I'm sure the newer phones are more efficient but this one was $40 in the original box and unlocked so I'm muddling along with it. It's definitely a step up from a Gravity but tonight I left it in packet data mode and the battery drained in three hours!
12:52 am
April 22, 2009
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Two apps that helped preserve the battery life of my Gio were juice defender and advanced task killer. Lots of battery sucking apps run in the background, that do not really need to be there.
6:51 am
January 2, 2011
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bridonca said:
Two apps that helped preserve the battery life of my Gio were juice defender and advanced task killer. .
Thanks B. I downloaded Juice Defender a couple days ago and that really does seem to have improved the battery life. (And I'm getting into a routine of topping it up whenever I'm near a computer.) Accessing things like FB and Hotmail is definitely much faster via WiFi but I can still get there reliably (Albeit slowly LOL) via the browser without it so I'm okay with the $10/month charge.
