Data Manager - Three Questions!

[sculptedstylus]

I have a rooted DX and have been keeping the Data Enabled and Background Data unchecked for most of the day to conserve battery life. Here are my three questions concerning this: 1) It takes around 20 seconds for these settings to load after tapping the Data Manager. Is this duration normal? 2) Although I've read that it conserves the battery to turn off Background Data, no one has mentioned Data enabled, since I turn that off too, any pros or cons about this? 3) I've read that keeping Data roaming on also conserves the battery, which I also do, any opinions about that?

 

[leftspin]

I have a rooted DX and have been keeping the Data Enabled and Background Data unchecked for most of the day to conserve battery life. Here are my three questions concerning this: 1) It takes around 20 seconds for these settings to load after tapping the Data Manager. Is this duration normal? 2) Although I've read that it conserves the battery to turn off Background Data, no one has mentioned Data enabled, since I turn that off too, any pros or cons about this? 3) I've read that keeping Data roaming on also conserves the battery, which I also do, any opinions about that?

1) Yes, sometimes when I turn off data it takes a few seconds for the setting to actually apply, that's completely normal

2) Turning off background data will conserve battery as will turning off data enabled, but when you turn off data enabled you won't receive 3G data service, only regular phone service

3) Data roaming will have no effect on your battery life at all, it only effects whether or not you will receive data outside of the regular network

 

[sculptedstylus]

Turning off background data will conserve battery as will turning off data enabled, but when you turn off data enabled you won't receive 3G data service, only regular phone service

Thanks for your quick reply Leftspin. I usually turn on those settings at least once a day for 15 minutes or so, to get caught up. I was just wondering if there is any difference in unchecking just one of those settings, as opposed to both.

3) Data roaming will have no effect on your battery life at all, it only effects whether or not you will receive data outside of the regular network

I thought that might be the case for Data roaming setting, I only leave it checked because someone suggested it in another thread.

 

[NoBloatware]

I may have been the one who suggested leaving on Data Roaming. I always left it off but then I called up Verizon and somehow we got on the discussion of roaming. The VZ rep said that I should keep roaming on if I'm not near a foreign border because it allows the phone to take advantage of contracts that VZ has with other carriers. If you have roaming off, the phone will be burning up battery searching for a signal and there may be no signal. If you have roaming on, the phone will just connect and you'll save battery power.

How true is this? I have no idea, but it makes sense that it is true. Also, be careful if you're in the US and near the Canadian border / Mexican border / out in the ocean / etc. because if roaming comes on and it connects to a non-US network you will get charged handsomely. Sorry that this is US-centric but I have no idea how this type of stuff works for non-US folks.

 

[leftspin]

I may have been the one who suggested leaving on Data Roaming. I always left it off but then I called up Verizon and somehow we got on the discussion of roaming. The VZ rep said that I should keep roaming on if I'm not near a foreign border because it allows the phone to take advantage of contracts that VZ has with other carriers. If you have roaming off, the phone will be burning up battery searching for a signal and there may be no signal. If you have roaming on, the phone will just connect and you'll save battery power.

How true is this? I have no idea, but it makes sense that it is true. Also, be careful if you're in the US and near the Canadian border / Mexican border / out in the ocean / etc. because if roaming comes on and it connects to a non-US network you will get charged handsomely. Sorry that this is US-centric but I have no idea how this type of stuff works for non-US folks.

that actually makes a lot of sense, I've never heard it before but I believe it. The only thing that seems weird is, if Verizon had a contract with these carriers that phones on the VZW network could connect to those networks for free, wouldn't they just connect to them automatically? Why would you need roaming on? Either way I'm gonna try it and see if there's a noticeable improvement in battery life/data service

 

[NoBloatware]

Well, I'm guessing that in some areas of the US--say rural areas--the population might be so sparse that there's only one carrier's antennae there and VZ has not yet spent the money to service that area. In some circumstances it is probably cheaper to partner with someone's existing infrastructure than to set up your own cell sites--like if a local municipality will not allow another antenna or your partner has a long term low-rent lease on a cell site. Why doesn't your phone know to connect without turning on roaming? I guess that's just the way the tech is set up.

I'm speculating about most/all of this. Does anyone with any industry experience know what the deal is? I guess that it doesn't really matter for me. I'm keeping roaming on, and it won't cost me anything unless I'm near a foreign border. Of course, the VZ rep I talked to could be wrong and keeping roaming on might eat up battery. He sounded pretty knowledgeable though...