Verizon Tech here - ask away!

[skidemn]

Hi Viper,

I've had my Droid now for about 3 weeks and I love it, except that I'm getting lousy call quality. Everyone complains that I'm breaking up or that I sound far away. Also, when they can hear me it sounds like their breaking up on my end. I've changed the vocode to EVRC-B. That seemed to help a little, but the problem still persists. I called verizon, they had me do a battery pull and then turn the volume all the way down and then back up, this didn't seem to do anything. I'm getting close to the 30 day marker for exchanging. Do you have any suggestions for fixing the problem or would my best bet be to exchange. Thanks.

Same problem here. Even tried 13K to no avail...

 

[jmacal83]

Hi Viper,

I've had my Droid now for about 3 weeks and I love it, except that I'm getting lousy call quality. Everyone complains that I'm breaking up or that I sound far away. Also, when they can hear me it sounds like their breaking up on my end. I've changed the vocode to EVRC-B. That seemed to help a little, but the problem still persists. I called verizon, they had me do a battery pull and then turn the volume all the way down and then back up, this didn't seem to do anything. I'm getting close to the 30 day marker for exchanging. Do you have any suggestions for fixing the problem or would my best bet be to exchange. Thanks.

Same problem here. Even tried 13K to no avail...

That's odd the Vocode should have improved your call quality, i had the same issue as you and i tired the v ocode to EVRC-B and it worked.

 

[MInkyboi]

Hey viper, over at this thread we're having problems with phone calls:
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/te...-suggestions/8952-phone-function-problem.html

Basically when we are on the phone it sounds as though it is muted and we cannot hear anyone. The other end can hear us though. The only way to hear them is to use earphones/speakerphone/bluetooth. We verified that the in call volume is in fact turned up.

 

[RuthWt]

Sorry if I'm duplicating a question. I have the Droid, but this is the first time I've stepped foot into a forum. Not sure how it works.

I was told by a sales person in the Verizon store in Philly that the droid is pre-loaded with Flas 9. Is this true? Because when I try to play any online tv, I get a message saying that Verizon will be making Flash 10 available first half of 2010? :motdroidhoriz:

thanks!

 

[opinky]

I did try another eris to be sure it wasnt the phone but that one had no reception either. I returned eris for moto droid and i have reception now. thanks for the previous suggestions

 

[Backnblack]

I was told by a sales person in the Verizon store in Philly that the droid is pre-loaded with Flas 9. Is this true? !

He's Lying, Plain and Simple....No Flash is preloaded.

Ask him to show you.

 

[viperboy]

hey viper... ifd if anyone asked u already but i was wondering if there is a way to send my music via txt?? i use to have the LG voyager and i was able to send music clips or even whole songs via txt messaging.

You cannot send it through a text, but you can download Explorer and navigate to the directory where your music is kept, long press, and than Send. You can then select GMail to send via email. You could also put in that persons "phone email" such as [email protected] for example.

Explorer will give you an option select Messaging instead of GMail but it just opens the messaging app and will not attach your audio file. It's a shame, that would be a very useful feature.

Thanks for taking my call. If I shutdown the Droid overnight, I'm seeing a battery discharge. If the battery is below 50%, it will completely discharge. Ran a test over the past two evenings. Evening 1 I charged the phone to 100%, then did a shutdown. Powered the phone up in the morning and the battery was at 70%. Evening 2, charged the phone to 100%, then did a shutdown AND removed battery. This morning, I reinstalled the battery and started the phone. Battery was at 100%.

I went to my store a couple of weeks ago and they gave me new battery. But I don't believe it is a battery issue. I've post this issue here and on other forums, but no solutions. Do you have suggestions for other tests?

This is a business phone, so I've not downloaded many apps. I can provide more details if that would help.

Barry

Wow, very odd. It sounds like the phone isn't actually shutting off. I just want to make sure that you are pressing and holding the top right power button, selecting Power Off, and than OK when it says it will shut down. I'm sure you are doing it this way, but I just need to ask

If you are, I would say to definitely have it exchanged. I have not seen any reports of this, so a different phone would be your best bet.

I can recieve MMS from Mulitple carriers and view them, before the 2.01 update i was able to send them, but after it now i am unable to. I checked the box for MMS delivery conformation, and when i send one it gets stuck on pending. Is this a carrier issue or does my droid suck at life.

Did you try unchecking it and sending it? If that doesn't work, contact Tech from your phone.

I have a brand new Motorola Droid and have downloaded voice dialer and voice dialer HF and both start up and then almost immediately shut down. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks very much!

Do you have any other apps that do this? Have you tried uninstalling and reinstalling?

I have a question-when I go to an extended network area, I lose my data connection. My Blackberry 8330 would slow down as it was a 1x area but I still could receive e-mails, etc. I have tried a *228 but I still have this issue. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks. FYI, the area I am speaking is the Wabash/Peru, IN area.

I figured out my issue. By default, the Droid will not let you roam for data when outside of the normal service area. To fix this issue, go to Settings-Wireless & Networks-Mobile networks and click the "Data roaming" box. Now, when I am in an extended service area, my e-mail/internet works. If you are traveling outside of the country, you probably will want to un-check that box so you do not charged international data rates.

Thanks for posting back to let us know! Outside of the country won't do you too much good, unless it's where Verizon has some CDMA coverage since the Droid isn't a Global phone.

Vip,

thanks for the thread. question. How do i uninstall the new update. It sucks for me because i don't care about any of the "improvements" listed in that link you gave. The only thing i want is to have my lscreen stay on permanently - which it used to do with the "never" option in display settings.

I tried scribbl but that doesn't help with the lock screen timeout. I use my droid for a watch and now i have to press the power button everytime i want to check the time because it times out after 5 seconds. I didn't see any workaround in my search of the threads.

The only thing i can think of is to go back to the prior version which i'm happy to do because my phone was working perfectly for my needs before the update. thank you.
rj

If you have the backlight set to never time out and it still is, make sure Screebl is disabled. If it is still happening, try SM mode. If it works in SM mode, see if you have any other apps that would be affecting the backlight enabled.

If that still doesn't take care of it, you should be able to enable Screebl and set the accelerometer to make the phone think it is being used even a 0 degrees tilt. That should make the phone think that no matter how you hold it, you're always using it - hence keeping the backlight on.

Hi Viper,

I've had my Droid now for about 3 weeks and I love it, except that I'm getting lousy call quality. Everyone complains that I'm breaking up or that I sound far away. Also, when they can hear me it sounds like their breaking up on my end. I've changed the vocode to EVRC-B. That seemed to help a little, but the problem still persists. I called verizon, they had me do a battery pull and then turn the volume all the way down and then back up, this didn't seem to do anything. I'm getting close to the 30 day marker for exchanging. Do you have any suggestions for fixing the problem or would my best bet be to exchange. Thanks.

Same problem here. Even tried 13K to no avail...[/QUOTE]

If that setting didn't make the audio alot better, take the phones in to have them looked at. It will probably end up being a replacement.

Thanks Viperboy for all the great information!

If I am reading your replies right, and please correct me if I am wrong, some third part apps are causing the droids to shut off or go black? I have had both experiences once so far. Granted I've only had the phone for a couple of weeks, but the evening, of the day I did the update, my phone went totally black and I had to remove the battery to get it to power back on. Just the other night it just shut down, but powered right back up.

If it is third party apps creating these problems, then are we all just taking a chance installing them? Thanks again for all your great information!

It's not necessarily a 3rd party app that is making it do that, but it could be. It is most likely just a phone glitch that a battery pull will fix. It's nothing to worry about, IMO.

And there is always a risk with 3rd party programs... however, the risk is EXTREMELY low. I mean, people download, test, and rate the apps. If you manage to download an app that completely screws up your phone, I would say that is your fault. There are so many tools you have to tell you if it is a good app to have or not.

Someone may have already covered this but I couldn't find anything when I searched the topic.

Is there a way to put a shortcut to certain saved documents on the desktop? I'm a nursing student and have many lists, cheat sheets, etc. that I have created. I'd love to be able to click once and link to my document somehow.

Thanks!

Unless they are all Notes or something you would access in Documents to Go, than no, there is no other thing I could think of. What you can do it Home Screen > Long press > Folders > All Notes or Documents to Go - Recently Used. That seems like the best and really only way to do what you are asking unless there is a 3rd party program out there that I don't know about that will do it.

Hi,
I have a couple of questions about my Droid..
1. the wifi drops me. I have a wireless home network and when I turn on the phone, I have almost 100% connect. As the minutes pass, so does the connection and eventually, I am off of the web and the phone does not roll over to the Verizon 3G. I can turn the phone off and back on, and it once again connects and does the same thing. I have several devices on my network, and they do not do this, and my netbook will be connected perfectly, as the phone loses its connection.

2. How can I get the most from my battery? I brought it to work fully charged, left it in my bag all day and when I got home, the battery was dead. I had not used it a single time. I noticed that the wifi and bluetooth were on, should I leave those turned off if the phone is in sleep mode?

Thanks,
Joey

I haven't used the WiFi that much because I usually have a 3G connection, but having it on all the time does suck the juice out of the phone. I leave my WiFi off unless I'm going to use it. I was leaving my Bluetooth off for a few days but it got annoying when I got in the car and I had to turn it on to use my car's HandsFree Link so I decided to leave it on from now on because I read that Bluetooth doesn't really drain that much power and only seem to be engaged and draining more power when it is actually paired with a Bluetooth device. I haven't really had any battery drain issues otherwise. Your phone also may be switching to Roaming if you have it in a bag or something and isn't getting Verizon's 3G connection. Roaming drains a battery like no other.

Try this to fix your WiFi - Home Scren > Settings> Wireless and networks > Wi-Fi Settins > [turn on Wi-Fi] > Menu > Advanced > Wi-Fi sleep policy. Select "Never" and see if that helps. This WILL make your battery drain faster while using WiFi however.

Definitely turn off WiFi and BT when you are not using them. I use my Task Killer often. Shorter backlight timeout helps as well. A set brightness level, try to keep it low. Those are just a few quick tips.

Hey everyone. I just registered for this site. Seems like a great place to be. I do Tech Support for Verizon in-store and know all of the phones pretty well. I am here to answer any questions you might have (let's try to keep it related to the Droid) that you might not have the answer to. Please keep in mind, I'm not a developer and I'm not going to be able to tell you that why such and such app isn't working on your phone. I'm here to answer questions related to Verizon and how the Droid works with Verizon's network and any tech related questions related to the Droid.

Feel free to ask whatever questions you have, and mods, if there is a better place for this thread, please feel free to move it Thanks guys. I look forward to helping you.

A couple quick things...

1.) First and foremost, I'm here to TROUBLESHOOT and provide answers to help you with your phone. If you are looking for leaked information about new phones or you want credits on your account, you've come to the wrong place. None of that will be happening here. I just need to make sure this is 100% clear.
2.) This seems like this is really catching on here, so I will keep this post up to date with common issues and fixes to things so you don't have to go through the entire thread for answers.
3.) Please understand, this is not my full-time job to sit here and wait for someone to post something so I can respond. I'm doing this to help you guys and answer questions.
4.) That being said, you might see that I don't get to answer questions for 12+ hours. Don't worry, I will answer them, but it will take some time to do so.
5.) On that note, for simple issues, it might be more beneficial for you to search and read through some threads instead of awaiting a response from me on a question about battery life, for example. There is no set answer, it would be best for you to search around, find a thread that is already created for that topic, and take a read through. I'm not saying I don't want to answer those questions, but you might get an answer faster that way and learn more in the process.

Common Tech Solutions and Tips

- Improve Call Audio Quality (Doesn't seem to work if you have anything to do with Alltel!)

• Dial ##7764726 (##PROGRAM) and act as if you were going to call that number.
• Enter 000000 for the SPC Password and then tap Verify
• Tap on "04 Vocode"
• Tap on EVRC-B than Apply
• The phone should automatically reset a few seconds afterward. If not, power cycle the phone
• Explanation - This changes how the phone compresses and decompressed the call audio which improves the quality.

- Safe Mode

• With the phone off, slide open the keyboard open
• Press and hold the Power+Menu button (on the keyboard)
• Continue to hold until the "Droid Eye" comes up and you feel the phone vibrate
• Phone should start up and say "Safe Mode" in the bottom left-hand corner
• Explanation - This starts only the core Android processes. This is best used for diagnosing if a 3rd party application is causing your phone to malfunction or if you cannot uninstall if when in regular mode.
• TRY THIS FIRST if you are having any problems with your phone acting up, especially with the built-in Android apps (example - Messaging app is crashing. Boot in Safe Mode. If app doesn't crash when doing what you were doing in regular mode, it's most likely going to be a 3rd party app with access to messaging that is causing a problem.)
• BE AWARE that after coming out of Safe Mode, 3rd party widgets might not display properly on the home screen. Press and hold on the widget and drag it down into the trash can, then readd it to the home screen. This will fix the "problem loading widget" error.

- Multiple Facebook Entries for a Contact

• From the Home Screen, go to Settings > Accounts and Sync
• Tap on your email assigned to your Facebook
• Tap on "Remove Account"
• Go back a menu and tap "Add Account"
• Select "Facebook" and set it up again

- Contacts No Longer in Contacts List

• Go to Contacts > Menu > Display Options.
• Tap on your GMail account to drop down that list
• Check everything in that list
• Back out and they should be in there
• Explanation - Sometimes after a SW update, the contacts groups will go back to default and "hide" some (or possibly all) of your contacts.

FAQ

- What was changed with the 2.0.1 Update?

• This is directly from VerizonWireless.com. http://learning.verizonwireless.com/learning/Droid_Motorola_Software_Update.pdf

- After the 2.0.1 update, the Browser lags! Why?? When will this be fixed?

• It has been suggested that what is slowing it down is that the phone is now keeping full image quality even while scrolling instead of lower image quality while scrolling and than full quality when not scrolling. At this time, Verizon hasn't issued a way to correct this. If this changes, I will update this.

- When will tethering be officially supported by Verizon?

• This fix is projected for sometime in Q1 '10. The hold up is that Access Manager isn't compatible with the Android phones yet and doesn't have the drivers built-in to get the phone to tether.

- When is new software coming out for the Droid??

• Because I value my job, this is not something that I can post on this site. You may have heard about a future update(s). I can't really say if that is correct or not. Information gets leaked, but it won't be from me.

- How about new Android phones??

• Again, I can't really talk about that. Truthfully, you will probably read about it online before many people at Verizon know.

I will continue to add to this as this thread grows. If you feel that anything should be added, please PM me and I will take care of it.

Often when I am on the phone I hear a beep...then another beep....then the phone disconnects...I believe that my ear or chin is hitting numbers...can you help? My screen must not be staying "black"..

I have the same problem sometimes. I wish the phone would just lock itself automatically on a call, but it doesn't. I posted a thread about that wondering if there was an app to do that. I haven't found one yet.

Anyway to Fix the "Crackling" when using a charger and a 3.5mm jack while playing ANY audio?

Do you know what the bitrate of your music is? How loud do you have it cranked up from the device? Does it only happen when you charge it AND use a 3.5mm jack and no other time? If so, is this when charging at home or in the car?

Vip,

thanks for the thread. question. How do i uninstall the new update. It sucks for me because i don't care about any of the "improvements" listed in that link you gave. The only thing i want is to have my lscreen stay on permanently - which it used to do with the "never" option in display settings.

I tried scribbl but that doesn't help with the lock screen timeout. I use my droid for a watch and now i have to press the power button everytime i want to check the time because it times out after 5 seconds. I didn't see any workaround in my search of the threads.

The only thing i can think of is to go back to the prior version which i'm happy to do because my phone was working perfectly for my needs before the update. thank you.
rj

This update was a mandatory update; you can't roll it back, and any phone that you get today will have that update.

I just sat with my phone beside me for 10 minutes after setting the screen timeout for 30 minutes, and it never went dark. If your phone is going dark after 5 seconds, I'd suspect that some other app is blanking the screen, or your phone is defective.

Cheers,
-M

Exactly, the update cannot be undone. Try my suggestion for you above a few quotes.

hey thanks a lot viperboy you have been a great help.

You're very welcome

I had Motorola send me a new one and it fits tightly - I had the same problem and they will do it for free once. They probably send out a special one so I'd recommend that.

My Back of the phone keeps falling off I replaced the phone once and the store gave me a new back so I have had a total of three backs and all of the have fallen off, does anyone have the same problem and if so what is the solution Mrdodgers Droid

+1. I had the same thing done, it does fit better.

I used my new droid to navigate a 200 mile trip yesterday and it worked flawlessly...............I've used a number of gps systems and this is as good as any and better because of the real time poi, etc.

However, is there no way to put the phone in night mode. I had to turn off the navigation shortly after dark because it was blinding me. Please tell me that I'm a dummy and there is a setting.....or tell me there is a setting on the drawing board. Thanks for a great phone.

Nope, as mentioned no way to do it so far. Maybe there will be an option for it when it is out of beta. This isn't a Verizon thing, it's up to Google to include that in Maps. You could also just manually turn the brightness down while navigating at night too.

im having issues with my google naviagtion. The narrator is speaking at double speed. i have no idea how it started. i've tried to figure out how to uninstall google maps and reinstall it but its not listed in my application manager. any tips or hints you could offer so i can remedy this? thx for ur time

From home page. Settings, text to speech, speech rate
. Allows rate selection. South Alabama here, had to find that from
Day one. MotoD

Thank you for posting that. Did that fix it for you?

Will the number of apps I download effect the battery life of the phone? I remember reading somewhere that certain apps run in the background and kill the battery life (I think it was USA Today or something)

It's not about how many you download, it's about what stays running. If you are downloading and leaving a program running that requires GPS, you will notice a significant drain on the battery.

Wow!.. your awesome viperboy.. I hope your getting rewarded well!

You remind me of the guy that walked out in front of everyone at the shooting range with a T shirt with a bulleye on it!.. .LOL!

Thanks allot for your support!.. I"m entranced and learning so much from this thread!

P.S... Its quite obvious your not just a normal run of the mill Tech!....

I appreciate it even more when you admit you don't know rather than act like you do.. that means you actually know something! :icon_ banana:

Thanks very much! I figure it's not helping anyone if I make up an answer to anything. And I do like to think of myself as well informed

Hey viper, over at this thread we're having problems with phone calls:
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/te...-suggestions/8952-phone-function-problem.html

Basically when we are on the phone it sounds as though it is muted and we cannot hear anyone. The other end can hear us though. The only way to hear them is to use earphones/speakerphone/bluetooth. We verified that the in call volume is in fact turned up.

Is this fixed with a battery pull? Seems like a bug within the SW. How often does it happen? Is there anything that will cause it to happen?

I was told by a sales person in the Verizon store in Philly that the droid is pre-loaded with Flas 9. Is this true? !

He's Lying, Plain and Simple....No Flash is preloaded.

Ask him to show you.

Right now, it is not Flash compatible. Now, I only said right now It is something that will be coming to the device when they finish and deal with all the legal mumbo jumbo with Adobe. But there will be an update to the phone to support Flash. That's all I can say for now

 

[anDROID18]

viper..
thanx ill try it and ill let u know how it goes..

 

[Bear in NM]

Not sure if this a tech question or perhaps another can answer. I have questions about data roaming, and the system select function in the setup menu. I think by the warning that Data Roaming means getting data while roaming, and possible excess fees. As to the toggle in System Select we have "home only" and "Automatic". Not sure what these two options do, and the possible ramifications to my phone and/or bill. This is my first data phone, and I have yet to leave my little valley, where in the old voice only phone days I would see "roaming" on my phone.

Thanks,

Craig

 

[Dragoro]

Can you use the wifi outside of country? and will it cost?

 

[Ken_photo]

I'm new to the forum. I'ver read everywhere that the Display must be on while charging and that this is normal.

I've never read about that:

settings/application/development/stay awake (has check box).

That when checked "screen will never sleep while charging" seems to allow charging without the phone being on (at least the screen). Is this setting okay to use? Seems to work.

Wonder why they call it development. I figure I am better not having the screen on all the time since I often leave it attached to the charger and perhaps it will help the display screen last longer.

Since I just got my droid I wouldn't know if this was added to 2.01.

What are your thoughts on this setting?

 

[windstrings]

While I appreciate that Viperboy intends to help, switching to EVRC-B is not a good idea, based on what is found in the link above. Bottom line is that while EVRC-B will sound better than EVRC, not all cell sites support it. So if you set it and it works where you are now, you will eventually wander into a cell that does not support it and you won't be able to make calls and won't remember how to switch back. A better choice is the first option "13 bit". It apparently sounds as good as EVRC-B but works all over and apparently uses more bandwidth.

This reminds me of a pager situation I had once... I lived far up in the mountains and I couldn't receive a page with the normal baud rate they used...... they had a faster baud rate to clear up some bandwidth... they didn't want to do it, but I had to get them to send at the slower baud rate and then I could receive pages.

Its quite possible that the EVRC-B is designed to free up some bandwidth since phones all have faster processors now and can process the compression with ease.

Propagation over mountains and around and through buildings is also a consideration.. while digital is supposed to be line of site, reality is.. everything bounces and propagates to some degree and varies based on frequency and signal strength.

However three thoughts come to mind
1. If we use the -B compression, that means unless the whole network involved in the chain to complete the call we are in must be also updated and tweaked properly to handle -B or we will recieve altered call quality inspite of the potential of the faster compression.
2. Many tweak their internet browsers to "hog" bandwidth to provide maximum speeds at the expense of taking bandwidth away from other users.
3. Is it possible using 13K actually gives the best overall quality at this time?
True its an older technology.. but one thats tried and true and not subject to and vulnerable to having all the countless links in the cellphone exchange between towers, servers, etc being updated properly?

How many links are involved when you make a typical call thats routed across the country and back?

I'm thinking the older technology "13K" may be the way to go until more time is given for compatibility for the EVRC and EVRC-B.

Maybe it uses a tad more power or requires a tad more signal "for fringe areas?".. I don't know.... but its obvious the alternatives are not perfected yet.

-------------------------EDIT

I have sinced tested the 13K mode and while it indeed works just fine, the vocal quality on both ends does not seem as strong and bold or solid.... in fact the 13K sounds like the old mobil phones used to sound, while the EVRC - B mode sounds more like a sound file recorded at a higher bit rate... just more solid is the best way I can explain it.....

I'm thinking EVRC-B is the best unless it won't work.. then default back to a lesser mode.

 

[CKyle22]

Viperboy, what is the best thing to do if you were in this situation: http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-general-discussions/9668-little-dilemma-help-needed.html

 

[viperboy]

Not sure if this a tech question or perhaps another can answer. I have questions about data roaming, and the system select function in the setup menu. I think by the warning that Data Roaming means getting data while roaming, and possible excess fees. As to the toggle in System Select we have "home only" and "Automatic". Not sure what these two options do, and the possible ramifications to my phone and/or bill. This is my first data phone, and I have yet to leave my little valley, where in the old voice only phone days I would see "roaming" on my phone.

Thanks,

Craig

If you are at all concerned, call up Care and ask them. Depending on the plan you have, you could still roam. I would double check if you are worried.

Can you use the wifi outside of country? and will it cost?

Yes you can and no it won't. Just make sure to turn on Airplane Mode. You can still turn on WiFi, even with Airplane Mode on.

I'm new to the forum. I'ver read everywhere that the Display must be on while charging and that this is normal.

I've never read about that:

settings/application/development/stay awake (has check box).

That when checked "screen will never sleep while charging" seems to allow charging without the phone being on (at least the screen). Is this setting okay to use? Seems to work.

Wonder why they call it development. I figure I am better not having the screen on all the time since I often leave it attached to the charger and perhaps it will help the display screen last longer.

Since I just got my droid I wouldn't know if this was added to 2.01.

What are your thoughts on this setting?

It has been there since 2.0. Why it is under Development, I couldn't tell you, but you are correct that if it is unchecked, the screen will turn off while charging.

While I appreciate that Viperboy intends to help, switching to EVRC-B is not a good idea, based on what is found in the link above. Bottom line is that while EVRC-B will sound better than EVRC, not all cell sites support it. So if you set it and it works where you are now, you will eventually wander into a cell that does not support it and you won't be able to make calls and won't remember how to switch back. A better choice is the first option "13 bit". It apparently sounds as good as EVRC-B but works all over and apparently uses more bandwidth.

This reminds me of a pager situation I had once... I lived far up in the mountains and I couldn't receive a page with the normal baud rate they used...... they had a faster baud rate to clear up some bandwidth... they didn't want to do it, but I had to get them to send at the slower baud rate and then I could receive pages.

Its quite possible that the EVRC-B is designed to free up some bandwidth since phones all have faster processors now and can process the compression with ease.

Propagation over mountains and around and through buildings is also a consideration.. while digital is supposed to be line of site, reality is.. everything bounces and propagates to some degree and varies based on frequency and signal strength.

However three thoughts come to mind
1. If we use the -B compression, that means unless the whole network involved in the chain to complete the call we are in must be also updated and tweaked properly to handle -B or we will recieve altered call quality inspite of the potential of the faster compression.
2. Many tweak their internet browsers to "hog" bandwidth to provide maximum speeds at the expense of taking bandwidth away from other users.
3. Is it possible using 13K actually gives the best overall quality at this time?
True its an older technology.. but one thats tried and true and not subject to and vulnerable to having all the countless links in the cellphone exchange between towers, servers, etc being updated properly?

How many links are involved when you make a typical call thats routed across the country and back?

I'm thinking the older technology "13K" may be the way to go until more time is given for compatibility for the EVRC and EVRC-B.

Maybe it uses a tad more power or requires a tad more signal "for fringe areas?".. I don't know.... but its obvious the alternatives are not perfected yet.

Here is some good reading...

Enhanced Variable Rate Codec B - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

EVRC

The second link is a little bit old, but this sums up the differences...

8 kilobits is still not enough to reproduce crisp audio like a well-engineered 13 kilobit CODEC (such as EFR on GSM). Depending upon the source material you'll find EVRC sounds less crisp (especially in the "s" sounds) and a little raspier overall. However, under many circumstances this isn't all that great a difference. Unfortunately that isn't the only problem. One of EVRC's claimed "advantages" is built-in noise suppression. That seems like a great idea until you hear what it can do to audio quality, especially outgoing audio.

13K might sound better, but you have more of a chance of dropping a call. It makes the phone have to transmit and receive at a higher rate of speed over voice, therefore making it more likely to drop a call. EVRC-B will suppress noise alot better than 13K and won't put so much strain on the phone and the tower you're on, therefor you're less likely to drop a call.

Truthfully, reading those 2 pages will help you understand why the Vocode trick works the way it does.

Viperboy, what is the best thing to do if you were in this situation: http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-general-discussions/9668-little-dilemma-help-needed.html

That's really tough. In the stores, it really is what it is, unfortunately. You can always try calling Care, but usually, they will only offer you what you have available.

 

[miltk]

wallpapers resizing

viperyoungster ,,,,,,

i tried putting up wallpapers of my art by first resizing them to the screen size.

this didn't work. as you know there's a weird squared crop area that i don't understand. anyway the resulting wallpaper of the artwork is a close-up i don't want.

i would like the 854x480 screen to show my artwork as is. i honestly don't care about the two side screens,,,only the main one. how should i figure this math out ???? thx