Samsung Galaxy S3 Tips and Tricks

Check our new Geekzone Price Comparison web site for electronics prices in New Zealand.

Forums › Android › Samsung Galaxy S3 Tips and Tricks

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

3663 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Reply # 646101 25-Jun-2012 21:14
Bhugz: NZtechfreak: Little something for the gamers here, video demo and 'how-to' guide for NOVA3 on an HDTV controlled wirelessly via a PS3 controller: That's pretty awesome. Definitely gonna have to try it out. What ROM are you running? I'm still on the stock Vodafone rom right now. Bit worried about trying to flash a custom ROM onto my phone and bricking it. That's stock with Root, nothing else modded. Twitter: @nztechfreak Blogs: AndroidNZ.net

NZtechfreak

3663 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Reply # 646103 25-Jun-2012 21:21
motorwayne: lokhor: motorwayne: NZtechfreak: Hi all, Just thought some people might like to know how to do this - if your network doesn't support fast dormancy then your S3 battery life will be reduced because of network related wake locks. This affects all Telecom users who didn't purchase their phone from Telecom. Unfortunately unlike earlier Galaxy devices it is not easy to disable fast dormancy, but fortunately lokhor from our very own Geekzone has worked out how to do it (Root required folks). Check out his guide here: http://www.androidnz.net/2012/06/at-your-own-risk-how-to-disable-fast.html Hmmm... I have excellent battery life on the Telecom network with two phones purchased via JB HiFi. I had a light day yesterday and after 16hrs I still had 67% battery life left, if that isn't decent for a phone this size I don't know what is. Are you sure it is blanket for all Telecom users with phones not purchased from Telecom? Yes it will affect all Telecom users with phones not purchases from Telecom. If you want to see whether it affects you then get the BetterBatteryStats application linked to in the guide. Sorry, but I'm having trouble getting my head around this. What exactly is bad battery life in terms of real world hours of use...You might say "it depends"...well then I'm not sure how to react to being told it affects all Telecom users, because you can't tell me what you mean.....exactly. So, how much is this error costing me? Correlation doesn't necessarily mean causation. As Lokhor mentioned difficult to put a figure on the drain. For me in normal use I don't have many of the fast dormancy related wake locks as I am connected to WiFi at work and at home (so basically all day). I do note the wake locks when I'm network data though, and I also note the battery hit. If you're on network data a lot then you stand to gain more from turning off fast dormancy, as Lokhor said BetterBatteryStats will tell how much wake lock activity you personally are getting due to this. ...even if you're nearly always on WiFi though what I'm having trouble getting my head around is why you wouldn't want the extra battery life on offer? Twitter: @nztechfreak Blogs: AndroidNZ.net

motorwayne

748 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

Reply # 646113 25-Jun-2012 21:51
NZtechfreak: As Lokhor mentioned difficult to put a figure on the drain. For me in normal use I don't have many of the fast dormancy related wake locks as I am connected to WiFi at work and at home (so basically all day). I do note the wake locks when I'm network data though, and I also note the battery hit. If you're on network data a lot then you stand to gain more from turning off fast dormancy, as Lokhor said BetterBatteryStats will tell how much wake lock activity you personally are getting due to this. ...even if you're nearly always on WiFi though what I'm having trouble getting my head around is why you wouldn't want the extra battery life on offer? Re the drain on battery: I run all day every day on 3G (easier on battery life apparently and actually measurable). So I guess according to you, I'm a prime candidate for the "HIT" to battery life that this error should be causing, because I'm on a Telecom network with a none Telecom phone. But, as I posted above my battery life appears to be superb (or at least normal). Today for instance I'm on 14hrs with 53% remaining, 2r 4m screen time, various call, internet usage etc. So what I'm asking, is, are we sure it is all true that Telecom costumers are being disadvantaged by this, because, I'm one and I don't appear to be? And if it is true that Telecom users are at a disadvantage, how much so...is it a mountain or a mole hill? Fair questions, I'm paying for Telecom's service, so I want to know accurately. And then, once it's proved and quantified, maybe we could talk to Telecom about it. Lastly, you having trouble getting your head around why I wouldn't want more battery life is something you'll have to save for your next session with your Shrink. I want more battery life, I sold the HTC One X because it was poor in that department. Soldier on.

lokhor

2128 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Reply # 646115 25-Jun-2012 22:23
motorwayne: NZtechfreak: As Lokhor mentioned difficult to put a figure on the drain. For me in normal use I don't have many of the fast dormancy related wake locks as I am connected to WiFi at work and at home (so basically all day). I do note the wake locks when I'm network data though, and I also note the battery hit. If you're on network data a lot then you stand to gain more from turning off fast dormancy, as Lokhor said BetterBatteryStats will tell how much wake lock activity you personally are getting due to this. ...even if you're nearly always on WiFi though what I'm having trouble getting my head around is why you wouldn't want the extra battery life on offer? Re the drain on battery: I run all day every day on 3G (easier on battery life apparently and actually measurable). So I guess according to you, I'm a prime candidate for the "HIT" to battery life that this error should be causing, because I'm on a Telecom network with a none Telecom phone. But, as I posted above my battery life appears to be superb (or at least normal). Today for instance I'm on 14hrs with 53% remaining, 2r 4m screen time, various call, internet usage etc. So what I'm asking, is, are we sure it is all true that Telecom costumers are being disadvantaged by this, because, I'm one and I don't appear to be? And if it is true that Telecom users are at a disadvantage, how much so...is it a mountain or a mole hill? Fair questions, I'm paying for Telecom's service, so I want to know accurately. And then, once it's proved and quantified, maybe we could talk to Telecom about it. Lastly, you having trouble getting your head around why I wouldn't want more battery life is something you'll have to save for your next session with your Shrink. I want more battery life, I sold the HTC One X because it was poor in that department. Soldier on. Judging by your stats I'd say you are likely to only get a little over 4hrs screen time total which is ok but not as good as some other are reporting. I have seen Neets get over 7hrs screen time in an 18hr day. If you don't believe that Fast Dormancy is disabled on Telecom and causing wakelocks on the S3 then suit yourself. You say you don't appear to be aeffected but you haven't posted any screenshots from BetterBatteryStats proving that you don't have secril_fd-interface wakelocks. Current Devices: Samsung Galaxy S3 Old Devices: SGS I9000, HTC Sensation, SGSII I9100, Asus Transformer Associate Editor-in-Chief for AndroidNZ.net TelecomTech is a sponsored blog reviewing the latest in communications technology. All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

NZtechfreak

3663 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Reply # 646128 25-Jun-2012 22:50
motorwayne: NZtechfreak: As Lokhor mentioned difficult to put a figure on the drain. For me in normal use I don't have many of the fast dormancy related wake locks as I am connected to WiFi at work and at home (so basically all day). I do note the wake locks when I'm network data though, and I also note the battery hit. If you're on network data a lot then you stand to gain more from turning off fast dormancy, as Lokhor said BetterBatteryStats will tell how much wake lock activity you personally are getting due to this. ...even if you're nearly always on WiFi though what I'm having trouble getting my head around is why you wouldn't want the extra battery life on offer? Re the drain on battery: I run all day every day on 3G (easier on battery life apparently and actually measurable). So I guess according to you, I'm a prime candidate for the "HIT" to battery life that this error should be causing, because I'm on a Telecom network with a none Telecom phone. But, as I posted above my battery life appears to be superb (or at least normal). Today for instance I'm on 14hrs with 53% remaining, 2r 4m screen time, various call, internet usage etc. So what I'm asking, is, are we sure it is all true that Telecom costumers are being disadvantaged by this, because, I'm one and I don't appear to be? And if it is true that Telecom users are at a disadvantage, how much so...is it a mountain or a mole hill? Fair questions, I'm paying for Telecom's service, so I want to know accurately. And then, once it's proved and quantified, maybe we could talk to Telecom about it. Lastly, you having trouble getting your head around why I wouldn't want more battery life is something you'll have to save for your next session with your Shrink. I want more battery life, I sold the HTC One X because it was poor in that department. Soldier on. Not really sure what you're not getting here, install BetterBatteryStats and see for yourself how affected you are. Twitter: @nztechfreak Blogs: AndroidNZ.net

motorwayne

748 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

Reply # 646131 25-Jun-2012 23:00
lokhor: If you don't believe that Fast Dormancy is disabled on Telecom and causing wakelocks on the S3 then suit yourself. You say you don't appear to be aeffected but you haven't posted any screenshots from BetterBatteryStats proving that you don't have secril_fd-interface wakelocks. Hey, not saying I don't believe in or are affected these wakelocks, simply asking for clarification..fair enough too. As for the level of seriousness, you tell me, I'm not the expert.

NZtechfreak

3663 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Reply # 646141 25-Jun-2012 23:46
Wow, your Fast Dormancy wake locks are extremely tiny, if that's always on-network I wouldn't worry about turning off Fast Dormancy in your case. For me over the same 15 hour period I would have like one to one and half hours of wake locks. Very interesting, is yours a Warehouse-sourced one? Also, how much sync activity have you got going on? Which apps and at which frequencies? Twitter: @nztechfreak Blogs: AndroidNZ.net

fatboy

62 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 646153 26-Jun-2012 06:58
NZtechfreak: Wow, your Fast Dormancy wake locks are extremely tiny, if that's always on-network I wouldn't worry about turning off Fast Dormancy in your case. For me over the same 15 hour period I would have like one to one and half hours of wake locks. Very interesting, is yours a Warehouse-sourced one? Also, how much sync activity have you got going on? Which apps and at which frequencies? The thing is that I'm on 2D with a 2D phone from WHS, but in 15hrs of use I still get around 15 min of fast dormancy wakelocks. How does that fit in the Fast Dormancy theory? 15 mins of wake time doesn't bother me in the absolute sense, but I'm just wondering if I'm supposed to get any FD wakelocks, seeing as I'm on 2D. In terms of usage: I sync everything from my Google account- Drive, Calendar, contacts, reader etc. except for picasa. I'm also syncing Dropbox and got the Exchange email (through Touchdown) on push and maybe a weather app updating every 3-4 hours.

lokhor

2128 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Reply # 646155 26-Jun-2012 07:29
fatboy: NZtechfreak: Wow, your Fast Dormancy wake locks are extremely tiny, if that's always on-network I wouldn't worry about turning off Fast Dormancy in your case. For me over the same 15 hour period I would have like one to one and half hours of wake locks. Very interesting, is yours a Warehouse-sourced one? Also, how much sync activity have you got going on? Which apps and at which frequencies? The thing is that I'm on 2D with a 2D phone from WHS, but in 15hrs of use I still get around 15 min of fast dormancy wakelocks. How does that fit in the Fast Dormancy theory? 15 mins of wake time doesn't bother me in the absolute sense, but I'm just wondering if I'm supposed to get any FD wakelocks, seeing as I'm on 2D. In terms of usage: I sync everything from my Google account- Drive, Calendar, contacts, reader etc. except for picasa. I'm also syncing Dropbox and got the Exchange email (through Touchdown) on push and maybe a weather app updating every 3-4 hours. That is actually very interesting. I had assumed that 2Degrees support Fast Dormancy but haven't had any actual confirmation from them as to whether or not they do. Are you in one of the areas that uses 2Degrees towers or one that piggybacks off Vodafone towers? Btw you can go through my guide and use it just to see what (if any) fast dormancy settings there are for the network you are on. It might turn out that 2Degrees are using subpar lcdontime and lcdofftime settings on their handset configurations. over a whole day 15 minutes isn't too much to worry about anyhow. For me FD was causing hours of wakelocks a day and that's what drove me to investigate. Current Devices: Samsung Galaxy S3 Old Devices: SGS I9000, HTC Sensation, SGSII I9100, Asus Transformer Associate Editor-in-Chief for AndroidNZ.net TelecomTech is a sponsored blog reviewing the latest in communications technology. All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

motorwayne

748 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

Reply # 646311 26-Jun-2012 11:48
NZtechfreak: Wow, your Fast Dormancy wake locks are extremely tiny, if that's always on-network I wouldn't worry about turning off Fast Dormancy in your case. For me over the same 15 hour period I would have like one to one and half hours of wake locks. Very interesting, is yours a Warehouse-sourced one? Also, how much sync activity have you got going on? Which apps and at which frequencies? Yeah, that is what I'm sort of getting at...I'm not sure we have the whole story with regards to in some cases agressive battery consumption for Telecom S3's in particular. There must be more to it. I have 2 S3's both sourced from JB in St Lukes. Sync's running - ChatON, 2 Gmail accounts, Dropbox and Facebook...all with agressive (As frequent as the app allows for) sync. Location services all at full, weather 1hr refresh, Get it Done 15min refresh. Brightness is manually set at 60%, screen timeout 2 mins.

nofam

825 posts

Ultimate Geek

Reply # 646348 26-Jun-2012 12:38
lokhor: fatboy: NZtechfreak: Wow, your Fast Dormancy wake locks are extremely tiny, if that's always on-network I wouldn't worry about turning off Fast Dormancy in your case. For me over the same 15 hour period I would have like one to one and half hours of wake locks. Very interesting, is yours a Warehouse-sourced one? Also, how much sync activity have you got going on? Which apps and at which frequencies? The thing is that I'm on 2D with a 2D phone from WHS, but in 15hrs of use I still get around 15 min of fast dormancy wakelocks. How does that fit in the Fast Dormancy theory? 15 mins of wake time doesn't bother me in the absolute sense, but I'm just wondering if I'm supposed to get any FD wakelocks, seeing as I'm on 2D. In terms of usage: I sync everything from my Google account- Drive, Calendar, contacts, reader etc. except for picasa. I'm also syncing Dropbox and got the Exchange email (through Touchdown) on push and maybe a weather app updating every 3-4 hours. That is actually very interesting. I had assumed that 2Degrees support Fast Dormancy but haven't had any actual confirmation from them as to whether or not they do. Are you in one of the areas that uses 2Degrees towers or one that piggybacks off Vodafone towers? Btw you can go through my guide and use it just to see what (if any) fast dormancy settings there are for the network you are on. It might turn out that 2Degrees are using subpar lcdontime and lcdofftime settings on their handset configurations. over a whole day 15 minutes isn't too much to worry about anyhow. For me FD was causing hours of wakelocks a day and that's what drove me to investigate. Running on Vodafone, with an uptime of 1d, 20h I've got 26 minutes of secril_fd wakelocks. Life is mostly froth and bubble, two things stand like stone - kindness in another's trouble, courage in your own. SGSIII ROM: WanamLite v1.3 Kernel: Ninphetamine v1.1.0 Modem: DXLEA SGSII (Now belongs to SWMBO) ROM: WanamLite v12 Kernel: Siyah v3.3.2 Modem: BVLPB SGS (Cat's chew toy) If you need a download-mode jig ASAP, you're welcome to borrow mine! Works with SGS I/II/III. I also have a SIM cutter available (Dunedin) - happy to post either to you at your cost.

lokhor

2128 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Reply # 646352 26-Jun-2012 12:42
nofam: lokhor: fatboy: NZtechfreak: Wow, your Fast Dormancy wake locks are extremely tiny, if that's always on-network I wouldn't worry about turning off Fast Dormancy in your case. For me over the same 15 hour period I would have like one to one and half hours of wake locks. Very interesting, is yours a Warehouse-sourced one? Also, how much sync activity have you got going on? Which apps and at which frequencies? The thing is that I'm on 2D with a 2D phone from WHS, but in 15hrs of use I still get around 15 min of fast dormancy wakelocks. How does that fit in the Fast Dormancy theory? 15 mins of wake time doesn't bother me in the absolute sense, but I'm just wondering if I'm supposed to get any FD wakelocks, seeing as I'm on 2D. In terms of usage: I sync everything from my Google account- Drive, Calendar, contacts, reader etc. except for picasa. I'm also syncing Dropbox and got the Exchange email (through Touchdown) on push and maybe a weather app updating every 3-4 hours. That is actually very interesting. I had assumed that 2Degrees support Fast Dormancy but haven't had any actual confirmation from them as to whether or not they do. Are you in one of the areas that uses 2Degrees towers or one that piggybacks off Vodafone towers? Btw you can go through my guide and use it just to see what (if any) fast dormancy settings there are for the network you are on. It might turn out that 2Degrees are using subpar lcdontime and lcdofftime settings on their handset configurations. over a whole day 15 minutes isn't too much to worry about anyhow. For me FD was causing hours of wakelocks a day and that's what drove me to investigate. Running on Vodafone, with an uptime of 1d, 20h I've got 26 minutes of secril_fd wakelocks. Thanks for the extra information guys. I think this is a puzzle that still needs further investigation. I think disabling fast dormancy is just an option for those on Telecom who are suffering a large amount of wakelocks from it. It may be that for other networks, tweaks are required to the on/off time of FD. You can set this in the dormpolicy table. Current Devices: Samsung Galaxy S3 Old Devices: SGS I9000, HTC Sensation, SGSII I9100, Asus Transformer Associate Editor-in-Chief for AndroidNZ.net TelecomTech is a sponsored blog reviewing the latest in communications technology. All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

Disrespective

944 posts

Ultimate Geek

Reply # 646355 26-Jun-2012 12:51
I noticed that when I tried to set a custom image for a wallpaper it wouldn't scroll across to the other screens which bummed me out. Is this normal? It even affected Nova launcher too, not just TouchWiz. When adding the image as a wallpaper it only allowed me to crop the image in the portrait orientation. A little app called scrolling wallpaper was able to fix it for me for now but seems weird. I haven't used a stock 4.0.x rom for a long while so can't recall if this is par for the course or not. www.archimage.co.nz psn: PabloNZ

P1n3apqlExpr3ss

676 posts

Ultimate Geek

Reply # 646508 26-Jun-2012 17:00
I think bringing up the multitasking menu and hitting remove all before a long idle period impacts idle battery life (and FD wakelocks)? Morning: Google Reader, Twitter, Gmail, Email then 30mins of music. Generally left with 95%~ at the end of that. Hit remove all for once this morning and end up with 85%~ 8 hours later, a slight improvement Also wakelocks are noticeably decreased today, FD had just 3 totalling 4s. suspend-backoff lasted just under 9mins and wlan_rx_wake 3mins Conclusion: someone make a script that clears the multitasking menu after 15mins of idle Note: Stock VF S3 on Telecom SIM Technology Journalist for Mobile Kiwi Twitter: @ArchSerpo

Damager

1830 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

Reply # 646655 26-Jun-2012 20:57
Here's a tip hopefully no one ever has to do! Replacing the digitizer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5IPaCPaY_0&feature=g-all-u - Telstra HTC Touch Pro2 - Energy ROM WM6.5.5 20 Oct/Cyanogen Mod Froyo 2.2 - R.I.P - AT&T Galaxy S Captivate 16GB on XT (now with brother) - Samsung Galaxy S2 on XT- Runs ICS 4.0.3 Resurrection Remix 9.2 - Business Hours - Work In The Electricity Industry, After Hours - DJ/Turntablist - Will Scratch Vinyl For Free' - What's next??? S3?

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10