[Q] GPS/sport phone - General Questions and Answers

Hey,
I'd like to use a smartphone for GPS tracking/heart rate for sports. The problem by using a regular phone is the battery time...
So any suggestions for that? Is there a basic ROM with only essential functions, which hardly uses battery power?(it doesn't even have to us internet, phoning, etc. ) Just tracking
Greetings

Related

[brainstorm] ~5x faster battery drain with poor signal strength (SG2)

Ok. My first post, so hello everyone, I'm the new noob on this forum If you don't know what I'm talking about - see the damn movie, noob
To the gist:
1) I noticed a couple of similar topics on phone-specific forums, went through them (unbelievable how much flaming and bs is there on this forum, by the way), but it seemed like most of them were purely guessing as to what may be the cause of drainage. If I missed something I'll be grateful for links
2) I'm using a Samsung Galaxy S2, but I post it here since I noticed other phones with Android (including those with new Gingerbread) have the same issue - the battery is being drained enormously when the phone signal is poor, so I think it might be an OS issue rather than a particular device
I had SGS2 for almost 2 month now and only today did I notice a huge drop in battery life. From 5 to 6 days (this is not the thread for battery life tips. Send me a PM if you want to know how and what I did to get it last so long or I can post another topic on the SGS2 forum and explain everything I've done to my phone, just don't spam this thread) to around 1 day (it's been 22,5 hours and the battery level is 27%)
The only thing that changed is my phone signal - I live in the centre of a town so usually the signal strength is good, but I had a really windy weather and I guess something got destroyed, as I had to try around 5 times even to send a text message. Anyways, this is where the guessing part comes in - with usually 5, 6 days on a battery I can pretty much rule out everything else than phone signal since I don't use anything else (hubs social, music, etc. uninstalled, voice search and voice command uninstalled, StreetView uninstalled, etc. All via TitaniumBackup)
Spec (not sure what might me useful, posted what think may be the basics):
- Android 2.3.5
- Baseband: I9100XXKI4
- Kernel: [email protected] #20
- VillainRom 3.0
- Free version of LauncherPro
- I have wifi, gps, bluetooth off, I turn them on only when I need them; same with data network mode, but I hardly ever use it and I didn't turn it on today anyway
- no fancy widgets, no fancy processes in the background
- I used my phone as I usually do - some calls, messages, some music, bit of market and web browsing on wifi
The question is not about battery life itself or battery saving tips but about how the Android system handles signal searching and what does it do when the signal is weak. I assume similar battery drainage would occur in every-day situations, f.e. while using the tube, tunnels or living in some mobile-network ****-hole
Any ideas on a specific cause? Any on how it may be improved? I'm not thinking about software-side, like turning on "Flight mode" or some apps (though I'll be grateful for any ideas). I mean more of an OS solution, maybe something will help to improve Android further
My first post and end

Safe driving app (request)

Hi.
So, i just watched a show called SourceFed on youtube where they talked about a guy getting arrested for "driving homicide",
basically he texted while driving, he ended up in the wrong lane and fronted another car killing the other driver.
Which brings me to my request:
Could you guys help me by developing a free application which disables the text (sms) function in a phone once the phone reaches a speed of 25km/h (15mph)?
That's "all" the app has to do, just disable the SMS function while driving.
One downside that i would like you to ponder about, is the fact that this would disable the text function for the passenger as well, how can this be worked around without the driver being able to do so as well?
Perhaps a WiFi module somewhere in the car which gives more accurate GPS positioning data which then leads to you being able to tell if the phone is in the driver seat or not?
I'm not doing this for commercial purposes or for profit, i just had a good intention which i would like to see available to everyone and perhaps even standard in the next generation of phones so we don't loose lives due to technical gadgets..
torxed said:
Hi.
So, i just watched a show called SourceFed on youtube where they talked about a guy getting arrested for "driving homicide",
basically he texted while driving, he ended up in the wrong lane and fronted another car killing the other driver.
Which brings me to my request:
Could you guys help me by developing a free application which disables the text (sms) function in a phone once the phone reaches a speed of 25km/h (15mph)?
That's "all" the app has to do, just disable the SMS function while driving.
One downside that i would like you to ponder about, is the fact that this would disable the text function for the passenger as well, how can this be worked around without the driver being able to do so as well?
Perhaps a WiFi module somewhere in the car which gives more accurate GPS positioning data which then leads to you being able to tell if the phone is in the driver seat or not?
I'm not doing this for commercial purposes or for profit, i just had a good intention which i would like to see available to everyone and perhaps even standard in the next generation of phones so we don't loose lives due to technical gadgets..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hate to be the bearer of bad news but gps is not accurate enough to tell if you are in the passenger seat of a car.
The speed limit thing can be done though, and I think has, but it would be easier for drivers to simply use self control.
However you can try apps like call guard, that apparently blocks texts and calls while you are driving.
Dave
( http://www.google.com/producer/editions/CAownKXmAQ/bigfatuniverse )
Sent from my LG P920 using Tapatalk 2
or the most dummy-proof way: don't text and drive!
unless you are using your device as an GPS, shouldnt be using a phone while driving anyway.
got a text? read it during red light/traffic jam
need to talk on phone? invest in headset
etc
jt.one said:
or the most dummy-proof way: don't text and drive!
unless you are using your device as an GPS, shouldnt be using a phone while driving anyway.
got a text? read it during red light/traffic jam
need to talk on phone? invest in headset
etc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that you shouldn't, and i don't unless i'm parked.
This is my issue: google: teen-sentenced-to-prison-for-texting-while-driving-death (a few days old)
Over here perhaps 10-15% of drivers admit that they do text while drying more then once a week,
and most of them claim that they don't notice any difference while driving, meaning that they think they operate just as good as they normally do.
The rest knows it's bad but do it anyway.
Thx mistermentality, will check out Call Guard

[Q] Any Decent chinese phones with reliable GPS fix?

Hello everyone,
we are developing a location based app and reliable GPS fix is a must.
We were looking in the chinese market for Android GPS enabled mobile phones to test the app.
We finally ordered two STARB92 M however we realized that their GPS fix is a pain to get let aside the accuracy.
I know, there are lots of threads in this forum how to fix this issue, we tried a few and I cant say we got any results, Specifically GPS accuracy is still a mess.
My question is simple.
Are there any Chinese brands that offer Android mobile phones with out of the box reliable GPS fix (sub 10 meters accuracy, no flashing ROMS, downloading apps, setting NTP servers etc) ?
If yes please advise on specific models (requirements similar to Star B92M).
Your help is deeply appreciated - we are a step before buying external bluetooth GPS receivers .
Thank you.
GPS
are you sure you want GPS to be that accurate in China?

Some Questions before i buy

Hey
about to pull the trigger on getting one of these for myself, just hoping to get a few questions answered before i do
how well is media control handled by the watch, is it capable of at playing or pausing media from 3rd party media apps? (i dont like the standard android or samsung offer so use an alternative)
is it capable of playing videos on the watch screen from either locally stored or internet streamed sources?
i have read a couple reviews on poor connectivity between the watch and the phone, constant dropping of the connection and if the battery drains completely it requires a factory reset to become usable again
anyone experienced anything like this or have advice around it?
if anyone who has one and is kinda enough to answer these questions for me it would be greatly appreciated
Also another question that came to mind
how functional is the mapping app for the watch?
can i look up a destination on my phone with google maps and have that information relayed on the watch?
(i ask this because i know the watch uses a different maps app and not sure how well it works with google maps)
kalys said:
Hey
about to pull the trigger on getting one of these for myself, just hoping to get a few questions answered before i do
how well is media control handled by the watch, is it capable of at playing or pausing media from 3rd party media apps? (i dont like the standard android or samsung offer so use an alternative)
is it capable of playing videos on the watch screen from either locally stored or internet streamed sources?
i have read a couple reviews on poor connectivity between the watch and the phone, constant dropping of the connection and if the battery drains completely it requires a factory reset to become usable again
anyone experienced anything like this or have advice around it?
if anyone who has one and is kinda enough to answer these questions for me it would be greatly appreciated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use the media controls with PowerAmp, Spotify and Google Play, which works very well together (play,stop, previous, next and volume).
I haven't tried viewing videos on the watch, but I've read that it too works well using a File Manager app found in the Gear app store.
When I setup the watch for the first time I had major connectivity issues, however that was corrected after a reboot of both the watch and the phone.
kalys said:
Also another question that came to mind
how functional is the mapping app for the watch?
can i look up a destination on my phone with google maps and have that information relayed on the watch?
(i ask this because i know the watch uses a different maps app and not sure how well it works with google maps)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's no simple way to go from google maps on the phone to the watch. You can just start with Here maps on the phone, though, which gives you the same thing. The Here-maps app works, though establishing the watch-phone connection can take a few tries. Here maps is a pretty solid navigation app on the phone, and offers free downloads of maps globally, so you're not always dependent on a data connection. When you set up the navigation on the phone, you get turn-by-turn directions on the watch, with a buzz as you approach each turn. More useful walking or biking than when driving, in my experience.
There's also a paid watch app called Gear Navigator which uses google maps data for turn-by-turn navigation. It's innovative and keeps getting updated, though in my experience a little unstable.
---------- Post added at 05:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:55 PM ----------
kalys said:
Hey
about to pull the trigger on getting one of these for myself, just hoping to get a few questions answered before i do
how well is media control handled by the watch, is it capable of at playing or pausing media from 3rd party media apps? (i dont like the standard android or samsung offer so use an alternative)
is it capable of playing videos on the watch screen from either locally stored or internet streamed sources?
i have read a couple reviews on poor connectivity between the watch and the phone, constant dropping of the connection and if the battery drains completely it requires a factory reset to become usable again
anyone experienced anything like this or have advice around it?
if anyone who has one and is kinda enough to answer these questions for me it would be greatly appreciated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
About connectivity: the couple of times I've drained my battery I have not needed a factory reset, and in the month and a half I've had my Gear S2 classic, most connections work most of the time. But I do wish the connections were more reliable: I have had problems, usually fixed by just turning the watch off and on (no reset), and sometimes rebooting the phone. The hardware and interface are so great, it raises some people's expectations for performance very high, and then they get disappointed by the small bugs. So if you buy, know that it works, it's cool, but it could be more reliable, and with luck might improve over time with updates.
I have found the Bluetooth connection to be very good. Much better than the LG Urbane 2nd Edition LTE. Because the BT is so good on my S2 that I never really needed to use WiFi on the S2, and because the wifi on the LG Urbane was not great and I was testing wifi on the Urbane, I did discover that I wasn't getting notifications on the S2 over wifi. I factory reset the S2, and it has been great since then. When I turn Bluetooth off on my phone. S2 goes into Standalone for 15 or so seconds and then goes into Connected Remotely and notifications and such work perfectly. When I turn BT back on on my phone, S2 goes into Standalone for a few seconds and then into Connected via Bluetooth. That's how I expect it to work.

Fake GPS

Hello everybody,
I'm using a car pooling app (aka "Blablacar"). This app is very annoying as it asks every time to activate GPS, even if I'm at home and not in my car. I think it is non sense and even intrusive.
So,
I would want to know if there is an app that fakes the state of the GPS: in other words, it indicates to the app that GPS is on but in fact it is off.
All the app that can be found around fakes only coordinates, but needs that GPS is on.
Can you help me please ?
Thanks a lot in advance,
Pascal
Pascal06 said:
Hello everybody,
I'm using a car pooling app (aka "Blablacar"). This app is very annoying as it asks every time to activate GPS, even if I'm at home and not in my car. I think it is non sense and even intrusive.
So,
I would want to know if there is an app that fakes the state of the GPS: in other words, it indicates to the app that GPS is on but in fact it is off.
All the app that can be found around fakes only coordinates, but needs that GPS is on.
Can you help me please ?
Thanks a lot in advance,
Pascal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no such possibility.
That's why Fake GPS was invented.

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