HTC Hero tips/tricks/tweaks

Office viewing at least?

App alert! App Alert !! Awesomeness !!

Docs to Go. View Word, Excel etc.
Paid version allows editing Word, Exel, Powerpoint and PDF !!!

:D

Try it. It really is awesome!


I thought Hero and Magic on vodacom at least come with a document viewer, is this not the case?
 
I have quickoffice on my hero. No idea what capability it has, I have not used it yet.
 
Has anyone done some battery tests by using only 2G networks? I have seen the setting, and considering most of my usage during the day is mail and chat, 2G (gprs) is fast enough for me. But does it really make a difference? I have switched to 2G, and will see how it goes.
 
yes it does. a big difference.

but then i thought, i have this phone designed to run on hsdpa networks at insane speeds, always connected, rock solid, fast, friggen reliable. its a COMPUTER !!!
why not charge it every night as i sleep?
 
Valid point. I'll try and see what works best for me. I work in a high rise in joburg CBD, and for some reason the HSDPA signal here is very erratic (even on my 3G modem), so I constantly jump between hsdpa and gprs. I think this kills my battery.
 
CALLING IZAK !!!!!!

hey izak, i see you on the MoDaCo forums, (Pikkie86)
Did you try any of those eclair black themes?

i want to try it but want to hear if someone else had success and they are happy
 
Haha, hey kvi. Yes I'm currently using 1.4 theme and I like it a lot it's not massive changes though. Waiting for the new black one. You should def try it.
 
aha will do. is it pretty easy to do?

Ya it's easy, it takes a while to install but there's nothing difficult to it. Just get metamorph + AndExplorer and then browse for the file/theme on your SD
 
I just baked my 3.2 beta 3 ROM... Can't wait to see how it performs. Apparently it's sweet!!
 
Ok, so we know that usb charging is slower than AC charging. Apparently USB devices negotiate how much power they can draw from the host.

So I tried one of those split usb cables you get with portable 2.5" hard drives. I plugged it into my phone, and then connected the power usb point and not the data point to my laptop. Now my Hero said it's charging from AC, and charging speed was a lot better (I use vizBattery to see stats). I only do this when my laptop is connected to AC. I normally only have a usb mouse connected to my laptop, so I'm not too worried about the power draw.

EDIT: When I have time, I'll try and measure real time differences.
 
Dude it's amazing!! Even my battery lasts longer, must be the new kernel. And it stays fast for longer periods..
 
i thought i was dreaming too... batt life is definately better
 
Ok, so we know that usb charging is slower than AC charging. Apparently USB devices negotiate how much power they can draw from the host.

So I tried one of those split usb cables you get with portable 2.5" hard drives. I plugged it into my phone, and then connected the power usb point and not the data point to my laptop. Now my Hero said it's charging from AC, and charging speed was a lot better (I use vizBattery to see stats). I only do this when my laptop is connected to AC. I normally only have a usb mouse connected to my laptop, so I'm not too worried about the power draw.

EDIT: When I have time, I'll try and measure real time differences.

The AC charger is specced for 3V. USB is (I think) 1.5V.
That could be why USB is slower.
 
The AC charger is specced for 3V. USB is (I think) 1.5V.
That could be why USB is slower.

The AC charger is delivering 5V at 1A max.
USB ports are also 5V, but typically deliver less amps (as far as I know it is supposed to be below 500mA per port). I think the hero negotiates for a lower current than 500mA, but plugging in a power only cable will basically max out the port.
 
So Izak or kvi, anyone willing to give us a bit of a short article on MCR/teknologist kernel? :)

How do they fit together?
What are the benefits?
What guide can one follow to get it up and running?
Any pitfalls?
Does Sense still work when you mod?
Will I lose my data/settings when I mod?

It all sounds very cool. I have been working with linux for years, but I'm a n00b at the whole Hero/Android thing. Although I have installed ConnectBot on my phone, and have been poking around on the command line. A lot of the linux commands run just fine :-)
 
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