Battery life - seems better if set Network to manual and specify your carrier

[shauns]

Yesterday I changed the phone network setting from " Automatic  Mode" to " Manual " and specified my carrier

-  Phone menu,  Options,  Select Network ,  and set to manual

Over the last 24 hours since I changed it the phone has been switched on all the time, have made approx 30 minutes of calls ( only used pda for morning alarm calls ) and battery has only dropped to 85%  which seems a whole lot  better than it was doing before.

Might be worth a try !

[eeeemc]

Hi Shauns,
Seems you work that out   
Hope this work for the rest 680 owners.
I have not purchase one yet (not availble in my area at the moment) but I heard the headach noise from all the 680 owners.

Wish that's a success work around you have investigated.

edmond

[cyberface]

Will give this a try today - will report in later!

[eeeemc]

Let me thank you cyberface................for the rest of Treo 680 users.

edmond

[eugarps]

All,

I know you've already done this but, for the newbies:  Go into [Prefs], [Power] and turn beam receive off; unless you use it lots.  At least on my iPAQs the IR consumed power even when it wasn't connected to anything but merely hunting for another unit to talk to.

My $0.02

[cyberface]

Right - first impressions after trying this out. My phone hasn't been on charge since I picked it out of the charger this morning, it is now 5 pm in the afternoon. I switched the phone to manual network selection at 11:29 am, and the phone is now at 65% capacity.

This is *significantly* better than last week's performance - I will leave it off charge until it dies...

[ericlaurence]

i don't see a way to change this.  i bought my from cingular.  is it just locked on cingular then?

[bobflood]

shauns,

I'm guessing you're using an unlocked Treo 680, can you confirm details :-

From 'Options : Select network' my provider was already highlighted in the box in the centre of the screen - there is also a button for "Automatic Mode" but I did not press it.

How do I know for sure that I have actually set to manual ?

cheers,

[shauns]

Hi Bobflood
Yes it is an unlocked 680 that I have.  I think it came already set to "Automatic " mode since it picked up the Vodafone network by itself once I inserted the sim card
There is nothing that confirms you have set it to Manual, but if you run the Select Network option, once it comes up with the list of available networks highlight yours and say OK ( without pressing the " Automatic Mode " button that seems to do it.

I'm no network technician but I think when it is on Automatic the phone constantly scans for all available networks which I believe is hefty on the power.  I am presuming that once you have specified a particular network it stops the phone doing that constant scan

Just need to remember if you go abroad that you wpould need to set it back to Automatic so it can pick up the available foreign networks - or at least redo the select Network to pick one of the foreign ones that you want to use

[bobflood]

shauns,

Thanks, hopefully I've set the critter to manual then ! - let's see how it goes - last night the 680 went from full charge to flat overnight !

[bobflood]

All Treo folks,

shauns tip really seems to do the trick ....

made change last night and 680 dropped from circa 80% > 65% overnight (the prvious night it ran itsself flat !)

a brief top-up (<20mins) in car on way to work back up to 75% - been using phone on/off all day - several calls + Bluetooth still on - now only down to 50%.

This is a *major* increase on performance over first several days !!

bob.

[cwerlin]

Can someone figure out how to do this on the Cingular 680 please.  I am pulling about 10%/hour without using the phone for voice, that is email only.  I have already turned beam off, and set my email to pull 15 minutes instead of 5.  Screen is very dim also.

Thanks

[mistercoffee1]

This needs an "Enable Netork Selection" hack as found here (which is not available for the 680): 
http://www.gadgetech.info/treo/hacks/selectnetwork/index.shtml

I haven't been able to hack my own, since the phone overlay seems to be much different than the 650.  I'm trying to contact this guy to see if I can send him the phone overlays to look at.

[cwerlin]

Great, I look forward to somone completing it soon, this battery life is killing me.  Love the rest of the phone, now that most of my favorite apps are getting updated.  Just waiting for Softick Audio Gateway and Directory Assist now.

[scout]

FWIW: I have an unlocked version on T-Mobile and can make NO changes to the network settings.