[Captivate Android Development] Charles Brennan:
Zeroing in on Phoenix battery (non)issue . . . . .

Team Phoenix has done SUCH an Amazing Job of improving the stock Captivate ROM, that we tend to get spoiled and forget where we started from. Went through approximately every other iteration of Phoenix up to about 5.2, then flirted with FireFly and SuperNova briefly and went back to 7.0 and 7.3 . . . . . .

. . . . . . . which is where it hit the fan.

My amazing battery life that sipped milliwatts at the rate of .6 - .8 % per hour in idle mode, suddenly began gulping current at the rate of better than 3.2% per hour. Since my Captivate has a killer calculator app, I quickly determined that my battery could go from fully charged, to fully discharged in a day and a half, just sitting on my dresser, not even being used!!!

Not acceptable.

So I posted a casual query: "Hey! Is it SUPPOSED to die at the rate of 3% per hour at idle, or was I living in a dream?"

(That happens to me sometimes, so I had to ask.)

Adam got the least bit defensive, which was not at all what I wanted.

I KNOW the ROM is good, I've been using variations of it since (literally) the first of the year. Team Phoenix ROMs are SOOOOO reliable, that it sticks out like a sore thumb, when something changes.

Something had changed, but what? :confused:

Since all the August Sages and Assorted Wizards of Team Phoenix were strangely silent on the subject, I decided to go back to Square One.

FTS and MC and Phoenix 1.0

Worked great; battery life nominal, just like I remembered.

Stepped through the revs at the rate of roughly every other day.

Until I got to SN 2.2 (2.3?) and Phoenix 7.0

Battery longevity dropped off the cliff.

What was different? :confused:

Turns out: The Telenav GPS app borrowed from T-Mobile and included with the ROM. :o

Apparently, it might not be doing it on other guy's Captivate's, but on mine, it has some sadistic compulsion to go out on the cell network periodically, and get that Hot Chick from the T-Mobile commercials to smile at it, or something.

So I get un-godly cell-standby figures the next morning when I get up and check the overnight drain.

Uninstalled THAT sucker post-haste, I did! :mad:

Battery decline rate halved.

OK, most guys would be happy with 1.5% instead of 3.2%, per hour drop, but this IS a Team Phoenix ROM we're talkin' about, here. :)

Checked Running Services and Boy! Howdy!! :eek:

There's a LOTSA stuff going on behind my back.

Turns out, while I was upgrading through the ROMs, I was also adding Apps and some of them (just like Windows apps) seem to think you just CAN'T POSSIBLY run your Captivate without their help.

Shut down all of them except the ones I felt I actually needed and VOILA!!! :D

Just a shade under 1% battery discharge per hour at idle!!

Phoenix 7.0 and 7.3 seems about 10% less efficient than Phoenix 5.2, and I strongly suspect that is more due to Kernel differences, rather than anything Adam might have forgotten to optimize.

(Needless to say, kernel differences and their effects on battery life, is what I'm going to be checking out next.)

Anyhoo, just because something suddenly changes after a flash, don't blame the ROM right outta the gate. See what OTHER things might have changed . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . with or WITHOUT your knowledge.

Charles Brennan