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I once saw a post somewhere regarding a program that has a function that simply clears temp files & dlls that suck memory, but after I ran a search, couldn't find the post in question. A little help, anyone?
search handango.com for 3rd party Task Manager ... some of them allow you to kill individual DLL processes , but generally speaking this is a bad idea (u will destabilize the system).
Better go to Seetings-System -Memory-Run Programs and shut down the apps in their entirety.
Also, make sure the slider there is set to sufficient amt of RAM vs storage
Hi raymondu999,
Try memmaid for your problem.
And pls delete the other 1000 occurrences of this question. It's very annoying to see what the 'new posts since last visit' are & the same question comes up in every thread.
Cheers, M
the only app I know that have that option is xbar, but I think it isn't working correct on pocketpc (on smartphone it is working).
Newb here!
I have a Touch Pro 2 (and Vista Ultimate at home).
For those who've modded this model, what do you suggest are essentials, do-not miss mods to apply? And which are nice but optional?
I'm mostly seeking increased efficiency and better looks in par with this model's standards (ex. those few programs, like Twitter, that clash with the phone's esthetics).
Any help on this? Thanks in advance.
Here are three things I find essential. Any other graphical mod, you should just pick and choose according to your own preference.
1. Some sort of screenlock app. There's plenty of choices. Get one if you don't like pressing&holding the End key every time you finish using your device.
2. Use Advanced Config Tool to change the storage path of the camera. Under Camera, change the "Save location" to "My Pictures". Under Locations change the "Default storage location for image files" to whatever you want. I just stick with "\storage card\my documents\my pictures". This way, you can have the camera to name your files with the date/time prefix (which is more meaningful than "IMAG0027").
3. Install a custom taskbar that shows the remaining battery charge in percentage (like this one). The default battery indicator is pretty useless. You'll need this first.
That's a nice start, thank you ohyeahar!
Anybody else have their peev choice mods they'd like to warn me about? That battery percentage app sounds quite useful
This is my first app for WinCE so please be nice!
Rant
It seems I'm part of a minority of users who understand that mobile devices and PDA's are not designed to run multiple apps at once. You can, but anyone with a decent sense of quality will agree that it's a rubbish experience once you get under 50% free memory. In fact the iPhone by default design doesn't let you multi-task apps (jailbreak changes this) which may be one of the reasons peeps think its a faster device. I say I'm part of a minority because most apps around are coded so that when you hit the 'x' close button they minimize instead of close (even by holding x). Also Windows has no inbuilt mechanisms for keeping your apps closed, and none of the roms I've tried (cooked or otherwise) seem to have these types of tools included.
Disclaimer
Firstly I hope I haven't reinvented the wheel or stolen anyone else's idea. I didn't research for months but didn't find anything like this around so apologize in advance if I upset anyone. Also I provide this tool "as-is" in BETA form - so it could damage your device - so use at your own risk.
Kill****?! What is it?
It is a simple app that kills running processes.
Why would I want it - what's wrong with Task Manager?
A common example is you open up Calc to do divide a dinner bill, lookup how to get home in Google maps, send an SMS to a friend and hit Home key. Then you wonder why the thing is running like a dog. You open task manager and notice you have these 3 freakin apps are open still and taking up your memory. So you're expected to open Task Manager after every time you're finished with an app?...no I dont think so..because you've got Kill****! You manage an exemption file, assign the app to one of your softkeys (or events) and it will quickly, quietly kill all other **** running for you.
How Does It Work?
It stores a text file on disk with names of processes that you wish to exempt. You can manage this via the included config tool. When you run the app (which is a console app) it just kills every running process other than the ones on your exclude list. The exclusion file is stored in your default MyDocuments folder and is called something like "NoofnyKill****.settings". Real simple.
What Do I Need To Run It?
Microsoft Windows Mobile (4 and above)
Microsoft .NET Compact Framework 3.5
How Do I Install It?
Simply run the attached CAB and everything is installed for you. 2 icons are added to your Start Menu (the config tool and the console app itself). The app is installed in the default Programs folder.
How Do I Use It?
If the exceptions file does not exist it will be created new and will contain all of the running process at the time the app ran.
The best instructions are;
1) Have your device in your preferred state with only your basic apps running.
2) Open the config tool from the start menu (Kill**** Config).
3) All of the running processes will list with a check next to them (which 4) means they will be exempted).
4) Click Menu -> Save Exceptions and close the config tool.
5) Assign the console app (KilL****.exe) to one of your softkeys or other buttons using your favorite tweak tool.
What Else Do I Need To Know?
I am not responsible for anything negative or positive this app will do to you, your device or life. Use at your own risk. I have not tested this app well and can only guarantee that I have fundamentally screwed something up. If anyone does use it and wants help I will do my best but try to help by giving as much detailed info as possible when reporting any bugs. I'm open to suggestions and are planning to put the source code up here if anyone shows interest.
That's about it - hope it makes someone's life a little brighter.
Hi!
This looks interesting. Is there anyway to cook this into a ROM properly? I dont like to have users make a file in their my documents folder.
Cheers
Epiphany
EpiphanyNL said:
Is there anyway to cook this into a ROM properly? I dont like to have users make a file in their my documents folder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks...i can have the file live anywhere really, I just chose MyDocuments cause its easy and accessible. It's easy to even have them define in the config tool where they want to save the settings. I'm new to mobile dev and the whole rom cooking thing, so could you expand about what would be needed to cook this app into a rom?
actually after giving it more thought it would be more practical to store this in the registry. I chose to use a text file at first because I was not going to bother have a config app and you could modify it using notepad or something.
In registry would be the most preferred method yes.
Something that I'm coming to terms with, with the Android OS and HTC. It's feeling a bit like my desktop computer.
Obviously pros and cons.
But the irritating thing is that, unlike my desktop, you don't really have an option to exit most apps. Why? I love Android because it's very customisable. But why is there not the option to leave it in the background OR close it completely? I'm not an Apple fan, but I get the feeling that they will have a cleaner multitask/program control system. Eventually. Still won't buy one though!
Then you have the Palm WebOS that shows everyone how to multitask. And with, let's be frank, hardware that puts it (at best) middle of the smartphone pack.
Then you have startup. I've got Fring and Docs to Go (free version), and for some reason, they both startup with powering up. Fring even has an option to startup or not to startup. Maybe that's a bug. But Docs to Go? I can't even see the option. Hopefully these two are the exceptions.
But just the simple thing (I think) first. Why the hell is there not an option on every program to exit it - therefore killing it dead?! Why why why? I'm no programmer but is this really such an issue???
Fortunately there's many programmers on this great site so maybe someone can educate me.....
Cleargrey said:
But just the simple thing (I think) first. Why the hell is there not an option on every program to exit it - therefore killing it dead?! Why why why? I'm no programmer but is this really such an issue???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because the android system doesn't need to kill applications, it just takes resources from them when they are needed. You can manually kill tasks but then the resources will just be reassigned in a matter of minutes.
Which is definitely impressive.
But as some programmers I've spoken to said, it doesn't seem to work as precisely as you may want. Windows Mobile had a similar issue. It was meant to work, but didn't.
In fact, now that you mention it, I think I may do a Palm PreCentral.com task, and see how many apps I can open before I see slowdown. If I see slowdown.
This will be interesting....
Go and read at Google how to setup an android application an how the application processes work. You don't have to be a programmer, but it answers all you questions and doubts.
There was even an article somewhere that using a taskmanager and killing tasks decreases battery life. Not what you would expect, but understandable when you see how the structure works.
Cleargrey said:
Then you have startup. I've got Fring and Docs to Go (free version), and for some reason, they both startup with powering up. Fring even has an option to startup or not to startup. Maybe that's a bug. But Docs to Go? I can't even see the option. Hopefully these two are the exceptions.
Fortunately there's many programmers on this great site so maybe someone can educate me.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume that Docs to Go preloads some stuff it needs so that it won't have to load that when opening the first document. You have to see: A background task isn't something bad, as long as it's not doing anything it won't use battery either.
Same with "free" memory: if memory is "free", it's not being used. Docs to Go puts itself in the memory so it's already there when needed. You'll never have trouble with not having enough free memory to run an app, because Android takes care of that (frees memory when needed, leaves stuff in memory when there is plenyty of room to do so).
Use advanced task killer and it should kill any app, with all apps you should be able to turn it off so it doesn't automatically start when you turn on the phone, try opening the app and press menu or look into the options to turn it off
@ RaptorRVL - I would be very interested in reading that article. And I don't mean that in a sarcastic way, I mean I would honestly be interested in reading it as if it's true, I need to adjust my thinking on how Android workds. I'm looking, but if you find any links, please share.
@oawalker - I know there's many arguements about task killers whether they are needed or not. I have one. But I'm not going to say it's absolutely necessary as I think I need to read more hard facts. But it sort of brings me back here.
As jm997 has said, Android OS rejiggs resources as required, so you are never left wanting. However on earlier devices, this was obviously not working to such a degree as many complained of slowdown. Hence we come to today with the arguements of do I / don't I get/need a task manager.
I have to admit, it was the first app that I got so I could see what is running natively so I know what not to trouble. But I'm a control freak, I have to know.
What I just did was to load up every app I had, 50 in total, along with the apps and widgets already running, maybe another 5-10, to see if I can see slowdown. And I watched the memory on my memory widget drop to 10%. And I gotta say, my Desire is still running as smooth as it ever was with maybe a slightest fraction of slowdown. If that.
However, 1. I have no idea what affect this has on my battery life. 2. I would still like to be able to totally close something by simply tapping exit, or purposely leave it running.
Don't get me wrong, the multitasking, as I've just mentioned, is very impressive and obviously much better than earlier versions. And Android is still a new OS that's maturing nicely. But I still gotta wonder if this is a clean way to operate or if we are heading for a bit of a Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.x mess.
Now to find those pages RaptorRVL spoke of......
Random trivia: I just put "android", "google" and "multitasking" into Google, and the top 3 hits are all about speculation about will a platform that doesn't really multitask, really multitask.
"Rumored iPhone OS multitasking would use Exposé-like feature"
"Apple iPhone vs. Google Android – Mobile Software War Between ..."
"Are the people at Google watching the iPad release? - Android Help"
Go figure. Come to your own conclusions....
If I remember correctly, in the earlier versions of Android (1.x), there was an option for developers to force programs to stay in memory. This was meant to be for programs that needed it, but unfortunally it was abused, so Google removed it as of 2.x.
The Desire runs 2.1, so it shouldn't be a problem for us anymore.
This article was written in Norwegian, but I'll post a Google translate link, as it was very good
edit:
Here is the link to the translated article:
http://translate.google.com/transla...du-avslutte-programmer-i-android/&sl=no&tl=en
Some words was translated badly, but most of it was fine.
Cleargrey said:
Random trivia: I just put "android", "google" and "multitasking" into Google, and the top 3 hits are all about speculation about will a platform that doesn't really multitask, really multitask.
"Rumored iPhone OS multitasking would use Exposé-like feature"
"Apple iPhone vs. Google Android – Mobile Software War Between ..."
"Are the people at Google watching the iPad release? - Android Help"
Go figure. Come to your own conclusions....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
here you go
http://geekfor.me/faq/you-shouldnt-be-using-a-task-killer-with-android/
this should enlighten you about Android memory management as it did for me
good luck
That was the article I was referring to.
And for more information read this: http://developer.android.com/guide/
Thanks Zappza and irkan. Great info and very informative.
I think the bits that stuck out for me are:
"The point is to not see Android as a PC, where applications run until you stop them. It works just not the same."
"...linux will run the same regardless of if you have 20mb free memory or 200mb."
"It has been possible for software developers to implement a feature... and could therefore not be concluded automatically. Android phone will not quit the program even if there is a need for memory or CPU resources the program uses. ...As a result, so the function removed in Android 2.0."
Ok, for the next week at least, no killing tasks at all. Let's see how that goes.
I like this site. There's always people willing to school you with facts rather than abuse you with hot air.
When I turn my phone on I get all of these apps running:
Music
FM Radio
Calander
People
Documents2Go
ShopSavvy
Assistant Free
CNET scan and shop
timeriffic
3
Photos
Mail
Footprints
Google Mail
Settings
3G watchdog
Wave secure
handcet sms
messages
facebook
clock
advanced Task Killer
How can I stop this??? Surely this is taking up my battery??
Raminder1992 said:
When I turn my phone on I get all of these apps running:
Music
FM Radio
Calander
People
Documents2Go
ShopSavvy
Assistant Free
CNET scan and shop
timeriffic
3
Photos
Mail
Footprints
Google Mail
Settings
3G watchdog
Wave secure
handcet sms
messages
facebook
clock
advanced Task Killer
How can I stop this??? Surely this is taking up my battery??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if its not active or updating it is not eating the battery power, it will only take small very small memory to reside in, and even with that, when any process is inactive for along time and if Android needs memory, it will not hesitate to take it (the memory) away from that inactive process.
irkan said:
if its not active or updating it is not eating the battery power, it will only take small very small memory to reside in, and even with that, when any process is inactive for along time and if Android needs memory, it will not hesitate to take it (the memory) away from that inactive process.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello, thank you for that. After reading the article you posted I was not sure if it was for all apps.
I have deleted my ATK and lets see how it goes .... because my battery life was pretty poor before!
Also when you check your battery life is there any way to get the % rather than that big bar thing split into 10 bars?
Raminder1992 said:
Hello, thank you for that. After reading the article you posted I was not sure if it was for all apps.
I have deleted my ATK and lets see how it goes .... because my battery life was pretty poor before!
Also when you check your battery life is there any way to get the % rather than that big bar thing split into 10 bars?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there is a Battery widget i believe, you can download it, and it will show you a percentage of the battery, not sure of the exact name though, check in the download widgets
Now that I've read more, and thinking back to all the arguements I read about Android and task killers, and it occured to me that every post that spoke about slowdown, it was based on knowledge from Android 1.x. I'm still trying to get some slowdown (due to memory) on my unit and haven't managed it yet.
So I'm curious now, has anyone experienced slowdown on an Android 2.x device? I'm guessing much much less, if any.
Cleargrey said:
Now that I've read more, and thinking back to all the arguements I read about Android and task killers, and it occured to me that every post that spoke about slowdown, it was based on knowledge from Android 1.x. I'm still trying to get some slowdown (due to memory) on my unit and haven't managed it yet.
So I'm curious now, has anyone experienced slowdown on an Android 2.x device? I'm guessing much much less, if any.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only when the FM radio freaked out and started locking my phone up, other then that no slow downs.
I'm a long time Windows "expert" and as such have become a bit paranoid about closing rather than minimising apps. When I got my first Android phone I, like a lot of other windows people, immediately installed a task killer. I soon found it a mistake though. Battery life was definitely worse and applications took longer to load. It's very difficult for people with a Windows background to accept that Android works in a different way and that, providing the application is written property, suspended apps. are not using any appreciable resources.
If windows has been written better in the first place we would never have preceived it as a problem. I am still tempted to install a task killer but I keep telling myself "this is not Windows".
Check out my free app in the Marketplace: AppFinder
AppFinder is the fastest way to find apps by name bar none.
Start typing the name of an app or publisher, and the search results are shown instantly.
tap one of the results to go to the marketplace page for the app.
Check it out and let me know what you think
Been using it last couple days, its a big help! Thanks!!!
I'll check it out thanks!
Thank you - it's very fast like the marketplace search should be. Good for quick looking apps if you know the name.
Are there any improvements coming? Like the Top Downloads or anything else?
appfinder feedback
thanks for the feedback - I'm on it
Great app, thanks!
BTW I can't find HTC Hub...
I think you need an HTC device for that sorry buddy
zukа said:
I think you need an HTC device for that sorry buddy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah but some guys were able to find it...
AppFinder
Ok, v1.1 has been submitted to the app marketplace and is ready for testing - should show up in the marketplace as an update within a few days
ebadger said:
Ok, v1.1 has been submitted to the app marketplace and is ready for testing - should show up in the marketplace as an update within a few days
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
does this fix the crash where it closed and wouldn't reopen for me (even after soft reset)?
I had to uninstall, reinstall to get it working again.
I don't think so.
Although I think I know the cause. I will have to roll the fix into another update.
I think there is a small window where the downloaded data file can be corrupted if the writing to flash is interrupted. It will be simple to fix. For now, if you hit it, uninstall reinstall is the only option.
nice find. but did you know while in maketplace you can use the search button to find apps as well?
jimecm said:
nice find. but did you know while in maketplace you can use the search button to find apps as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course I do
AppFinder is all about making apps discoverable in the fastest way possible.
I think if you're not in the top 20 apps in the marketplace under any one of the categories, then as a developer you're invisible. AppFinder seeks to make it easier to find apps via search, and with the update, via browsing as well.
Update is in the hopper, still waiting for testing to complete...
jimecm said:
nice find. but did you know while in maketplace you can use the search button to find apps as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the annoying thing is that it searches music and video as well. i can't just search for apps alone
locales
Ok, so I just figured out I've only been indexing the en-US locale
I've updated the data to include
{ "en-US", "en-GB", "en-IE", "en-CA", "en-IN", "en-AU", "en-HK", "en-SG", "de-DE", "fr-FR", "fr-BE", "de-AT", "de-CH", "it-IT", "en-NZ", "es-ES", "es-MX" };
this change is effective immediately as it is a data update. Still waiting for the update to make it through the approval process. It seems that the holiday has slowed things down a bit
The update finally arrived
Nice new features and still very fast. But unfortunately, in my case, it wont load after the second app start (even at first start if I switch the section). I always have to deinstall/reinstall again once the app was started.
Maybe you can take a look? Feels like a caching problem or something like that. I'm using a Samsung Omnia 7 in germany - if that helps
Feature wishlist:
1. add a settings screen to edit:
a.) the number of list entries on one page (10, 20, 50) to keep the app fast enough
b.) the section on loading (and maybe you also can set this to no section just for fast look-up app search - I used the app for this before the update)
2. Maybe you can use the OS-typical "left-to-right-scrolling-loading-dots" instead of the big ones?
3. New logo if there is enough time
PrivateJoker said:
The update finally arrived
Nice new features and still very fast. But unfortunately, in my case, it wont load after the second app start (even at first start if I switch the section). I always have to deinstall/reinstall again once the app was started.
Maybe you can take a look? Feels like a caching problem or something like that. I'm using a Samsung Omnia 7 in germany - if that helps
Feature wishlist:
1. add a settings screen to edit:
a.) the number of list entries on one page (10, 20, 50) to keep the app fast enough
b.) the section on loading (and maybe you also can set this to no section just for fast look-up app search - I used the app for this before the update)
2. Maybe you can use the OS-typical "left-to-right-scrolling-loading-dots" instead of the big ones?
3. New logo if there is enough time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Private Joker,
Thanks for the feedback.
First - there was a bug that only impacted the German locale! I was trying to save bandwidth by truncating unnecessary leading zeros in the price and this caused an exception when the locale was set to German. I've updated the data to include the leading zeros and this fixes the problem for Germans. You will have to uninstall and reinstall though to get it to work. I am very sorry for the inconvenience, and I really appreciate you taking the time to give me your feedback even though the app was not working for you at all. I hope you will try again given that the data has been fixed.
Regarding your feedback -
I think you are right on the mark for #2 and #3
I don't understand 2b.
regarding 1a.
perf should not be impacted by the number of items that are shown -
Appfinder actually transfers the marketplace data to the device and indexes it locally. I do this because the network is really, really slow. Aside from having artists and albums mixed up with apps in the marketplace search results, I also was tired of waiting for results to load. Scrolling through the apps means waiting.
The delay at the beginning is caused by reading the marketplace data from flash and indexing it in RAM. Occasionally the loading dots will appear after launching (like the first time that you use it) because AppFinder has transfered a new data file and needs to parse it again. Instead of delaying every 10 or so apps in the list, there is one delay at the beginning (which is relatively small). Right now parsing the file takes about 4 seconds.
Perf could be greatly improve if I had access to memory mapped file APIs. Further compressing the data would help as well - The really slowest part is really reading from the flash. I can improve perf when a network update occurs by reading from the flash in the background before blocking - this would drop the update delay from ~4 seconds to ~1 second.
I could also not query as you're typing -- Waiting until the enter button has been pressed would reduce CPU load and any chunkiness - pressing search would just render the apps instantly.
Anyway, really appreciate your positive attitude and willingness to give feedback in light of what must be a frustrating experience. Please give it another try.
Thanks,
Eric