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I work in a building that is well shielded in most places and get no signal. My phone drains incredibly quick when this is the case. Is there a way to reduce the polling frequency that it looks for a tower to stop this? I thought juicedefender might but I can't figure a way to do this.
Rom: Fresh 4.0.0.4b
Kernel: netarchy 4.3.1.4 cfs have no sbc
hw version 0003
juicedefender ultimate
setcpu 200-1152MHz, smartass governor
Thanks!
When I'm in an area where I roam or have very poor signal I notice increased drain rate as well. This was the same with my TP2. I've always just understood that when the phone is constantly seeking signal and cycling back and forth between roam/3G/1x the battery drains faster.
Your best option, is to utilize "airplane mode" when you know you're going to be in an area that had no signal/you won't be able to use it. I hate to do it because I don't like my family not being able to reach me in case of an emergency, but it is one option for you.
I second the airplane option. Also, WiFi is available while in airplane mode. Perhaps your building has WiFi you can connect to and you can keep something like AIM or Facebook or Google Voice/Talk open and instruct those who might need you in an emergency to reach you through the method of your choice so that you may call out from a landline or step away from the building if there is an emergency.
Just a thought.
See if you can get in on the new Google voice option where you can make your sprint # your Google voice number. Once you have done that you can have your work # as one of your forwarding numbers if your work allows. Or airplane mode with a 2nd charger for work.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
Yep, Airplane mode is the ONLY way to turn off the cell radio. Otherwise, it will be constantly polling for a tower.
Dial ##3282# from a froyo sense rom and it will bring up a menu where you can change how often it polls the tower. It's Going to affect how long it takes your phone to receive calls though.
Sent from my EVO
If you know you're not getting reception, why not just use airplane mode? I mean, if you don't have reception you're not getting contacted anyway.
If you want to go the airplane mode route, Tasker is a great app that lets you control lots of things. You should be able to turn off your radios at set times during the day and have them enable after you get out of work.
I just loaded the 2.1 EPST and run a Verizon PRL when I am at work. I get a crappy Sprint signal at work. However your issue seems to be different as the walls/windows may be blocking all signals? Verizon seems to penetrate better though.
With Tasker, you can also set your phone to airplane mode during work hours, but automatically turn it off and enable data every fifteen minutes (or however long) to check for text messages, voicemails, etc. That is assuming that you get any signal at work... if you don't have a signal at all, just turn airplane mode on yourself.
To answer your question:
Yes, not having a signal will drain your battery. The phone will keep increasing the radio strength to lock onto a tower. Opposite is true to, if you have a strong signal, the radio will decrease the power level thus saving battery power.
You might want to contact Sprint ([email protected]) and let them know that you don't get service in your work building. They gave me a airwave device, but have to have Internet connection for it to work. The only other option might be to have some type of power booster/repeater that are typically very expensive. Not sure how your employer would feel about these suggestions - but never hurts to ask.
I am military and work on a base. The entire internet is locked down except for official military business, so an Airave device wouldn't work.
No internet, no cell signal and neither AM or FM penetrates. Maximum pain.
I'll try tasker, thanks guys.
tomplatz said:
I am military and work on a base. The entire internet is locked down except for official military business, so an Airave device wouldn't work.
No internet, no cell signal and neither AM or FM penetrates. Maximum pain.
I'll try tasker, thanks guys.
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Click to collapse
In that case, if you don't already have Tasker, I'd just turn airplane mode on yourself when you get to work & turn it off when you leave. Or there are free apps that will do it automatically that aren't as complex as Tasker. Unless you find another use for it, then go ahead.
Would roam control work to try verizon towers? I think they have a stronger signal locally.
tomplatz said:
I am military and work on a base. The entire internet is locked down except for official military business, so an Airave device wouldn't work.
No internet, no cell signal and neither AM or FM penetrates. Maximum pain.
I'll try tasker, thanks guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL you said it yourself. If the military doesn't want you getting signal, you're not getting signal. In general, if you can't get radio signal you can't get cell phone signal. Early cell phones operated on FM (type: frequency modulation) radio and what we're using now is basically a digital-type FM radio. In the end it's all EM waves and you're likely in a giant Faraday cage of a military base. I say avoid even trying to fix your problem and just go airplane mode.
i noticed that i get much better 2g reception in my house than 3g so would it be possible to set the galaxy nexus to make the switch to 2g sooner and automatic? im using a toggle right now but it would be nice to be able to set the point at which the phone will make the jump to 2g.
The 3g signal is so weak in certain areas that i dont lose the signal but i wont be able to receive calls and goes straight to voicemail but the annoying thing is that sometimes the phone doesnt make the jump to 2g. Im using the mod in aokp to see my signal in dBm instead of the bars and have found the difference is -111 to -113dBm for 3G and under -100dBm for 2G in the same spot. i would like to be able to set the phone to make to jump to 2G when the 3G signal is weaker than -110dBm for example.
anyone? do we know how the phone decides when to switch to 2g?
Why don't you just keep manually toggling it as needed? Problem solved. That said goto YouTube and watch the everything is amazing but nobody is happy video.
And remember kids. Your smartphone is not a pacifier.
iphone. helping computer illiteracy become popular since 2007.
cause it would be easier if it did it automatically like its suppose to. if i forget to toggle the 2g everytime i home then i miss a call in the house? this is a phone we're talking about im not asking for anything special just for it to work like its suppose to.
neotekz said:
? this is a phone we're talking about im not asking for anything special just for it to work like its suppose to.
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Exactly. Couldn't have said it better myself. Now I need to go start a thread asking how come my phone won't clean my room. Ç'mon it's a smartphone.
iphone. helping computer illiteracy become popular since 2007.
receiving calls and making calls is not something special for a 700 dollar phone. this is the first phone i got that has this kind of trouble switching between 2g and 3g. go troll somehwere else if you have nothing helpful to add.
Seriously what is so hard about manually toggling your phone to 2g at home? I have to do it occasionally still even though 3g isn't the juice sucker it used to be a few years ago. Another alternative is to get a micro cell but I an sure you don't want to pay ~$200 and $20 a month. There are apps that will do the 2g toggle when you're on your home wifi. Nfc tag might be able to do it too. It seems you want somebody to write an app specifically for your "problem".
iphone. helping computer illiteracy become popular since 2007.
you're really not getting it, its not about a toggle and im not asking anyone to make an app so i dont have to use the toggle. im not talking about switching to 2g to save battery or data but when the 3g is weak or isnt there and there is a stronger 2g signal available. i am using a toggle right now but thats not a solution. this is a phone, i shouldnt have to toggle anything to make calls. All my previous android phones stayed in 2g 90% of the time in my house all by themselves.
Phones are suppose to be able to switch between 2g and 3g when 3g is not available or is too weak, the galaxy nexus is not doing that properly it hangs at 3g even to the point where it drops the signal and there's always is a good 2g signal that it should be going to. i have no 2g deadspots in my house but a few for 3g.
i've tried all the radios and they all have this problem some worst than others. i was just thinking if there is a way to mod the phone so that it will switch to 2g sooner or faster
And I am telling you to do it manually to solve your issue. You still want it done faster automatically and nobody here is going to be able to mod a radio for you. Aside from aaaaaaaall the barriers prohibiting devs from doing so, there is just plain and simple the issue of it actually transferring from 2 to 3 and 3 to 2, handshaking with the tower which is not instaneous. Like I said watch that video and get a grip and laugh. The best and fastest solution is manually. I have to do it myself occasionally for different reasons. If you don't like having to do something manually because you have a $700 smartphone then all I can tell you is good luck with the rest of your life.
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iphone. helping computer illiteracy become popular since 2007.
i looked into this some more and it turns out there is a setting that can do exactly what i want but is disabled in the new 4.0.4 update. in the *#*#4636*#*# menu you can set network preferred type to gsm auto prl which will only switch to 3g if there is a strong signal and will favor 2g. With the new update(4.0.4) the setting cannot be changed and is stuck on wcdma preferred which is the opposite of gsm auto prl, favors 3g over 2g. hopefully this can be fixed somehow so that the network settings can be changed.
neotekz said:
i looked into this some more and it turns out there is a setting that can do exactly what i want but is disabled in the new 4.0.4 update. in the *#*#4636*#*# menu you can set network preferred type to gsm auto prl which will only switch to 3g if there is a strong signal and will favor 2g. With the new update(4.0.4) the setting cannot be changed and is stuck on wcdma preferred which is the opposite of gsm auto prl, favors 3g over 2g. hopefully this can be fixed somehow so that the network settings can be changed.
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I'd stay out of that menu on nexus. It has caused many a problem for gnex owners, one which is it automatically goes back to default setting no matter what you select and erasing smsc number randomly. Toggling 2g in settings or getting a 2g/3g toggle in power control is fastest and easiest solution still.
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iphone. helping computer illiteracy become popular since 2007.
Hi,
Using GNex, stock JB 4.11, Wind Mobile Canada, $40 plan, unlimited data & Canada wide.
Please excuse in advance for the novice questions. I am not yet familiar with Wind Mobile. The customer support is too long and submitting a question to their website required around 5 days to get an answer which is generally irrelevant in my short experience. Hope some expert users here can share some of your knowledge.
Last week, suddenly during a phone conversation, the phone became totally disconnected voice & data. The next morning, the situation didn't improve, so I rebooted the phone (power off / on). Then the phone could connect to voice, but no data (gray icon instead of blue). I stayed with no data for 3 days. During that time, I tried a few reboots, changing various network settings (APN, Network Operators, Data roaming, etc.). None of that worked, then I made another reboot and suddenly everything is back to normal (no roaming and data OK).
Q1. Signal strength variation: what is the cause that makes a signal vary? For the same location, sometimes signal changes from 3 bars to 1 within a few minutes.
Q2. What caused a network to black out temporarily? That's what I got last week during the entire night. The reception icon is a black outline triangle (no voice, no data). I purposely disabled roaming, I admit a network could have some issues, but I have hard time to admit that a disruption could last 12 hours. May be the issue is my phone? It was not rebooted since 7 days.
Q3. How often should I reboot the phone? By reboot, I mean power off/on. I hope this is the correct term. Is it possible that a frequent reboot help the phone to be more responsive? I tend to think so because all the network issues I got were magically fixed by reboot.
Q4. Why would a reboot fix a data connection issue? In my case, a few reboots on day 1 didn't fix. Many network settings changes didn't reconnect data. Then finally another reboot on day 3 fixed data connection.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Welcome to the Nexus and its crap radio. Try turning off 4G, once I did that I never lost signal again. With 4G on I get disconnected from the network randomly throughout the day
SirVilhelm said:
Welcome to the Nexus and its crap radio. Try turning off 4G, once I did that I never lost signal again. With 4G on I get disconnected from the network randomly throughout the day
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Click to collapse
How to turn off 4G? Wind Mobile operates on AWS network 1700/2100 MHz (UMTS band 4), and HSPA+ for data. I believe it is not 4G. On the phone Network Settings, there is only an option "Use only 2G Network" which is not a good option for me. If I enabled "Use only 2G Network" the phone shuts off data and changes to roaming mode.
just set ur nexus on airplane mode for a second..
then disable the airplane mode instantly..
u ll gain ur net working widout reboot... )
dinglic mass
ronakmachhi said:
just set ur nexus on airplane mode for a second..
then disable the airplane mode instantly..
u ll gain ur net working widout reboot... )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh wow, that's a cool tips.
I hope someone can answers my other questions, I like to understand the "how things works" side.
2LoT said:
Q1. Signal strength variation: what is the cause that makes a signal vary? For the same location, sometimes signal changes from 3 bars to 1 within a few minutes.
Any number of influences. A microwave, air ionization, temperature, humidity, output from the tower not consistant, and plus just the variations of the phone. Going by bars is a bad way to gauge anyways, it could have only dropped signal for a split second but it doesnt update the bars frequently so it would appear to be low signal longer than it could have actually been. Your phone works by line of sight, picture a tight wire from your phone to the tower, anything that crosses in that line reduces signal.
Q2. What caused a network to black out temporarily? That's what I got last week during the entire night. The reception icon is a black outline triangle (no voice, no data). I purposely disabled roaming, I admit a network could have some issues, but I have hard time to admit that a disruption could last 12 hours. May be the issue is my phone? It was not rebooted since 7 days.
That actually is hard to answer, you would need to contact your provider to see if they have a log of an outage at that time before going into whether it was the phone or not.
Q3. How often should I reboot the phone? By reboot, I mean power off/on. I hope this is the correct term. Is it possible that a frequent reboot help the phone to be more responsive? I tend to think so because all the network issues I got were magically fixed by reboot.
Never unless things act funny. A reboot is usually healthy for operating systems (i know many do not). I personally don't intentionally reboot mine, it usually happens because I'm screwing with clock speeds
Q4. Why would a reboot fix a data connection issue? In my case, a few reboots on day 1 didn't fix. Many network settings changes didn't reconnect data. Then finally another reboot on day 3 fixed data connection.
Like any software there are chance of a 'glitch' where the modem and the driver have issues communicating. Toggling airplane mode off and then back on re-initializes this and in most cases fixes the communication problem. Rebooting will have the same effect. I would only worry if you are needing to do this often.
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Click to collapse
Hope this helps a little.
I would also contact your provider. They may have an issue with the tower you are connecting to.
Perfectly understood, appreciated very much your detailed answers. Can you please clarify below?
Darunion said:
Any number of influences. A microwave, air ionization, temperature, humidity, output from the tower not consistant, and plus just the variations of the phone. Going by bars is a bad way to gauge anyways, it could have only dropped signal for a split second but it doesnt update the bars frequently so it would appear to be low signal longer than it could have actually been. Your phone works by line of sight, picture a tight wire from your phone to the tower, anything that crosses in that line reduces signal.
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Click to collapse
Makes sense. Indeed, when I said "For the same location, sometimes signal changes from 3 bars to 1 within a few minutes". Actually, I mean a room and I was walking/moving so may be the orientation of the phone explained why the reception was inconstant.
Regarding your answer above output from the tower not consistant. Is it possible that the tower reduces its signal strength when the number of users increases? Similar to users sharing a finite band width?
Yes, even orientation of the phone can have an affect, depends how the antenna is set up inside the phone, i havent seen it so i have no answer for that.
ya, as you move around you could have been what blocked the direct sight of the tower, signal passes through nonmetal objects but each time it does, it loses strength depending what it passes through
@OP I also have the same problem, I am also with Wind and had to do force reboot to make it reboot.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
Flash the UGLC1 radio to your nexus. I'm with Wind as well and that radio gets me good service!
Hey, guys.
I have my phone now for 4 month and I've checked following thing: the battery drain is incredible on bad mobile coverage. In my apartment I have really pur reception, all phones loose the reception permanently (in this way one x is much better than my wife's Iphone 4).
It is normal, that the phone consumes much energy, but one x consumes just to much. For example, if I'm at home, the drain is like 2 or even 3 procent in hour even on sense roms, and if I'm in place with good reception, it's like 1 procent in 2 and more hours, so the overall batter life is waaaay much better...
Now the question is, if I could do something to make my phone to be not so aggressive on searching for the network? I know, it can bring worse network, but it is not really a problem for me.
P. S.:switching to flight mode is not an answer for me
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
flight mode is the first thing i would have said, but not an option, so the next thing i would look at is something like vodafone suresignal - check with your network provider, they might offer a service similar, basically you get a little box from them, plug into your internet connection, and it will give your phone signal.
can't really think of something apart from a kernel tweak of some sort that would stop the phone scanning so much for cell towers, but i'm not sure where that would be, or even if it is possible..
its normal when signal drops out the phone turns the phones radio on full to scan for a network.
i would try going to settings > mobile network ( click the word not the switch) > network mode
and set it to GSM only, this will force the phone to only use 2g signal, means you don't get 3g internet so it will be very slow for internet, but 2g uses less power than 3g.
i do this alot as where i live there is low/2g signal only so i force it on to the 2g to stop it looking for a 3g network
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda app-developers app
treebill said:
its normal when signal drops out the phone turns the phones radio on full to scan for a network.
i would try going to settings > mobile network ( click the word not the switch) > network mode
and set it to GSM only, this will force the phone to only use 2g signal, means you don't get 3g internet so it will be very slow for internet, but 2g uses less power than 3g.
i do this alot as where i live there is low/2g signal only so i force it on to the 2g to stop it looking for a 3g network
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda app-developers app
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I use this option a lot, this is not directly what I asked for. I just want my gsm radio to be not so aggressive. Just like changing cpu governors values
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
Hi
Zlotin said:
I use this option a lot, this is not directly what I asked for. I just want my gsm radio to be not so aggressive. Just like changing cpu governors values
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
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If there is no reception at all the phone radio shouldn't use much power, this is because it is just listening for a signal and will not be transmitting anything. If the radio is consuming more power, it is likely because it can hear the transmitter (they obviously transmit with much more power) and so the phone on hearing the mother ship is trying to reply at full transmit power available to it, but this isn't enough to be heard which drains more power. It doesn't taking many attempts at transmitting at full power to have a battery draining faster than usual.
Some applications on having no data connection might start waking the device a lot in a panic and don't back off trying, so every few seconds they will be waking the phone trying to connect to a remote server somewhere. Do you have Wi-Fi on to keep applications happy if they want to keep phoning home?
You have few options really,
1) is to just the mobile phone part off and leave Wi-Fi running which should help. You can do this by switching to flight mode then enabling just the Wi-Fi, or there will be widgets available I'm sure to just turn off the mobile phone part.
2) Turn off syncing to see if it is an application getting panicky, again you will have widgets you can add to your home page to easily switch this setting
3) You can use a Phone Schedule type application and have your phone go to flight mode automatically timed for when you are usually at home and overnight to save battery drain, free ones at the Play store.
4) If you have internet access at your apartment and depending on your mobile phone operator you might be able to get a femtocell, this will give you a full signal and service at home.
Regards
Phil
Its not just the HOX that does this, its all phones and it is bloody annoying.
My wifes parents live in the middle of nowhere and if we didnt' change our phones (inc, hox, s2,n900,iphone3...) to flightmode when there over night they would be flat.
treebill said:
its normal when signal drops out the phone turns the phones radio on full to scan for a network.
i would try going to settings > mobile network ( click the word not the switch) > network mode
and set it to GSM only, this will force the phone to only use 2g signal, means you don't get 3g internet so it will be very slow for internet, but 2g uses less power than 3g.
i do this alot as where i live there is low/2g signal only so i force it on to the 2g to stop it looking for a 3g network
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda app-developers app
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I don't have that option. What's up with that? Does AT&T lock that option on their phones?
Tcndeb said:
I don't have that option. What's up with that? Does AT&T lock that option on their phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dial *#*#4636#*#* and goto phone information, scroll down, and you'll have all different modes there.
sometimes this doesn't stick though
that option would probably be there on a normal custom rom (unless this isn't actually possible on at&t??)
i could be misinformed, im from uk, so a little un educated on how the networks work over there..
Ive had my note 2 now for about a month now and the phone itself has been great. During the first week I experienced horrible signal but that has all stopped recently. I now get 4g everywhere I go around my home and work.
But.. one problem persists. Missing missed call notifications and delayed voice mails. This has been going on since I got the phone and I though it was only a wifi calling bug until today.
Multiple people have called me and left a voice mail which I will only receive once I use my phone. Ie: text/make a call. No missed call notification shows up but I will receive texts and voicemails once I actively use my phone.
I have done tests with wifi calling where my phone would be charging for a few hours and a call would go straight to voicemail. Also pinging my phone yields a 1k+ms ping response and then normal 50ms which leads me to beleive the phone goes into some sort of sleep state and has to be actively on the network to receive any call or text. I thought it was just wifi calling but now its happening without being connected to wifi.
Does anyone have any information on this type of problem?
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
I had the issues you described with wifi calling. It was so unreliable that I stopped using it. On the regular cell connection I no longer miss calls.
I wish using regular cell was reliable as the coverage is great in my area. But after yesterday's problem I can't trust it anymore.
I'm back to using wifi calling and im using an app called wake lock to keep the wifi connected, as the normal no sleep when wifi setting doesn't work in the settings.
It has been 12 hours and the wifi calling icon hasn't disappeared. I've received emails and texts as well. Hopefully this can be a permanent at home solution. I wonder what causes the cell network to just drop and stay unconnected while the phones on lock though.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
hellfirex11 said:
I wish using regular cell was reliable as the coverage is great in my area. But after yesterday's problem I can't trust it anymore.
I'm back to using wifi calling and im using an app called wake lock to keep the wifi connected, as the normal no sleep when wifi setting doesn't work in the settings.
It has been 12 hours and the wifi calling icon hasn't disappeared. I've received emails and texts as well. Hopefully this can be a permanent at home solution. I wonder what causes the cell network to just drop and stay unconnected while the phones on lock though.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Are you using ant task killers or battery saving apps? They can turn off your data and so many other processes, they do more harm than good.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T889 using xda premium
I have no battery saving apps, all i use is the stock task manager for ending tasks.
UPDATE:
WiFi calling with wake lock seemed to work most of the day. I received many texts and calls from at least 5 different people over the coarse of the day. But then... I go in my garage and lose wifi signal and the phone doesn't connect to a tower and i miss someone trying to call me. Same deal.. no missed call notification and they said it just goes straight to VM without ringing. I write it off as not a big deal as long as the rest of my house wifi calling allows me to miss nothing.
I sleep for a few hours and i wake up and hit my lock screen. The screen flashes on and it shows the WiFi calling symbol.. then lags and flashes to it being gone. I then use my house phone to call it and of course.. no ringing.. straight to VM. I have also received no emails/texts during this time.
I open the battery usage and during the last 15 hours or so there are small increments of signal loss. The whole bar is yellow which isnt great but should still work. But there are small slivers missing completely, and they are identical to the WiFi usage as well. Both show the same 0 signal at the same time.
I'm at my wits end with this problem.. i have tried just about everything from factory reset, SIM reset, using WiFi calling on both my router bands, using settings to keep WiFi on when phones charging. The problem persists on 4g and WIFI. Currently I'm set to GSM only to test this issue using EDGE.
The odd thing is my brother has the same phone and although he reported a few missed calls via wifi calling, nothing as serious as my issue of several blocks of time with 0 signal at all.
I noticed the new update rolling out changes the baseband.. would this do anything to fix any issues with connectivity? Ive read numerous people with this issue using various phones/carriers and the only fix seemed to be getting a new phone number. I hope this isn't the case.
I think you might need a microcell
I'm not sure if that would really help. Like I said I have above average coverage at my house. I never had a problem with my vibrant and the other 2 lines dont have problems. This morning I flashed jedi x7 and I now have a 3g and a H+ icon. I notice that im 95% on 3g and it sporadically switches to H+ randomly for only a few seconds. Also as about 6 hours have past, my network signal in battery usage is a solid bar with no signal loss. Time will tell if that stays true.
One other thing of note, if I perform a speed test when it's on 3g.. I ping 1k+ but pull around 15mbit. When H+ is up before I start the test I ping under 100 and pull 15mbit. Perhaps the constant switching is causing me to disconnect from the tower for brief moments.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app