I use my GPS a lot and I want my GPS to be running in the background while it track logs. I am not the only person who needs the GPS to not go to sleep so there must be someone else who has found a good solution.
First I tried S2U with a option to not go into sleep mode selected. This work well but I have to have S2U launch of a hardware button and also had to slide after waking it up.
Then I started using AE button plus. Set on of my unused side buttons to turn off screen with single press. This was the best solution I found except it has made taking pictures very buggy.
So has anyone found a good solution to keep the GPS on while the screen is off keeping power consumption down ?
tytn2user said:
I use my GPS a lot and I want my GPS to be running in the background while it track logs. I am not the only person who needs the GPS to not go to sleep so there must be someone else who has found a good solution.
First I tried S2U with a option to not go into sleep mode selected. This work well but I have to have S2U launch of a hardware button and also had to slide after waking it up.
Then I started using AE button plus. Set on of my unused side buttons to turn off screen with single press. This was the best solution I found except it has made taking pictures very buggy.
So has anyone found a good solution to keep the GPS on while the screen is off keeping power consumption down ?
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Click to collapse
GPS on and Power down are contradictory... I measured that the GPS uses 120mA to run.
Anywho, PhoneAlarm will do it for me. I have a GPS Tracking profile (a day and a night one actually) and the phone never turns off when I have it set to those. Gotta be careful with it though, if you forget to disable it you'll find a hot phone with a low battery in your pocket later.
Have you tried to just set the settings to do it? It's not automated, but it's free. There was a thread on a program called BikeMobile which the author describes how to modify the registry to NOT allow the phone to go to sleep when a certain com port is active. I never quite grokked it, but perhaps you will. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=387262
Thats going to be a nice and toastie phone all day.
Thanks khaytsus. I will try out PhoneAlarm and see how I go. I found the phone to be drawing only about 45ma when my screen was off. Just trying to find a rom to suit my needs at the moment. When I find one I will start to try to find a solution.
There are many programs like "trackme" which can log GPS and switch off screen for you. There are some standalone programs like "BlackMe" which can switch off just the screen and lock phone for you.
Related
Probably a simple question but I use a GPS Golf program on my ATT Tilt. Between shots the power goes off on the Tilt and when I turn it back on the the main power button it goes to the home screen instead of resuming the application. It is driving me nuts. I suppose this is how it is supposed to work but is there a way so to have it resume where you left off in an application when you turn on the tilt with the power button?
Thanks
Darin
dj7675 said:
Probably a simple question but I use a GPS Golf program on my ATT Tilt. Between shots the power goes off on the Tilt and when I turn it back on the the main power button it goes to the home screen instead of resuming the application. It is driving me nuts. I suppose this is how it is supposed to work but is there a way so to have it resume where you left off in an application when you turn on the tilt with the power button?
Thanks
Darin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try to disable the "Today Timeout" option in the the Today settings!!
Ciao
I have been playing around with the power setting so it doesn't go off so quickly, but there are still times I need it to resume where I left off on the phone when I use the power button. Seems odd that there doesn't seem to be a choice to just resume when powered on and not just go to the home screen... Any other ideas?
If you don't mind sharing...what is the name of this GPS Golf software? Thanks!!
Not at all. It is truly a great application that incorporates keeping score for all players in your group, side bets, GPS and shot tracking. It also has a desktop software to sync with. The name is it is Intelligolf. You can learn all about it at their website at http://intelligolf.com .
What really sold me on the tilt was the GPS. I purchased the Garmin XT software so my Tilt is my Garmin GPS for my car and is also my GPS golf device as well. Intelligolf offers course downloads for free. If the course you play is not listed you have to mark the points yourself which is very easy or you can do it via Googlemaps.
Very cool.
Darin
I was hoping it would give a picture of the hole. We have a golf course here with GPS in the carts, and it gives you pictures of the holes so you know exactly where everything is.
Unfortunately it does not. This one shows you the distance from where you are to all the points marked such as front-middle-back of green, sand traps and other hazards, etc... I at first wanted to see the actual layout of the course as well then saw the cost is very high on those kind of units. You have to purchase the unit and most of them charge to download each course (seems like some were $19.95 per course). Depending on how accurately you have marked the courses you play, it works just as well IMHO. I do love knowing exact yardage and the tilt seems to do this very well and locks in fairly quickly most of the time.
Darin
Well, I found a solution to my problem. I have SPB shell 2.0 on my tilt and in it there is an option for when you turn the power on. You can have it open to the now screen or not... I don't think there is an option in the default today screen for this..
DD
TomTom v7.450
Diamond ROM v1.37.405.1 WWE
Can anyone else confirm that their backlight never turns off whilst using TomTom, regardless of what setting/timeout they've got on the device's Power config page? Whether I'm using it on battery or mains the result is the same - backlight remains on continuously. If I shut TomTom down I then see normal behaviour and the light turns off after the set time.
Interestingly, if I install the very same TomTom CAB on my M600/Prophet it behaves correctly i.e. the backlight turns off after a time. The device remains continuously on, regardless of setting, but then that's what I'd hope for anyway as TomTom is no use if the device is not active.
Given the above, has anyone got any ideas as to why this might be the case, and what I might be able to do to solve it? I really want the backlight to dim as it will save a considerable amount of battery should I be using TomTom on battery... and it would automatically turn it back on when it comes to advised turns etc.
Incidentally, the backlight does dim/brighten in response to changes in the ambient light level so that's at least something - however I tried removing this setting in case that was the problem but it wasn't.
Mathew
I also use TOM TOM on my Diamond..and I think that is normal that the backlight is on when using the navigato..also if you use the Stand Alone navigator the back ligt stays on!
I can't see the use of the navigator with the device in standby..you should buy a car charger so your battery recharge during the utilization of navigator
Backlight doesn't turn off when using TomTom...?
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Click to collapse
I have a question, can this problem co-exist with the problem of backlight turning off too fast when making a call, or do these two problems cancel each other ?
MJNewton said:
TomTom v7.450
Diamond ROM v1.37.405.1 WWE
Can anyone else confirm that their backlight never turns off whilst using TomTom, regardless of what setting/timeout they've got on the device's Power config page? Whether I'm using it on battery or mains the result is the same - backlight remains on continuously. If I shut TomTom down I then see normal behaviour and the light turns off after the set time.
Interestingly, if I install the very same TomTom CAB on my M600/Prophet it behaves correctly i.e. the backlight turns off after a time. The device remains continuously on, regardless of setting, but then that's what I'd hope for anyway as TomTom is no use if the device is not active.
Given the above, has anyone got any ideas as to why this might be the case, and what I might be able to do to solve it? I really want the backlight to dim as it will save a considerable amount of battery should I be using TomTom on battery... and it would automatically turn it back on when it comes to advised turns etc.
Incidentally, the backlight does dim/brighten in response to changes in the ambient light level so that's at least something - however I tried removing this setting in case that was the problem but it wasn't.
Mathew
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Click to collapse
this is a feature (and a good one) and not a bug. i bet you don't want that when driving, right before a big intersection yr screen go off....
for example,the igo (that's what i am using) give you the option to go by the device or all time on.
KukurikU said:
this is a feature (and a good one) and not a bug.
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If it was a feature I would expect it to manifest itself when installed on both the Diamond and the Prophet (given the common application) - the fact it doesn't suggests to me it is a 'quirk' (not necessarilly a bug) with the way it works on the Diamond. As mentioned, the backlight used to come back on when being advised of any directions etc and would remain until well clear of a junction so if it is a feature it's an unnecessary one!
Sometimes it is not convenient for me to use external power - when riding on my bike for example. And in such circumstances the high ambient light level used to be plenty sufficient for me to see the screen on the Prophet without the backlight being on - this is obviously great for conserving battery power as the light ranks as one of the highest power consumers.
I might see if the TomTom menu is still customisable and, if so, include the 'Backlight Preferences' icon that was present in versions of Navigator prior to v6.
Mathew
As mentioned, the backlight used to come back on when being advised of any directions etc and would remain until well clear of a junction so if it is a feature it's an unnecessary one!
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Click to collapse
interesting! didn't know that...doesn't bother the on\off of the screen while navigating in town (lots of instructions)? not sure i'll want all this flickering
Solved it!
In fairness, it seems that it is a TomTom quirk.
Specifically, the application has always (since I've been using it from v5) had a built-in setting for when to turn the backlight the backlight off (or, more accurately, when to allow the device to turn it off in accordance with your time setting) - the options being: 'Always', 'When on a walking route', 'When not charging' or 'Never'. The default being 'Never'.
However, since v6 the button to change this setting disappeared from the menus however given it is possible to customise the TomTom menus and, even better, to include icons from previous versions of TomTom (assuming the feature is still supported internally) I did the following to turn my backlight setting to 'When not charging'...
- Create a file \TomTom\SDKRegistry\TomTom.mnu in the root of the device
- Inside this file put the following:
Code:
MENUBLOCK|BLOCK_MAIN|BTM_DONE|
MENUPAGE|TASK_PAGE1|Main Menu|
MENUITEM|TASK_EXIT_APP|
MENUITEM|TASK_SET_BACKLIGHT|
MENUITEM|TASK_PAGE1|
- Now run TomTom and click the main screen - up will come a menu with two items in it - Exit and Backlight Preferences, the latter will allow you to configure exactly how you want the backlight to behave.
- Quit TomTom and delete the TomTom.mnu file - this will revert you back to the stock menus, but with the backlight setting (permanently) set.
Of course, this process can be used to configure your menus exactly how you want them however I don't know the keys for all the icons - only for those when I last dabbled in v5 - maybe if I can find some time I'll find the others (I haven't Google for them so perhaps these are now common knowledge) such as the MapShare functions that only came in v7.
The reason it the backlight worked as I wanted when installing the cab on my Prophet was because it still had my menu configs from v5 installed on it... d'oh!
I could be alone in wanting to be able to choose how the backlight is managed, but just in case there's someone with the same desire hopefully this'll be some use to you. It does of course beg the obvious question - why did TomTom remove this customisable feature?!
Cheers,
Mathew
youupy! drinks on you!
congrats and yes, i knew from the beginning that i can help you. dhaaaahh. lol!
Interesting, previous versions of tomtom allowed you to adjust the backlight settings within the application.
cant find it in TT7 though
KukurikU said:
doesn't bother the on\off of the screen while navigating in town (lots of instructions)? not sure i'll want all this flickering
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Click to collapse
On the contrary; they've handled it handle it very well.
Say you've got your backlight timeout set to 30 seconds then after this amount of time with no activity (direction instructions etc) it will turn the backlight off - you can still see the map outline in ambient light and, most importantly, can easily see the distance indicator to the next direction.
A few seconds prior to the next instruction the light will reilluminate, a few seconds later it will give the direction advice/distance etc and then once you're through the junction it will turn the light off again after 30 seconds.
Of course, when following a rapid series of instructions in, say, a built-up area then the backlight will stay on continuously - each instruction essentially resets the timer. It's only when out on the 'open road' with no isntructions for miles that you'd see the effect.
All said and done, when I've got access to external power I keep the backlight on constantly (that's where the 'Extinguish only when not charging' option comes in) but when I'm running on batteries I need all the power-saving I can get, not least given the limit battery capacity in the Diamond!
Rumpleforeskin said:
Interesting, previous versions of tomtom allowed you to adjust the backlight settings within the application.
cant find it in TT7 though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As mentioned they dropped the icon in v6 yet still supported the functionality internally - it's just that with no icon you can't change the setting hence the temporary icon-insertion method discussed above.
Mathew
Hello,
I need a feature that you can go to the diamond sleep mode in tomtom navigation and this application will still work. For example in riding a motorbike if you have the diamond in a pocket (navigation via voice and need to safe battery)
Do you have some idea how to config this?
Thanks!
I wonder as well. If I want to save a track (KML file) when i'm hinking I want the unit to be in sleep mode, but that the tracking continues so that I can see my hiking trail in Google Earth later. Is this possible?
No, it is not because the GPS receving unit is useless by itself... it always requires a software to read and use the data it produces (a navigator, a speedometer or a simple NMEA logger). When a WM device is in sleep mode the CPU is not working so you can not elaborate/save such data.
However if you want to save battery you can use a display switcher like the one included in psShutXP to switch off the display while the unit is still working.
OK, thank you ....
Hello,
I tried it but if you use the screen off function e. g. with the psShutXP or the AB Button Plus then tomtom stop working. So I still don't know how to switch off the display while tomtom is working.
I appreciate next hint, thanks!
i haven't tried this yet, but the thing is, after you shut down the screen with psshutxp, ur phone is still gonna go into sleep mode once the prescribed time limit lapses...i'm talkin about the duration set in the power settings
so the way to do this MAY BE to change the duration in 'power off in' settings tab, and then use psshutxp to turn off the display
This one aspect of my phone has been really bugging me. We don't have the option to disable the automatic locking of our phones. You could enable an infinite screen timeout, but that doesn't really solve the problem as it introduces a new problem (increased drain on the battery due to the display being on the whole time).
It'd be nice if we could control those two settings independently. One is to be able to control screen timeout, the other would be to enable/disable autolocking our phones.
The reason this is useful for someone like me is that I usually leave my phone on the desk when I'm not using it. In my situation the auto-locking is just a huge pain because I'm not worried about accidentally hitting any buttons while the phone is on the desk nor am I worried about security/privacy issues.
Anyone see a need?
I think lockbot gives you an option of how long before the lock screen goes into affect if you'd be willing to use an app for a lock screen...
erikikaz said:
This one aspect of my phone has been really bugging me. We don't have the option to disable the automatic locking of our phones. You could enable an infinite screen timeout, but that doesn't really solve the problem as it introduces a new problem (increased drain on the battery due to the display being on the whole time).
It'd be nice if we could control those two settings independently. One is to be able to control screen timeout, the other would be to enable/disable autolocking our phones.
The reason this is useful for someone like me is that I usually leave my phone on the desk when I'm not using it. In my situation the auto-locking is just a huge pain because I'm not worried about accidentally hitting any buttons while the phone is on the desk nor am I worried about security/privacy issues.
Anyone see a need?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well... I'll answer your question... But this won't be helpful (Just a warning )
A need? No.. I honestly don't find it troublesome to swipe my finger across the screen after pressing the trackball (or Power button if you're not rooted/haven't setup Trackball Wake)
So, I don't really see a need. But good luck finding someone to accomplish your request. Just seems like it'd be a fair amount of work, to remedy 1 seconds time... Just my $.02
Try ScreenModeWidget at market, free.
choose awake stay.
Try ScreenModeWidget at market, free.
choose awake stay.
Look in the market for "curvefish" he's a developer of widgets and has a lock screen on off widget that will let you turn it off then back on without having to reset the pattern. Hope that helps!
Keyguard disabler on the market. It works for me. I set it after a reboot and it works. It has a option to start on start but I just do it manually with the shortcut.
actually, i've been looking for the same solution as you are looking for! even i find it highly anoying when i keep the fone on my desk and have to sweep the screen each time i want to check it.
ideally, i'm looking for something likr what u get in the 5800.... the screen comes back on (after timning out) when you tap on the screen, unless u lock it explicitly via the hardware button...
neways, u kud try "no luck" which simply disables the lock screen. when the screen times out, pressing the hardware "home' or "lock/unlock" buttons brings the screen back on without having to go thru the unlock procedure...
Cheers,
I've been using touchscreen smartphones since the Omnia came out and never once have i needed a lock screen. I can't for the life of me work out why anyone would need anything more than a screen off/screen on button.
I'm using No Lock from the market now. It has a handy toggle widget/icon for enabling or disabling the lock function. As a bonus it allows screen wake on Trackball and volume buttons.
+1 for No Lock! It's the best way to get around that swipe pain.
Is there an app or a way to have the tab wake up (to the lock screen) when it detects motion? ie Wake up automatically when it's picked up? allowing you to then either use the device or set it down so the screen can timeout again?
It seems like a more natural way to use the device as opposed to fiddling with a button. If like me you use the device only around the house then it's stationary 90% of the time and not being jostled about in a pocket. So if I pick it up at all then it's because I'm about to do something with it. It'd be great to have the screen flick on automatically.
It's not something I've seen much of. I'm not even sure if that sensor can trigger that action. Any thoughts or ideas?
If you are on a firmware that lets you access test mode (*#*#0*#*#) you can find that P1000 actually have a "grab sensor" that works well, but I never knew the use of it...
Let's hope the experts have an answer! ^^
I have to admit, that would be a cool feature... not for everyone or every lifestyle, but I can already imagine frequent uses where that would be good to select as an option.
I'm runnning overcome 4.1.0 - doesnt seem to let me access the test settings for the "grab sensor". Fingers crossed there is another way to utilize this feature.