Can i get some help from you all. Need to know the ups and downs of a task killer.
I see no downs in installing a Task Killer. I have the Advanced Task Killer and it really does its job of keeping unnecessary tasks from running in the background eating up memory and battery. It also automatically stops apps from running in the background. If you want to keep your battery from going from 100 to 10 in just a few hours, I definitely recommend that you download it.
I disagree && have tried both the free & one paid TK.
They are totally unnessary in an Android system (as opposed to Windows Mobile) & cause annoying reboots etc.
They don't improve battery life whatever unless you have an app that is really misbehaving (& then the CORRECT fix is to remove the offending app)
~John
Yea, I'm not buying it JMorton. Mine out of the box was half day on the battery. Most everybody else I bet would disagree as well. But really, if you have a problem with your battery draining, get it. If you don't, don't. Mines up to a day and a half now. Lovin' it.
So it's most definitely a yes from me.
Most everybody else I bet would disagree as well
You would be wrong there, when I read up on it the vast majority of knowledgable users recommend users uninstall any task killers & provide plenty of evidence that they can actually decrease battery life.
I use the heck out of my phone & it always makes it through a day of use.
http://geekfor.me/faq/you-shouldnt-be-using-a-task-killer-with-android/
I too have done my own little testing and found that without a task killer going, constantly trying to close the apps that will only reopen the second they stop them, my battery is lasting longer. So for me I agree with Jmorton10
After having my Droid X for a full month, I've experienced better battery performance without a task killer. I average around a day and a half of normal to heavy use without one. As long as I exit any applications that do not go idle and do not allow Android to manage them properly, performance is better.
With the task killer, I'd say it was maybe ~10% less efficient on battery use compared with leaving it alone and letting Android do its thing. I suspect that was from having it kill the bloatware apps that always come back on. It bothers me that Verizon and Motorola put lame apps on the phone that cannot be removed, but they do not appear to significantly drain the battery if you leave them alone.
I tried three options: using a task killer vs. not using one and manually stopping things vs. not using one and letting Android do what it is designed to do. Leaving it alone appears to give the best performance, and it is easily lasting a full day use.
If my battery is draining faster than that, it is because I have some application running a lot of processing in the background, or I have emails set to sync constantly, or something like that. Navigation is a perfect example, because it is both using more power for the GPS being active and it is running the navigation program constantly (lots of active use of the processor). I just plug it into the car charger when navigating now, and I'm conscious to close apps like that when I'm finished using them.
The best way to know is to test it yourself. If you get better performance with the task killer, look closely at whatever third-party apps you have installed. One or more of them is probably doing some things that are not necessary to have actively running all the time, and they are causing the battery drain.
Wildman wrote:I was wondering what option do you set the task manger on? I use the option that closes everything when the backlight is powered off instead of have it do it on a time setting, this way shouldn't use any battery power except when the backlight is powered off instead of always checking on a scheldule. I am asking because since i haven't noticed and battery drain during normal use and i am thinking this may be the differences.
That's the same setting I use. It's proven quite effective ever since I started using it.
Ok, Thank You... I am not crazy, glad someone verifies this as a fact.. I was starting to wonder if I was overlooking something, I have been using task killer without issues and it kills me to have other say that I am the only one that seems to having better luck with it than without it.. I try to be detailed on running my tests when experimenting with new software before decided if it is more a Pro or a Con and I just could believe I was the only one.
From what I have noticed the Close on Power Off feature is a more optimized method of using any Task Manager apps. I removed ATK again today and made it maybe 6 hours before I experianced a battery pull lockup situation, ATK is back in and I gave up on second guessing if its wise to use. It may not be for everyone but it seems it works best for me.
Those are the same experiences I've had Wildman. I have noticed with Advanced Task Killer set to: Crazy and auto kill: screen off, my Available memory hovers around 168-190M a day after a complete power cycle. After a complete power cycle I get about 4 hours where my Available Memory is around 240M. When I turn off Autokill I have monitored my Available Memory and have seen it drop as low as 33M. This is without me manually or auto-killing any programs.
I've read on a couple of boards where this is a known bug with Android 2.1 where your cache does not auto clear. This is supposed to be corrected in the 2.2 release we are awaiting. Once 2.2 hits, it will be interesting to see if we will still require the use of ATK. I have noticed on my wife's Droid 1 that ATK still helps on 2.2, but not the drastic swings we were seeing with 2.1.
Edit: Also I have noticed, when I turn my screen back on my phone reactivates any process that was killed before screen off.
